CIVILNET

📍 A company linked to Khachatur Sukiasyan, a pro-government Armenian tycoon, is among the buyers of an Azerbaijani fuel shipment, RFE/RL’s Armenian service reported.📍 Armenia could take back control of some sections of its railroads, currently operated by Russia under a 30-year concession deal, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.📍 Speaking with CivilNet, Babken Tunyan, a leading pro-government lawmaker, defended the government's takeover of Electric Networks of Armenia, a major utility company.📍 Full interview with Babken Tunyan (in Armenian): https://shorturl.at/W1tWX#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #civilnetbusiness

By Tigran Grigoryan

In recent days, the confrontation between Armenia’s ruling party and the Armenian Apostolic Church has reached a new level of escalation. On December 17, a group of bishops–who had earlier publicly demanded the resignation of Catholicos Karekin II and had also met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan–issued a statement calling on the public to gather the following day, December 18, at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to demand the Catholicos’s resignation.

Shortly thereafter, the Aragatsotn Diocese, which has remained loyal to Catholicos Karekin II, announced that the joint prayer service scheduled for December 18 would no longer take place at St. Hovhannes Church in Byurakan. Instead, it would be held at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin at 5:00 PM. The diocese called on the faithful to attend and pray together for “imprisoned clergy, detained and captive compatriots, and for the steadfastness of the Armenian Apostolic Church.” It soon became known that Catholicos Karekin II himself would attend the service.

At the same time, major actors in Armenia’s opposition issued their own calls, urging supporters to be present at the Mother Cathedral of Etchmiadzin on December 18 at 5:00 PM.

As a result, two distinct groups gathered near the cathedral the following day. The first–and significantly larger–consisted of supporters of the Catholicos, including members and sympathizers of various opposition forces. The second group comprised those demanding the Catholicos’s resignation, including representatives of the ruling camp and their supporters.

During the prayer service, Catholicos Karekin II was present inside the Mother Cathedral. Outside, opposing chants from the two groups were heard. Attempts by some protesters opposing the Catholicos’s entry into the cathedral were blocked.

An estimated 8-10 million Armenians live in over 100 countries across the world, spanning different time zones, political systems, languages and cultural traditions. This diversity brings richness, but also, a multiplicity of beliefs, attitudes and perspectives, especially when it comes to the place that’s become a unifying point for all - the Republic of Armenia. From its political and social direction to its economy and global alliances, the question of Armenia’s development and the role the diaspora will play in its evolution remains a pressing question. #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ

📍 Armenian and U.S. officials launched talks to establish a joint venture to oversee the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, a major new transit proposal.📍 U.S. ambassador talks ‘Trump route’ and border security: https://shorturl.at/R2Q6l📍 Azerbaijan sent a fuel shipment to Armenia via Georgia, the first in decades.📍 Armenia lowered interest rates to 6.5%, after holding steady for several months.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #civilnetbusiness

📍 Azerbaijan has launched gasoline shipments to Armenia via Georgia, reviving debate over rail connectivity, transit politics, and strategic dependence.📍 Authorities and church leaders urged calm ahead of planned gatherings at Holy Etchmiadzin of Catholicos with both opponents and supporters. 📍 Armenia at the Oscars: What does it take?- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZgUIe-53iU#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

In this episode of Insights, host Eric Hacopian breaks down Turkey’s repeated insistence on linking normalization with Armenia to the signing of an Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty, and explains why Ankara’s long-standing promises to open the border are unlikely to be kept. He also reviews Armenia’s 2026 state budget and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s problematic response to Baku’s renewed “Western Azerbaijan” narrative.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #insightswitherichacopian

📍 There is no organized ethnic Armenian crime in Europe, a fact acknowledged by the European Union, Deputy Interior Minister Armen Ghazaryan said. This is expected to ease Armenia’s path toward a visa-free regime under the EU visa liberalization action plan unveiled last month.📍 Armenia has signed a strategic partnership declaration with Luxembourg, following similar agreements with Germany and the EU earlier this month.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

On the occasion of TUMO’s 15th anniversary, CivilNet’s Eric Hacopian speaks with Pegor Papazian, Chief Development Officer at TUMO, about the evolution and global reach of Armenia’s flagship education initiative. They cover TUMO’s expansion to more than a dozen countries, its role in shaping “Brand Armenia,” and its focus on intrinsic motivation and soft skills. Papazian also reflects on how AI is reshaping education and why TUMO’s model may be particularly relevant in the post-AI era.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ

Claire Mouradian, director of research at the French National Center for Scientific Research in Paris, examines some of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s most controversial statements about Armenia’s history and regional conflicts. She provides historical context on Karabakh, the formation of Azerbaijani identity, and the use of the Armenian Genocide in politics. Mouradian’s insights help separate historical fact from political narrative and better understand the debates shaping Armenia today. 0:00- A historian’s take on contemporary political context 0:57- Pashinyan’s claim that Armenian-Azerbaijani animosity stems from KGB manipulations 3:18- Pashinyan on questioning the use of the Armenian Genocide by the Russians 6:45- Did the Soviets construct the concept of Azerbaijani statehood? 13:21- Reasons behind Aliyev’s use of the “Western Azerbaijan” narrative 19:01- Closest analogies of the Karabakh movement to other liberation struggles 24:00- What kind of damage can political historical revisionism do to a nation? #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ

Armenia’s domestic political life continues to be dominated by the ruling party’s confrontation with the Church leadership. In its attempt to dethrone Catholicos Garegin II, Prime Minister Pashinyan has adopted a two-fold approach in recent months. On the one hand, he has sought to create cleavages within the Church by finding loyalists willing either to speak out publicly against the Catholicos or to defy his authority by serving liturgies attended by the prime minister. The second element of this approach is the instrumentalization of law-enforcement bodies against Church figures who publicly oppose the prime minister’s policies, as well as the direct intervention of security agencies in the internal procedures and functioning of the Armenian Apostolic Church.