Armenia

The good and bad surprises of the INDCs
Est. 6minThe Paris climate negotiations hinge on the voluntary national contributions; the climate promises that states, in theory, were supposed to publish in early spring. Our partner Journal de l'Environnement reports.

Armenia holds referendum on divisive constitutional reforms
Est. 3minArmenians voted in a referendum on constitutional reforms on Sunday (6 December) which the opposition claims are aimed at keeping the ex-Soviet state's President, Serzh Sargsyan, in power.

EU calls Nagorno-Karabakh escalation ‘unsustainable’
Est. 3minAzerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh are reported to be bickering about how many of their soldiers had been killed in recent clashes, stoking fears of a wider conflict breaking out in the South Caucasus.

Tusk tour focuses on frozen conflicts
Est. 6minCouncil President Donald Tusk's trip to the South Caucasus has largely focused on the 'frozen conflicts' in Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Armenian president tries to defuse electricity protests
Est. 4minArmenian authorities threatened Sunday (28 June) to forcefully break up a protest against rising electricity prices and police brutality after the president announced concessions in a bid to calm tensions.

Armenian government stands firm against protestors
Est. 4minThe Armenian government yesterday (25 June) refused to reverse a controversial electricity price hike, sparking fresh anger among thousands of demonstrators who have rallied in the capital for the seventh day in a row.

Armenian electricity protests continue for sixth day
Est. 4minMore than 9,000 demonstrators rallied in the Armenian capital yesterday (24 June) for a sixth consecutive day, defying police calls to abandon their protest against electricity price hikes and police violence.

Armenians protest electricity prices
Est. 2minSeveral thousand people protested in the Armenian capital Yerevan on Monday (22 June) against a recent decision to raise electricity prices. Media reported police violence and arrests.

Strasbourg court decision deals blow to Armenia over Azerbaijan
Est. 3minA decision by the European Court of Human Rights concerning the complaints of seven Azerbaijani nationals who were unable to return or receive compensation for their property in Lachin, in Nagorno-Karabakh, confirmed that Armenia controls the territory.

US brinkmanship closed OSCE office in Baku, claim diplomats
Est. 5minEXCLUSIVE: Azerbaijan gave one month to the office of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Baku to close down, which was interpreted by Western media as a response to criticisim of the country's human rights and media freedom record. But Western diplomats told EURACTIV a completely different story.

Merkel tells Eastern partners not to expect too much
Est. 5minGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel told the EU's eastern partners yesterday (21 May) not to expect too much of the bloc and warned Russia to mend its ways over Ukraine if it wanted to rejoin the G7.

Ukraine wants roadmap to EU accession at Riga summit
Est. 3minUkraine's foreign minister said his country wants assurances at a summit with the European Union this week that it is a suitable candidate for EU membership, and that its citizens will gain visa-free travel to the bloc next year.

Two tier Eastern Partnership on the table at Riga summit
Est. 3minThe EU plans to strengthen relations with Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, setting them apart from the other Eastern Partnership countries, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Belarus. EURACTIV France reports.

EU to postpone Ukraine free trade pact to 2016
Est. 4minThe European Union will begin implementing the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with Ukraine in 2016, despite Russian pressure for another delay, according to a draft statement prepared for a summit with six of the bloc's eastern neighbours this month in Riga.

West and Azerbaijan denounce Nagorno-Karabakh ‘elections’
Est. 3minAzerbaijan's separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh went to the polls yesterday (3 May) to elect a new parliament in a vote denounced as illegitimate by Baku and the West.

Belgium working to end Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Est. 4minIn his capacity as Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Didier Reynders visited both Armenia and Azerbaijan this week, with a focus on their ongoing conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

France acknowledges ‘mounting tensions’ in Nagorno-Karabakh
Est. 3minFrench President François Hollande has met with both the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, and Ilham Aliyev, the President Azerbaijan, against the background of reports of renewed violence in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Berlin to finally call 1915 slaughter of Armenians ‘genocide’
Est. 3minBerlin has long resisted using the term “genocide” to describe the massacre of 1 million Armenians in 1915 but now the Chancellor and her coalition government have given in to pressure from Bundestag MPs in their own ranks. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Hollande and Putin to discuss Mistral deal
Est. 2minFrench President François Hollande said yesterday (19 April) he was looking for a "way out of the crisis" with Russia over the suspended delivery of Mistral helicopter carriers purchased by Moscow.

The Armenian Genocide: German government in distress
Est. 5minNext week, German President Joachim Gauck could call the genocide in Armenia by name. This would be disgraceful for the German government, which instead wants to avoid the word "genocide". But criticism is constantly growing louder – even among its own ranks.

MEPs call on Turkey to recognise the Armenian genocide
Est. 4minThe European Parliament backed a motion Wednesday (15 April) that calls the massacre a century ago of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces a "genocide", days after Pope Francis triggered fury in Turkey by using the same term.

Turkey fumes at Pope’s Armenia genocide comments
Est. 4minPope Francis sparked a diplomatic row on Sunday (12 April) by calling the massacre of up to 1.5 million Armenians 100 years ago "the first genocide of the 20th century", prompting Turkey to accuse him of inciting hatred.

Commission publishes neighbourhood reports for ‘test year 2014’
Est. 6minThe European Commission published an avalanche of “progress reports” on Wednesday (25 March) covering 12 of the 16 countries in the EU’s neighbourhood for 2014, calling it a test year for the Union's relations with its neighbours.

Putin, Erdo?an discuss Turkish Stream
Est. 2minRussian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an discussed the "Turkish Stream" gas project during a phone call, the Kremlin said in a statement on Tuesday, as Moscow continues to push for its new undersea pipeline to Europe.