News Watch

The Trump administration’s response to the 2020 war reflected a blend of traditional U.S. neutrality as a mediator and Trump's characteristic populist rhetoric, which appeared partly aimed at appealing to Armenian-American voters during the U.S. presidential election campaign that year.

Remarks made by Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Baku on August 19 triggered a wave of strong reactions from Iran, underscoring the conflicting views Moscow and Tehran hold on a key regional issue.

In the early hours of September 13, 2022, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale incursion into Armenia, marking a pivotal moment in the country’s post-independence history as the most significant attack on its sovereign territory. Hovhannes Nazaretyan provides an in-depth account of events.

Azerbaijan continues to hold Armenian POWs and detainees, including former high-ranking Artsakh officials. Although Armenian human rights lawyers hope for the release of detainees before the COP29 summit in Baku this November, they doubt that Artsakh officials will be among them.

While in Baku, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Armenia's leadership of "sabotaging" the agreement signed by PM Nikol Pashinyan regarding the unblocking of communications, sparking a war of words with Yerevan. Hovhannes Nazaretyan explains.

Armenia, once a staunch ally of Russia, has distanced itself from Moscow after the CSTO failed to respond to Azerbaijan’s 2022 attack. Hranoush Dermoyan examines Armenia’s relations with Russia and other CSTO member states amid regional tensions.

Armenia and the U.S. conduct the second joint Eagle Partner military exercise, marking growing defense cooperation between the two countries. Hovhannes Nazaretyan details the exercise's objectives, scale and international reactions.

Russian peacekeepers recently withdrew from Nagorno-Karabakh, now under full Azerbaijani control, as did border guards at Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan and Zvartnots, Yerevan’s international airport, symbolizing Russia’s retreat from the South Caucasus.

Freedom House's Nations in Transit 2024 report downgraded Armenia's democracy score. It also highlighted the spread of autocracy in the region, emphasizing that Western democracies have been inconsistent and hesitant in defending international norms, enabling autocracies to evade accountability.

A high-level meeting designed to support Armenia’s economic resilience took place in Brussels on April 5 and was met with criticism by Azerbaijan and Russia. Hovhannes Nazaretyan explains.