Armenia

Armenian opposition leader Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan has called for four days of mass protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan over the demarcation of the border with Azerbaijan.

The G7 and EU countries are considering tightening restrictions on banks that help Russia circumvent existing sanctions. Discussions are expected to continue until the G7 summit in June, where the leaders want to agree on a set of measures to better enforce sanctions

The G7 and the EU are discussing sanctions against banks that use Russian analog SWIFT systems to circumvent restrictions, as their use tripled in 2023.

Europol conducted the largest-ever operation against botnets, stopping droppers such as Ice, system BC, Pikabot, Smokeloader and Bumblebee, which led to 4 arrests and dismantling of more than 100 servers around the world.

The Azerbaijani Border Guard Service has taken control of four villages in the Gazakh region on the border with Armenia, covering an area of 6. 5 square kilometers, after delimitation work identified a 12.7 kilometer long border line near these villages.

Two Turkish citizens are sentenced to 11 years in prison for smuggling over 190 kg of heroin from Iran to Ukraine and organizing a large-scale drug trafficking scheme.

The second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 took place on May 9 in Malmö, where 10 more countries - Latvia, Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Israel, Greece, Estonia, Switzerland, Georgia and Armenia - advanced to the grand final on May 11, joining the 10 countries that had qualified from the first semi-final.

Tens of thousands of people protested in Yerevan, demanding that the authorities stop the demarcation of the border with Azerbaijan and immediately resign Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Armenia will not finance the programs of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in 2024, effectively refusing to participate in financing the organization's activities while remaining a member.

The European Union is proposing to ban political parties, think tanks and other groups from accepting funding from Russia, as well as to ban the use of the Russian central bank's financial messaging system as part of the next package of sanctions against Russia.

Kuleba discussed the security situation in Ukraine and the South Caucasus with Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan in a telephone conversation.

Armenia and NATO agreed on a military cooperation program for 2024 and outlined areas of cooperation during consultations at NATO Headquarters in Brussels.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine welcomes the beginning of the delimitation of the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia on the basis of the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration, considering it a prerequisite for normalizing relations and ensuring regional stability and security.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have installed the first border pillar on their state border as part of a delimitation process based on geodetic measurements.

On April 23, Azerbaijan and Armenia begin delimiting their border based on geodetic measurements near several villages on both sides.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan questions Armenia's membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) due to the lack of response to Azerbaijan's border violations in 2021 and 2022.

"Spring with Ria" campaign and PUMB: cashback for transfers.

The withdrawal of russian "peacekeeping" troops from Nagorno-Karabakh has begun, with the first contingent and military equipment leaving the area of the Khudavang temple in Kalbajar district, Azerbaijani media report.

Russia actively promotes and tries to recruit foreign nationals, including migrant workers, to its armed forces to fight in the war against Ukraine, offering financial incentives such as a monthly salary of about $2,000, bonuses, Russian passports, and other benefits.

The position of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary remains vacant in 30 Ukrainian embassies in different countries, including the UK, Belarus, Ghana and others, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Human Resources Department reports.

President Zelenskyy signs a decree imposing sanctions against 86 legal entities and 7 individuals, including foreign nationals, for a period of 3 to 10 years.

Banks in Kyrgyzstan have stopped servicing Russkiy Mir cards due to the risk of secondary sanctions, making card payments, cash withdrawals, card-to-card transfers and online payments with these cards unavailable.

A group of American mobile instructors arrived in Armenia to share their experience in public relations and communications with the country's military.

Pope Francis called for an end to wars, including in Ukraine, and expressed hope for a general exchange of all prisoners between Russia and Ukraine.

Armenia's exports to russia have risen sharply since the imposition of sanctions, raising Western concerns about possible sanctions circumvention.

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution proposing to consider Armenia's membership in the European Union if it continues to implement sustainable reforms aimed at strengthening democracy.

Yerevan is threatening to withdraw from the Collective Security Treaty Organization if it does not receive clarification from the CSTO on its "zone of responsibility" in Armenia.

According to Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, Armenia is considering applying for membership in the European Union and is seeking closer ties with the West.

Armenia said that its border troops should be fully deployed at the Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan, and it informed the Russian side of this.

Turkey hopes that ceasefire talks in Ukraine will begin soon, separating the issues of Russian occupation and ceasefire.