Massis Post

YEREVAN — While Armenia boasts a vibrant artistic landscape, its cultural sector faces persistent structural challenges, including institutional fragmentation and a shortage of technical and managerial specialists who connect creators to audiences. To address these systemic bottlenecks, the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation awarded $221,000 in grants to seven initiatives through its second-quarter 2026 Arts & Culture grant cycle.

NEW YORK — Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Paruyr Hovhannisyan, has reaffirmed Armenia’s support for strengthening the UN human rights system to prevent human rights violations and ensure accountability.

YEREVAN — A swearing-in ceremony for members of the Armenian government was held at the Presidential Residence in the presence of President Vahagn Khachaturyan. The ceremony was also attended by National Assembly Speaker Ruben Rubinyan, Constitutional Court President Arman Dilanyan, Supreme Council President Artur Atabekyan, and other senior officials.

Berge Jololian By BERGE JOLOLIAN Ilham Aliyev has an unusual way of explaining his commitment to peace. On October 2, Azerbaijan’s president told his ruling party’s congress: “If we had surrendered to emotions, today, a third Victory Arch would likely have been erected in the center of Yerevan.” He presented this imagined conquest as evidence of his restraint. For those of us living in Yerevan, the city in that sentence is home.

SHANGHAI  — Armenia has earned its first-ever Medal of Excellence at the WorldSkills International competition, marking a milestone for the country’s national team. The 48th WorldSkills International competition concluded in Shanghai, China, where Armenia competed in three skill categories: Cooking, Mobile Applications Development and Fashion Technology.

YEREVAN  — The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) has advanced to the practical implementation stage, and a groundbreaking ceremony could take place in early 2027, Armenia’s Ambassador to the United States Narek Mkrtchyan said. “If we look at how far the project has advanced over the course of one year and how much progress we have made, I must say that for a project of this scale, we have achieved quite significant results,” Mkrtchyan told reporters.

YEREVAN — Administrative barriers and restrictions affecting the export and transit of Armenian goods within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) remain unresolved, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council on October 2. He said no significant progress had been made on several outstanding issues since the council’s previous meeting.

YEREVAN — Armenia’s National Assembly has established an investigative commission to examine what a parliamentary statement described as a crisis within the Armenian Apostolic Church and its implications for the Church’s role in Armenian spiritual and national life. National Assembly Speaker Ruben Rubinyan announced the establishment of the commission on October 2.

MOSCOW — A senior Russian Security Council official has criticized U.S. involvement in the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), raising concerns about the planned Armenian-American infrastructure project and its potential security implications. Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Alexey Shevtsov argued that U.S. involvement in the route could potentially facilitate the presence of private military companies or intelligence infrastructure in Armenia.

SYUNIK — An Azerbaijani serviceman who allegedly left his military unit without authorization and entered Armenia has been detained in Syunik Province after shooting and wounding an Armenian resident in the village of Shaki, Armenian authorities reported. According to Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS), Azerbaijan’s State Security Service informed its Armenian counterpart on September 29 that a serviceman from an Azerbaijani military unit had left his post under unknown circumstances.