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Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has outlined Yerevan’s expanding diplomatic agenda with the European Union and France during a visit to Paris, highlighting ongoing efforts to deepen regional connectivity and advance peace-related processes in the South Caucasus.
During a meeting in Paris with heads of Armenian diplomatic missions accredited to European countries and institutions, Mirzoyan focused on developing Armenia–EU relations and strengthening bilateral cooperation with European states.
Discussions also covered ongoing initiatives, current programmes and future prospects aimed at expanding political and economic engagement.
The Foreign Minister presented updates on regional transport and economic infrastructure projects involving Armenia, emphasising cooperation with international partners to build broader connectivity networks.
The talks also addressed Armenia’s relations with neighbouring countries, including steps towards the institutionalisation of peace with Azerbaijan. Regional and international developments, as well as emerging challenges, were also discussed.
Mirzoyan announced that Armenia is expected to sign a strategic partnership document with France within a week.
He also referred to upcoming major events, including the European Political Community summit and the Armenia- European Union summit in Yerevan on 4- 6 May, alongside the Yerevan Dialogue forum, where security, energy, economic resilience and democratic stability will be discussed.
Speaking to AnewZ, Tural Ganjali, Member of Parliament of Azerbaijan, said Armenia is simultaneously “preparing for a high-level summit in Yerevan next week, and engaging in normalisation talks with Azerbaijan,” reflecting a broader diplomatic acceleration in the region.
He added that the EU-Armenia summit will focus on “energy, transport, digital connectivity, and also addressing overall peace and security in the region and prosperity in the South Caucasus.”
The guest noted that Armenia has become a space where “interests of very important players such as European Union, United States, Russia, Iran, and several others are coinciding and sometimes clashing against each other.”
He warned that Armenia’s Western integration may create geopolitical friction.
“There is a risk of Armenia's rapprochement with the European Union because Armenia's other important ally, Russia, sees this with skepticism.”

Border delimitation and regional cooperation
The analyst highlighted that ongoing meetings and visits to sensitive border areas demonstrate progress in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations:
“Azerbaijani and Armenian representatives already have visited sensitive border lands… which is very important and positive.”
He added that such steps are part of a broader effort toward stabilisation and practical cooperation.
The developments reflect a rapidly evolving South Caucasus landscape, where Armenia’s deepening EU engagement, preparations for major summits, and ongoing normalisation talks with Azerbaijan are unfolding alongside wider geopolitical competition involving regional and global actors.
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
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The suspension of two major grain terminals in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk could increase pressure on Kazakhstan’s agricultural market if Russian exporters divert supplies to Central Asia at discounted prices.
Georgia’s Prime Minister says the EU’s inclusion of a major Black Sea cable project on a key infrastructure list is fresh evidence of the country’s importance to regional energy and digital connectivity.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has dismissed Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan and appointed former parliament speaker Alen Simonyan as his replacement.
Central Asia’s economy has surpassed $543 billion, driven by Kazakhstan’s economic weight, strong exports and foreign investment, while growing trade across Asia points to an increasingly connected region.
The United Nations refugee agency is planning a settlement and carpet-weaving workshop for Afghan returnees in Kabul as the country grapples with large-scale returns and growing pressure on housing, jobs and basic services.
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