David Ignatius recalls Ruben Vardanyan as “larger than life” on his birthday

David Ignatius recalls Ruben Vardanyan as “larger than life” on his birthday

Washington Post columnist and bestselling author David Ignatius joins CivilNet for a personal conversation about Ruben Vardanyan — businessman, philanthropist and former Artsakh state minister — who is marking another birthday behind bars in Baku.Ignatius reflects on how the two met, their work together on the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, and the values that drove Vardanyan to stand with the people of Artsakh during their darkest days. The conversation goes beyond politics, exploring Vardanyan’s vision of Armenian identity, his commitment to humanitarianism, and why Ignatius believes he is "the last person who deserves to be in prison.#civilnet #ՍիվիլՆեթ

Rubio’s Armenia visit and the battle over democracy

As U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits Armenia ahead of the country’s parliamentary election, Insights host Eric Hacopian examines the growing internationalization of Armenia’s political landscape. He stresses that Armenia’s democracy was built by the Armenian people and can only be sustained by them. The episode also covers the government's planned May 28 military parade and new allegations linking Samvel Karapetyan to Russian influence operations in the country. #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #insightswitherichacopian

Independent journalists gather in Yerevan for cross-border media project

Independent journalists from Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Georgia met in Yerevan as part of the Seizing Synergies project by the Network for Border Crossing Journalism, also known as n-ost. The initiative focuses on cross-border collaboration to strengthen reporting and editorial exchange in an era of growing disinformation, political pressure, and shrinking resources.#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #SeizingSynergies

Armenia, U.S. sign bilateral agreements as Marco Rubio visits Yerevan

📍 Armenia and the United States have initialed a framework agreement on strategic cooperation concerning the “Trump Route” while also signing a rare earths and minerals deal.📍 A total of 61% of Armenians believe the country is heading in the right direction, a survey by the International Republican Institute shows.📍 The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's election monitoring body has warned that Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary election is going to take place in a highly polarized political environment, shaped by ongoing regional and domestic tensions. #CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia

Turkey reopens Akhalkalaki-Kars rail line for Armenian trade through Georgia

📍 Armenia gains new rail access to Europe via the Akhalkalaki-Kars railway. 📍 A new poll shows 75% of Armenians support the county's possible accession to the European Union, though most still want to maintain friendly relations with Russia as well. 📍 Aliyev once again threatens Armenia with war- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM5qNcu12oc#CivilNet #ՍիվիլՆեթ #dailyarmenia