Politics

Hungarian PM Péter Magyar held talks with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the European Council, seeking to normalise ties after Kyiv passed a minority-rights law and Budapest dropped objections to EU accession clusters.

Italy's Giorgia Meloni, who met with Spain's Pedro Sánchez, agreed a short extension to align the expiry of Italy’s border controls with Spain’s reciprocal measures. Rome and Madrid say they will seek alternatives but remain at odds over migration.

Iran is concerned about the U.S. presence in the region but trusts Armenia. This was stated by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Rising tensions between Zelenskyy and Trump took centre stage on Friday as the Ukrainian leader joined the second day of the EU summit.

The issue of the existing enclaves and exclaves between Armenia and Azerbaijan is not an obstacle to signing a peace treaty.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hosted Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), at the Government building.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Ignazio Cassis, Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation.

On October 15, Ruben Rubinyan, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, who is in Rome to attend the European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments of the Council of Europe, met with Yaël Braun-Pivet, President of the National Assembly of the French Republic.

Despite widespread criticism over the Trump-Putin diesel deal, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev has broken ranks and welcomed the controversial agreement.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan made this statement after a meeting with Ignazio Cassis, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and head of Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, in response to a question about appointing a new special envoy in the process of normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations.

“That is, if any part of Armenia’s internationally recognized territory of 29,743 square kilometers is to be transferred to another state and something is to be received in return, you know, this is an issue that requires a nationwide referendum, and that is exactly what will happen. There is no way to avoid it.

NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte said allies need to do more to support Ukraine, especially in air defences. His pleas come amid drastic Russian escalation over the skies in Kyiv.

“Following my contacts with the President of Azerbaijan in Turkmenistan, I have the initial impression that we have an opportunity to give peace this kind of shape,” Nikol Pashinyan said.

The two-day summit of EU leaders comes with a packed agenda topped by energy prices, the long-term budget and Russia's war on Ukraine. Hybrid warfare, enlargement and migration will also feature prominently.

Lawmakers from across the political spectrum say the EU should activate the Blocking Statute to prevent European companies from complying with measures imposed by the US administration, defined as an "attack by a foreign power."