News in Brief: New Constitution, Railway, and Peace Agenda, Regional Connections

Last hour’s news summarized and substantive:

• Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that Armenia has proposed to ensure connectivity between Azerbaijan's western regions and Nakhchivan via the Korrnidzor-Yerasxh route, noting that Armenia is already utilizing Azerbaijan's railway and wishes for this collaboration to be not one-sided.
• Pashinyan responded to the statements of the "Wings of Unity" movement claiming that Azerbaijan invaded Armenian territory in 2025. The Prime Minister stated that the Ministry of Defense has already clarified the issue, emphasizing that existing maps and border lines demonstrate that these claims do not correspond to reality.
• Pashinyan stated that the new Constitution should not reference the Declaration of Independence, as it is founded on the logic of conflict and does not align with the objective of building an independent state.
• The Prime Minister also pointed out that Garegin II, in his opinion, has assumed the leadership of the “war party,” highlighting that references to the Republic of Artsakh in liturgical texts, according to him, call for the continuation of the conflict.
• According to Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan, approximately 4.6 billion drams will be allocated for additional remuneration of state officials in the second half of 2025.
• Khachatryan mentioned that when granting bonuses, consideration will be given on how officials used the funds received for educational purposes in the first half of the year.
• Pashinyan noted that the additional remuneration system, despite facing criticism, contributes to the efficiency of state management and yields specific results for citizens.
• Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan denied opposition accusations that the salary increases for kindergarten staff are linked to the upcoming elections, stating that the salary increases began in 2024.
• Avinyan indicated that the city hall also increased the salaries of library staff by 15% in 2025, while those in musical, artistic, cultural, and sports schools by 30%.
• The Mayor stated that Yerevan city hall has tripled its income, allowing for salary increases to be implemented.
• Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei announced that Tehran does not rule out the mediation of European countries or the EU for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, provided that the initiatives are balanced and consider Iran's interests.
• The Romanian Parliament has approved the President's proposal to temporarily station U.S. military equipment and personnel in the country to support operations being conducted in Iran.