Day: January 15, 2026

NCAA changes transfer-portal rules for basketball, other sports  reut.rs/4qjKOxz  reut.rs/4qjKOxz

— Reuters (@Reuters) Jan 15, 2026

Reports: Home of Greg Biffle’s family burglarized 3 weeks after deaths  reut.rs/4sM59NS  reut.rs/4sM59NS

— Reuters (@Reuters) Jan 15, 2026

The outlaw Ilham Aliyev is making peace with Armenia, but not with his own people. I think that after this decision, there will be disobedience within the country. At this pace, Aliyev will not be able to stay in power for long.JAMnews (@JAMnewsCaucasus)Thursday morning headlines from  #Armenia, 15 January

● Azerbaijan has transferred four ethnic Armenians who had been held in prison to Armenia: Davit Davtyan, Gevorg Sudjyan, Vigen Euljekdjyan, and Vagif Khachatryan. “The process was carried out as a practical result of the peace process established between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Armenia’s National Security Service said. More details here  jam-news.net/azerbaijan-hand…

● Three of them have been transferred to a military hospital for medical examinations. Vagif Khachatryan has been admitted to Nork-Marash Medical Center. The clinic’s director, Mikael Adamyan, said Khachatryan has a mild exacerbation of a chronic heart condition. The health minister said that “Vagif Khachatryan is in good spirits because he is back home in Armenia and is awaiting a meeting with his relatives.”

● Local media report that at the same time Armenia transferred two prisoners to Syria via Turkey. They are reportedly Syrian mercenaries who fought against Armenians during the 44-day war with Azerbaijan in 2020. They had been sentenced to life imprisonment.

● In some political circles, these two actions are being described as part of a deal. Lawyer Siranush Sahakyan, who represents Armenian detainees at the European Court of Human Rights, said: “Two for four, but it is not a beneficial deal. If the Armenian authorities more carefully assess how much leverage these individuals had, they will realize they made an unfavorable deal.”

● “The institutionalization of peace with Azerbaijan and the TRIPP project are interconnected. The stronger the peace, the more successful the project will be – and the more successful the project, the stronger the peace,” Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said during a live broadcast from Washington following his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the implementation of TRIPP. TRIPP is a road that will connect Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenian territory. The agreement on the project was reached during a summit of Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in Washington with the participation of Donald Trump. Mirzoyan said practical results on implementation are expected in late summer or early autumn. Read more here  jam-news.net/us-stake-in-tri…

● Sarkis Khandanyan, chair of the Armenian parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee, commented on media reports claiming that, at Baku’s demand, Armenian border guards would not be present along the TRIPP transit route. “Within the framework of TRIPP, all security issues will be handled by Armenian law enforcement agencies,” Khandanyan said.

● Khandanyan also addressed the question of possible Russian involvement in the TRIPP project. “The participation of third parties will be determined by mutual agreement between Armenia and the United States,” he said.

● “Certain developments will take place in Armenia–Turkey relations,” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the forum “Armenia and Peace at the Crossroads of Risks and Opportunities.” “We always say: ‘When it happens, then we’ll start preparing.’ We need to change that approach. For example, bridges must already be built on the Armenian–Turkish border at Margara and Akhurik, and customs and border checkpoints must be established there. There will likely also be changes on the Ijevan–Gazakh section of the border with Azerbaijan. There are also certain changes on the southern section. Power transmission lines on the Armenian–Turkish border may also need to be upgraded. We are already receiving signals from the private sector, which is asking whether it can start thinking now about electricity transmission in the Armenian–Turkish and Turkish–Armenian directions. We are telling them: yes, you can.”

● Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said: “We understand that we cannot simultaneously be members of both the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union (led by Russia). For now, there is room to maneuver—we can move toward the EU while remaining an EAEU member. When we reach EU standards, we will have two options: either we are accepted into the EU or we are not. In both cases, we benefit. Even if we are not accepted, the country will already meet European standards and will have a developed, modern state. But I want to once again clearly state the government’s position: do we want to be a full member of the European Union? Yes—unconditionally and unequivocally.”

● Iran’s ambassador to Armenia, Mehdi Sobhani, said that a strategic partnership agreement between the two countries is being prepared and expressed hope that it will be signed this year.

● The ambassador also criticized the Armenian authorities over rallies in Yerevan supporting protests in Iran. He said he had repeatedly sent protests to the relevant Armenian authorities. “In Tehran, the perception is forming that Armenia is becoming a center for the activities of forces hostile to Iran. In the most difficult moments, we stood by the Armenian government—there are many such examples. Today we are in a difficult situation, and what is happening near the Iranian embassy in Armenia will remain in the historical memory of the Iranian people,” the ambassador said.

● In response, Armenia’s Interior Ministry issued a statement assuring that it ensures the security of all diplomatic missions, including the Iranian embassy. “At the same time, Armenia, as a democratic state, in accordance with the Constitution, the Law on Freedom of Assembly, and its international obligations, cannot prevent citizens from exercising their right to freedom of movement and peaceful assembly,” the statement said.

● Secretary of Armenia’s Security Council Armen Grigoryan said: “Armenia has managed to stabilize the situation in the region amid global instability and to open broad opportunities for the country.”

● European Union programs in Armenia include key initiatives in the energy sector aimed at expanding regional connectivity and export opportunities with Georgia, EU Ambassador to Armenia Vassilis Maragos said at the forum “Armenia and Peace at the Crossroads of Risks and Opportunities.” He noted that the EU has already supported the creation of infrastructure for several solar power plants in Syunik and invested in the private sector in the Masrik community near Lake Sevan, where full interconnection with neighboring countries’ power grids will soon take place. “This will significantly expand electricity export potential,” Maragos said.

● Maragos also described Armenia’s participation in the European Peace Facility as an important achievement. He said the first measure has already been agreed, involving procurement for the Armenian armed forces. He stressed that this does not involve weapons. “These are items necessary for operational functionality, logistics, and medical services,” the ambassador said.

● Armenia has been included among countries with the most stable business environments in Europe and Central Asia. According to the World Bank’s B-READY 2025 report, published on December 29, 2025, Armenia scored 66.7 points overall—6.6 points above the average of the 101 countries assessed.

● Armenia is among 75 countries whose citizens face a suspension of U.S. immigrant visa issuance, alongside Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Russia. The decision will take effect on January 21 and will not apply to applications for tourist, business, or other non-immigrant visas.

● Asoghik Karapetyan, director of the museums and archives of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, denied reports about damage to or the disappearance of a unique relic—the spear believed to have pierced Jesus Christ, known as the “Geghard.” “The relic is intact, unharmed, safe, and located at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin,” Karapetyan said during questioning by the Investigative Committee in a case opened following the reports. Asked to clarify claims that a fragment of the spear had allegedly been gifted to the Russian Orthodox Church, Karapetyan said: “For centuries, Christian churches have exchanged relics. We gifted only a copy of the Geghard. You can purchase a similar replica in any souvenir shop on church grounds.”

● Armenian citizens who have graduated from one of the world’s top 50 universities and worked in Armenia for at least three years will be exempt from military service, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan said

Every morning, a brief digest of the latest news from Armenia,  #Azerbaijan, and  #Georgia, here  tinyurl.com/8sktfdxk—  https://x.com/JAMnewsCaucasus/status/2011701786516615459

— Emin Bred (@emin_bred) Jan 15, 2026