Artsakh residents have started an indefinite sit-in at Freedom Square in Yerevan.
A rally by forcibly displaced Artsakh residents was permitted, but a march and sit-in were not.
Artsakh Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan noted that rally participants had previously submitted a document with 12 demands, but only social issues were addressed, while other demands, such as return to Artsakh, preservation of cultural heritage, release of prisoners, etc., are being ignored by the Armenian authorities.
The rally participants demand that the authorities create a platform where Artsakh residents can discuss their rights.
International Relations
New Caledonia: Agreement on the Creation of a New State
An agreement on the creation of the state of New Caledonia has been concluded in a suburb of Paris. The document provides for the creation of a new state, partially dependent on France.
Residents of New Caledonia will receive separate citizenship and will be able to hold two passports.
Emmanuel Macron stated: "After more than ten days of discussions, the elected representatives of New Caledonia and state representatives have reached a historic agreement. The State of New Caledonia within the Republic: a gamble on trust. ...The time has come for respect, stability, and the unification of good will to build a common future."
Russian-Korean Relations
Sergei Lavrov (embracing Kim Jong Un): "Hello, very... very glad to see you."
Kim Jong Un: "It's been a year since we met..."
Lavrov: "You still smoke, and I smoke."
Armenian-French Relations
Alen Simonyan is on a working visit to France. Simonyan met with the President of the French Senate.
He expressed gratitude for France's strong support on issues of Armenia's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and sustainable development.
They discussed Armenian-French and Armenian-European relations, democratic reforms in Armenia, as well as the need to conclude a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Economy and Trade
Sharp Rise in LPG Prices in Armenia
Prices for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in Armenia have sharply increased from 120 to 150-160 drams per liter over the past week.
The reason is a delay of over 100 gas tankers in Georgia. Purchase prices for gas from Russia have not changed.
US-EU/Mexico Trade Tensions
US President Donald Trump sent letters to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the President of Mexico, informing them of the introduction of 30% tariffs on goods supplied from the EU and Mexico starting August 1.
European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen stated that the European Union will introduce countermeasures against the US if trade negotiations fail. She emphasized that Brussels still hopes to conclude an agreement with Washington by August 1.
Ursula von der Leyen on X: "A 30% tariff on EU exports will harm businesses, consumers, and patients on both sides of the Atlantic. We will continue to work towards an agreement by August 1. At the same time, we are ready to protect EU interests based on proportionate countermeasures."
Trump: "If the European Union imposes tariffs against the United States, we will increase tariffs in response."
US Treasury Records June Surplus
CNBC reported that the US Treasury recorded an unexpected surplus in June due to increased tariff revenues. Revenues rose by 13% compared to last June, while expenditures decreased by 7%.
Overall, the deficit since the beginning of the fiscal year stands at $1.34 trillion, 5% higher than in the same period last year. However, when recalculated for the calendar year, the deficit even decreased by 1%.
The last time a similar surplus was recorded in June was in 2017, during Donald Trump's first term.
US-India Trade Agreement
Bloomberg reported that the US and India are close to a trade agreement with reduced tariffs.
Iran's Nuclear Program
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi:
"Our cooperation with the IAEA has not stopped; it has taken on a new format."
"We will not have any agreement that does not include enrichment."
"Iran's right to enrichment must be respected. Enrichment is a great scientific achievement of Iranian scientists, and we will protect this achievement. Enormous efforts and numerous sacrifices have been made to preserve this achievement. Moreover, it was during this period that we entered the war, that is, the war was imposed on us, and we fought for it."
Energy Cooperation
Memorandum of Understanding Between SOCAR and the Government of Syria
A memorandum of understanding has been signed in Baku between SOCAR and the Government of Syria. Gas supplies to Syria will be carried out via Turkey.
The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and the Syrian National Oil Company have signed a memorandum of strategic cooperation in the energy sector. According to this agreement, SOCAR will have the right to invest and operate in Syria in areas such as oil exploration, construction of oil refineries, and development of oil and gas infrastructure.
Media and Politics
Disputes Between the Press Council of Azerbaijan and "Rossiya Segodnya"
The Press Council of Azerbaijan responded to an appeal from the Union of Journalists of Russia:
"Employees of 'Sputnik Azerbaijan'... are in no way connected with the performance of their professional duties in the field of journalism."
"...the mentioned individuals cooperated with the FSB of the Russian Federation and were in Azerbaijan to carry out assignments unrelated to journalistic activities."
"Their detention is a lawful measure taken in full compliance with current legislation and within the legal framework."
Dmitry Kiselev, Director General of the "Rossiya Segodnya" media group: "The accusations of the Press Council of Azerbaijan regarding Sputnik Azerbaijan are empty and baseless."
Trump on the Media
"The media creates a fake picture – they are fake."
"I really admire honest journalism – but there's very little of it. We really have almost none of it. And to make America great again, we at least need to achieve a greater percentage of honesty than we have now."
"Nobody understands why someone makes up stories to make Biden look good when he has been so blatantly incompetent?"
Security and Defense
Israel-Syria Meeting in Baku
Israel's Channel 13 television reported that high-ranking Israeli officials will hold a meeting with high-ranking Syrian officials in Baku in the near future.
Possibility of Relocating Kurdish Group Leaders to the US
Bloomberg (citing US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Representative for Syria, Tom Barrack): Washington allows for the possibility of relocating leaders of the Kurdish groups PKK and YPG to the country if this contributes to their renunciation of armed struggle and transition to peaceful political life.
"Such steps will help avoid confrontation with Ankara and Damascus."
"The reintegration of Kurds in Syria will be a complex process, but I hope that in the future the parties will be able to reach a compromise."
(The PKK, recognized as a terrorist organization in the US and EU, announced its self-dissolution, stating its intention to pursue Kurdish rights by peaceful means).
US Attorney General Fired Justice Department Employees Working on Cases Against Trump
The US Attorney General fired Justice Department employees who were working on cases against Trump.
Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Creation of AI Based on Traditional Values in the Union State
BELTA (citing State Secretary of the Union State Sergei Glazyev): An artificial intelligence will be created in the Union State based on traditional values and understandable to the residents of Belarus and Russia.
Some young people rely entirely on AI for creativity, but recent tests have shown that Western AIs can exhibit racism and Nazism. Therefore, it is important to be cautious about the values embedded in AI.
Ability to Communicate with Pets Through AI
The Guardian reports that people will be able to communicate with pets thanks to AI. Veterinarians, neuroscientists, philosophers, psychologists, and other specialists will train neural networks to analyze animal behavior.
Aviation Incidents
Boeing 787 Dreamliner Crash
BBC reported that in the preliminary report on the crash of the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner, it was stated that the fuel supply was cut off.
The 15-page report by the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau states that both fuel supply switches were moved to the "cut off" position from the "run" position shortly after takeoff.
These toggles are used to start and stop engines when the aircraft is on the ground.
In the recording of conversations between the pilots in the last moments of the flight, one of them is heard asking the other why he "pressed cut-off." The second pilot replies that he did not.
After this conversation, the switches were moved to the position they should be in during flight. At the time of the crash, one engine was already gaining thrust, and the second was started but not yet gaining thrust.
Reuters notes that the report raises new questions about the placement of critical fuel supply switches, but it also suggests that Boeing and the aircraft engine manufacturer bear no obvious responsibility for the disaster.
Healthcare
Organ Transplants at "Okhmatdyt" in Kyiv
Transplant surgeons at "Okhmatdyt" in Kyiv have for the first time transplanted organs from a girl declared brain dead to three other children. The operations had to be performed under shelling.
Thanks to the heroic decision of the parents, who gave consent for posthumous donation, the lives of three children were saved: a 16-year-old girl received a liver transplant, a 14-year-old boy received kidneys, and a 12-year-old girl received a heart. For them, this was the only chance to survive.
Culture
"Golden Apricot" International Film Festival in Yerevan
Yerevan City Hall announced that the prestigious "Golden Apricot" International Film Festival will kick off in Yerevan on July 13.
For a week, the capital will become a center of world cinema, hosting dozens of renowned directors, producers, actors, and art representatives.
ENGLISH 
Հայերեն
Русский
Դաս. հայերեն
French
