A new temperature record has been set in the Northern Hemisphere, Levon Azizyan, director of Armenia’s Center for Hydrometeorology and Monitoring, said on Saturday.

“On August 1, the average daily temperature in the Northern Hemisphere reached 22.742°C, making it the highest figure in the entire ERA5 reanalysis record dating back to 1940.

The previous record was set on August 1, 2023, when the average temperature in the Northern Hemisphere reached 22.723°C.

The new record exceeds the previous maximum by 0.019°C.

Although the numerical difference may appear small, this is not the average temperature of a single city or country, but the average temperature of the entire Northern Hemisphere. Therefore, even a change of one-hundredth of a degree is significant when averaged across such a vast area,” Azizyan said in a statement.

Former Artashat mayor and former Armenian lawmaker Argam Abrahamyan has been arrested over allegations that he ordered the 2023 murder of a Christian pastor in Yerevan, Armenia’s Investigative Committee said on Saturday.

The authorities also released a video showing multiple security operatives raiding Argam Abrahamyan’s home and detaining him.

Argam Abrahamyan is the son of former Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, who was in office from 2014 to 2016. 

He is the son-in-law of business tycoon and Prosperous Armenia party leader Gagik Tsarukyan.

The victim, identified as S.V., was a pastor and member of the “Christians of Evangelical Faith” religious organization. He was shot and killed on April 30, 2023, outside a residential building at 2 Myasnikyan Avenue in Yerevan.

According to investigators, Abrahamyan allegedly wanted S.V. killed because he suspected that the pastor was having a personal relationship with his wife. Investigators also allege that Abrahamyan believed his wife was giving the pastor large sums of money.

The man investigators identify as the shooter, G.H., was Abrahamyan’s bodyguard, according to the authorities.

Investigators allege that Abrahamyan used his influence over G.H., who was financially and personally dependent on him and loyal to Abrahamyan, to persuade him to carry out the killing.

According to the investigation, G.H. accepted Abrahamyan’s alleged order and shot S.V. with a firearm on April 30, 2023.

G.H. had already been charged in connection with the murder before the latest case against Abrahamyan. He was prosecuted for the killing and the illegal circulation of a firearm. In April 2024, prosecutors sent his case to court with an indictment.

The Armenian National Security Service arrested Abrahamyan on August 8, 2026.

Authorities said he was arrested so that he could be brought before a court, where prosecutors will seek to have him placed in pre-trial detention.

The Investigative Committee said Abrahamyan is being prosecuted under Armenia’s Criminal Code for allegedly inducing another person to commit a murder for hire.

The authorities said the case is based on evidence obtained during the investigation, as well as operational-investigative measures carried out by Armenia’s National Security Service.

The Investigative Committee said the investigation is still ongoing and that investigators are carrying out further urgent investigative and procedural actions to establish all the circumstances of the case.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has issued a statement on the occasion of the first anniversary of the signing of the peace declaration and the initialling of the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington.

The statement published by the Prime Minister’s Office reads as follows:

“Dear people, dear citizens of the Republic of Armenia,

One year ago on this day, on August 8, 2025, as a result of the trilateral meeting convened at the initiative and with the participation of President Donald Trump in Washington, the capital of the United States, at the White House, peace was established between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

We now call the August 8 meeting the Peace Summit, and the joint declaration adopted there by me and the President of Azerbaijan, which was also signed by the US President as a witness, the Peace Declaration.

These names fully express the result that August 8, 2025 brought. The peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan is visible and tangible to everyone.

In the parliamentary elections of June 7, 2026, the citizens of Armenia not only gave a vote of confidence to peace, but also upheld the peace. This, of course, does not mean that we have reached the final destination on the path to implementing the peace agenda.

The ‘Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Interstate Relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan,’ initialled on August 8, 2025, in Washington, in the presence of the three leaders, by the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, is still awaiting its signing and ratification; the delimitation between Armenia and Azerbaijan still has to take place; and the fact that our compatriots are being held in captivity in Azerbaijan deeply concerns and troubles us all.

But it is obvious that August 8, 2025 is a dividing line, and we can divide the history of the Republic of Armenia into before and after it. Before August 8, 2025, our state was at an impasse, while after August 8, 2025, boundless prospects have opened up before us, whether or not we make use of them depending on our collective will, our knowledge, and our ability to learn about the world and our history.

This is precisely the greatest political and socio-psychological result of the Washington Peace Summit: the steering wheel of our history has once again appeared in our hands. This does not mean that the road is perfect and without dangers; it means that our decisions are the primary factor determining our future destiny, and this is a historic turning point.

The preceding period and the results of the National Assembly elections have come to convince us that we can, that we are capable, as a state and as a people, of taking ownership of our destiny, and for this I want to thank all of you and each of you, dear citizens of the Republic of Armenia.

One of the most important results of the Washington Peace Summit is the ‘Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity’ (TRIPP) project, which will not only put an end to Armenia’s blockade in the very near future and not only become the backbone of the economy of Armenia and the region, but will also help Armenia and Azerbaijan begin to perceive each other not as an obstacle, but as a route, as a neighbor. In the near future, we will begin the practical implementation of the TRIPP project, and this will become a major regional and international event.

Dear people, dear citizens of the Republic of Armenia,

The chapter of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is closed, peace has been established, and it is right here before your eyes; it is your life and your everyday reality. Establishing any peace is not easy; establishing our peace was not easy either. But destroying and nullifying any peace is extremely easy, and it can be done very quickly, and the question is whether, in such a case, it will be possible to establish peace again after 35 years.

Today, many people—some deliberately, others unintentionally—are acting according to a logic aimed at destroying peace, and this activity is sometimes concealed under the smokescreen of eloquent or ‘patriotic’ rhetoric. I want to say this without equivocation: in order to make peace irreversible, it is necessary to stop continuing the discourse about the right of ‘Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to return’ and the ‘right of Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan to return,’ as well as, in Azerbaijan, the discourse about ‘Western Azerbaijan and right of Western Azerbaijanis to return.’

This is an issue that needs to be addressed both in Armenia and in Azerbaijan, for the sake of the right of our generations to peaceful coexistence. This is the right that we must make tangible and pursue today, and we must be able to overcome any discourse that contradicts it.

I thank President Trump for his undeniable efforts in establishing this peace.

I congratulate the people of Armenia on the occasion of August 8.

I congratulate the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of August 8.

At last, we have a day that brings us peace rather than inflaming us.

And may all the victims of the conflict rest in peace.

Never again.

Long live peace.”

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on August 8, 2026.

According to a readout from Pashinyan’s office, the sides exchanged views on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Peace Summit held in Washington on August 8, 2025, with the support of U.S. President Donald Trump, during which peace was established between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the text of the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan was also initialed.

The sides particularly noted the important role of President Donald Trump and the Government of the United States in advancing the peace process.

The sides noted the progress recorded over the past year in the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

During the conversation, the development of trade and economic ties between the two countries was emphasized as a tangible manifestation of the benefits of peace. In this context, the sides noted the export of Azerbaijani petroleum products to Armenia, as well as the transportation of transit cargo through the territory of Azerbaijan to Armenia and from Armenia to other destinations.

In addition, the sides exchanged views on the implementation of the TRIPP route in accordance with the agreements reached in Washington.

The leaders of the two countries emphasized the importance of continuing efforts to advance the peace process and ensure lasting peace, stability, connectivity, and economic cooperation in the region.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke by phone on Saturday with U.S. President Donald Trump.

According to a readout from the Prime Minister’s Office, Pashinyan thanked President Trump for hosting the August 8, 2025, Peace Summit at the White House in Washington and for signing, as a witness, the Peace Declaration adopted by the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan emphasized the decisive importance of Trump’s personal efforts in establishing peace.

Pashinyan and Trump welcomed the fact that the Washington Peace Summit had resulted in genuine peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which the peoples of both countries can see and feel.

During the phone conversation, they discussed the current status of the implementation of the TRIPP project.

Pashinyan and Trump reaffirmed their determination to begin construction of TRIPP in the near future.

They also discussed other issues on the Armenia-U.S. bilateral and international agenda.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has released a statement marking the first anniversary of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace summit in Washington.

Below is the full statement, published by the U.S. State Department.

“One year ago today, President Trump secured peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan when he hosted President Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Prime Minister Pashinyan of Armenia together at the White House and witnessed their signing of a historic Joint Declaration.  This declaration ended decades of conflict in the South Caucasus and launched the trailblazing Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity — TRIPP.

Over the past twelve months, the United States has worked side-by-side with Armenia and Azerbaijan to turn that promise into progress.  The TRIPP – a multimodal transit route that will modernize rails, road, energy and digital infrastructure – is on its way to becoming a reality with engineering surveys for the railway in Armenia already underway and Azerbaijan’s near completion of a highway and railroad to connect into Armenia.

Peace has opened the door to enhanced relationships between the United States, Armenia, and Azerbaijan that will add to the economic prosperity of all three countries. Today, I am pleased to announce that the Trans-Caspian Enterprise Fund is up and running, led by a newly elected board of directors and capitalized with $201 million in U.S. government funding to spur private sector investment across the Trans-Caspian Trade Route (Middle Corridor) in the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

This progress reflects a simple truth: peace and prosperity reinforce one another.  TRIPP is more than an infrastructure project — it is a vital link in the Trans-Caspian Trade Route, a driver of commercial opportunities for the United States and others, and a model for how economic cooperation can cement peace following the resolution of long-standing disputes.

The United States remains fully committed to working with Armenia and Azerbaijan as they build on this foundation. We congratulate both nations on the courage and vision they have shown over the past year, and we look forward to continued progress toward a durable, lasting peace in the South Caucasus.”

Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan has released a statement marking the first anniversary of the signing of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Declaration in Washington.

“Today is the first anniversary of peace,” Rubinyan said on social media, posting a video message.

“A year ago, when the peace declaration was signed in Washington, skeptics did not believe that it would bring real peace. They did not believe that it would put an end to the endless shootings and casualties along the border. They did not believe that we would break out of the blockade.

“They said outright that, by doing this, we were giving the other side a way forward, while getting nothing in return and remaining under blockade.

“The developments over the following year proved otherwise. It has now been not just one year, but two and a half years since anyone was wounded or killed by fire from the other side along the border,” he said.

He highlighted that Armenia has not only avoided remaining under blockade but has also been the first to reap the benefits of unblocking, gaining a railway connection to the outside world through Azerbaijan. He emphasized that the same has happened through Türkiye, as Türkiye recently lifted restrictions on Armenia’s use of its railway network.

“This is real peace, and we should be happy about it. We deserve peace. Yes, not all the issues have been resolved yet. There will still be problems, and there will be statements that will upset us.

“We will still get upset, but not because of gunfire—or rather, we will get upset without gunfire along the border, without casualties. Because there is peace,” Rubinyan said.

The British Embassy in Yerevan has released a statement on the first anniversary of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace summit held in Washington, D.C., expressing its commitment to supporting efforts towards lasting peace.

“On the first anniversary of the agreements reached at the Washington Summit, we recognize the political leadership shown in taking a historic step towards peace. Maintaining momentum through continued dialogue and cooperation remains essential to building a secure and prosperous region for generations to come. The UK remains committed to supporting efforts towards a durable and lasting peace,” the British Embassy said in a statement.

Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a U.S.-mediated joint peace declaration in Washington on August 8, 2025. On the same day, Armenia and Azerbaijan also initialed a peace treaty.

French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs spokesperson Pascal Confavreux has issued a statement marking the first anniversary of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace summit held in Washington, D.C.

“August 8, 2026, marks the first anniversary of the historic agreement aimed at normalizing relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Over the past year, the authorities of the two countries have taken important and courageous steps to make peace a tangible reality for their peoples. The reopening of the borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the development of regional connectivity should create an opportunity for the South Caucasus to once again become a space for comprehensive cooperation, serving as a link between Europe and Asia. France hopes that the process will continue with the signing and ratification of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the statement says.

He added that France, together with its European partners, will continue to actively contribute to this process, with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a U.S.-mediated joint peace declaration in Washington on August 8, 2025. On the same day, the two countries also initialed a peace treaty.