However, even the most devout pilgrim can suffer monastery fatigue – Khor Virap, Geghad, Sevanavank – all similar stone conical roofs against the magnificent Caucasus mountains. Then we arrived in Garni. One of the only pagan temples, it stands like an improbable small version Parthenon in a remote corner of Armenia, over one thousand, five hundred miles from Athens. Built in 77 AD during the reign of Tiridates I, its continued existence is a mystery. When the country adopted Christianity, all pagan temples were razed to the ground and churches erected on their sites.

Even odder is the fact, that after the 1679 earthquake toppled the temple, it was the famously atheistic Soviet government that meticulously restored it in 1975. Most probably, the Russians, who have always prized the classical form, were entranced by its classic geometrically perfect colonnade on a platform of double-height stairs and topped with triangular pediments.

Garni Temple today is a key destination for tourists, but also Armenian neo-pagans who celebrate the birth of Vahagn, the God of fire. We were there during Nowruz, the Persian new year. Traditionally, Iranians also travel to Garni to celebrate this, as Nowruz is a 3000 year old Zoroastrian (the religion of Persia before Islam) custom. This year, we did not encounter any. What struck me was the palpable sadness of the locals. ‘It is not the same without them’ was the wistful remark from so many. Garni temple, which has witnessed centuries of civilisations and itself been resurrected, knows that this time too will pass.

In the first quarter of 2026, Azerbaijan exported products worth $5.8 million to Armenia, but imports from Armenia only amounted to $960, with the Armenian side stressing that Armenia had not yet exported anything to Azerbaijan, and media speculating the figure could have come from gifts brought over from Armenian civil society to Azerbaijan.

On Thursday, Armenian media outlet Civilnet cited Armenia’s State Revenue Committee as saying that its customs authority had not registered any exports to Azerbaijan. The Armenian Economy Ministry has told RFE/RL the same information.

However, RFE/RL speculated that the $960 could have come from gifts given by Armenian civil society experts and figures to Azerbaijani colleagues during visits to Azerbaijan. They cited the honorary president of the Yerevan Press Club, Boris Navasardyan, who participates in such meetings, as saying that Armenian delegations often gifted Azerbaijanis sweets and teas.

Armenian and Azerbaijani civil society members have paid mutual visits in the past several months, as the two countries push towards signing a peace deal.

The most recent such visit took place in early April, with an Armenian delegation arriving to Azerbaijan via a demarcated land border in northern Tavush region into Azerbaijan’s Gazakh region.

The Azerbaijani state-run media outlet Azertac wrote on Thursday that Azerbaijan’s export worth with Armenia accounted for 0.11% of the country’s total export during the first three months of 2026.

Separately, the Azerbaijani pro-government media outlet APA reported that petroleum products dominated trade between the two countries, but did not break down what Azerbaijan had imported from Armenia for $960.

Trade between the two countries only began late last year after the initialing of a peace treaty in Washington in August, potentially putting an end to a decades-long conflict.

In January, Armenia and Azerbaijan exchanged a list of potential goods they could trade.

Later, Armenian Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan told Armenian media that Yerevan was in talks with Baku to export aluminum foil, raw aluminum foil, ferromolybdenum, domesticated animals, raw materials for brandy, tobacco, textile, roses, and other greenhouse products.

Last year, Azerbaijan exported goods worth $788,800 to Armenia. There were no exports from Armenia to Azerbaijan.

Armenian anti-corruption authorities detained 14 individuals connected to the pro-Russian party Strong Armenia over electoral bribery suspicions, amid the countdown to June’s parliamentary elections. This incident follows the arrest of two other party members. Party leader Samvel Karapetyan faces charges of inciting governmental overthrow.

In a powerful display of bipartisan solidarity, more than 25 members of Congress joined Armenian-American leaders and human rights advocates yesterday, Wednesday, April 15, for the annual Capitol Hill Armenian Genocide Observance.

The day’s events transitioned from a solemn remembrance of the 1915 Medz Yeghern to a forceful demand for accountability regarding the genocidal campaign that stretched from 1915 to the 2023 ethnic cleansing of Artsakh.

Armenian Genocide: A call for justice in Congress

The day began with an incisive Congressional briefing titled “Peace Without Justice in the South Caucasus.” Experts challenged the current trajectory of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process, specifically questioning the August 2025 draft agreement initialed at the White House.

While the administration has framed the agreement as a diplomatic milestone, speakers—including international human rights lawyer Karnig Kerkonian, Esq. and retired State Department official Dr. Robert Krikorian—warned that a “peace” that ignores the 150,000 forcibly displaced Artsakh refugees and the continued detention of Armenian hostages is a “peace” built on a hollow foundation.

“Remembrance is a moral imperative, but it must be the servant of justice,” stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “Yesterday, we reaffirmed that lasting security in the region requires the release of all Armenian prisoners, the right of return for Artsakh’s people, and the protection of our desecrated Christian heritage.”

Members of the Congressional Armenian Caucus stood alongside advocates to highlight the ongoing crisis. They addressed the “TRIPP” Corridor—the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity”—a proposal that would grant a U.S. consortium exclusive rights over a transport corridor connecting Azerbaijan to Turkey through Armenian land. Lawmakers and experts warned that such arrangements must not come at the expense of Armenian sovereignty.

Legislative momentum in Congress: The path forward

The observance catalyzed three critical pieces of bipartisan legislation currently moving through the House:

• The Azerbaijan Sanctions Review Act of 2025 (H.R.5369): Led by Reps. Dina Titus and Gus Bilirakis, this act directs the administration to review Global Magnitsky sanctions for Azerbaijani officials responsible for war crimes and the illegal detention of Armenian hostages.
• The Armenia Security Partnership Act (H.R.6840): Led by Reps. Gus Bilirakis and Frank Pallone, this bill would prohibit the waiver of Section 907, effectively halting U.S. aid to Azerbaijan until the Aliyev regime takes verifiable steps toward a lasting, just peace.
• The Armenian Genocide Education Act (H.R.2585): A bipartisan effort to implement a nationwide Library of Congress education program regarding the 1915–1923 Genocide committed against Armenians and other Christian minorities.

As the 119th Congress moves forward, the message from yesterday’s events was clear: the Armenian-American community and its allies will not accept a diplomatic “breakthrough” that ignores the fundamental rights of the Armenian people.

https://greekreporter.com/2026/04/16/members-of-congress-join-capitol-hill-armenian-genocide-observance/