A court in the Stavropol Region sentenced a 40-year-old resident of the village of Staroizobilnenskaya to ten months of correctional labor for desecrating a mass grave of Soviet soldiers.
Armenia is prepared to buy electricity from and sell electricity to Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said, as the two countries move towards closer economic ties following years of conflict.
Pashinyan said energy cooperation with Baku was being considered on the same basis as electricity trade with Armenia's other neighbours.
"If necessary, we can export electricity, and if necessary, import it. This includes possible cooperation with Azerbaijan on the import and export of electricity, just as with Turkey, Iran, Georgia and all other neighbouring countries," Pashinyan told reporters.
The prime minister confirmed that Armenian and Azerbaijani experts had already held discussions on the infrastructure required for such cooperation. According to Pashinyan, expert-level contacts took place in September 2025 and January 2026.
Two days earlier, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with AZTV that Baku was ready to supply electricity to Armenia. He said Azerbaijani specialists had already visited Armenia and identified locations for the installation of supports for a future power transmission line.
Pashinyan also said Yerevan expected trade in goods with Azerbaijan to develop.
"Mutual trade in goods is on the agenda. I am confident that in the near future there will also be exports from Armenia to Azerbaijan," he said.
The prospect of energy cooperation comes as Armenia reviews its energy strategy. Pashinyan said the review was partly driven by an expected increase in electricity consumption resulting from the development of artificial intelligence and related investment.
Yerevan plans to expand solar power generation and energy storage systems while maintaining energy independence as its main objective.
Pashinyan also commented on the future of the Metsamor nuclear power plant, Armenia's main source of electricity. He said the plant's operating lifespan had already been determined under international agreements signed by Armenia and that there was "nothing new" regarding its eventual closure.
Aliyev has previously said that the Metsamor plant is outdated and will eventually have to be shut down. He warned that Armenia could face serious energy problems after its closure and said Azerbaijan could become one of its electricity suppliers.