Armenian contingent arrives in Baku for European Games.

Everything is in place for the opening of the 1st European Games which will be held in Baku from 12-28 June. More than six thouand athletes from fifty European countries will compete in twenty different sports.

This will be the biggest international event ever held in Azerbaijan, and a huge infrasturctural programme was carried out successfully and in a very short time.

The games have not been without their controversy. Critics of the Azerbaijan government say that the billions of dollars spent on preparing for the games could have been better used for other development projects. But the most serious criticism is related to a clampdown on human rights activists that Baku has carried out in the months ahead of the games. Major human rights organisations and international media outlets have criticised Azerbaijan's actions, and some claimed that the games should be boycotted. But officially European countries and the European Union have wished the games success, and no country has pulled out of the Games.

International teams from all over Europe have now started arriving in Azerbaijan for the opening ceremony on Friday. Among them was the team from Armenia made up of sixteen athletes. Political observers have welcomed the participation of the Armenian team in the games, and see this as a positive sign of confidence building between the two South Caucasus countries that remain locked in conflict over the future of Nagorno-Karabakh and other issues.

source: commonspace.eu

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The European Parliament approved the temporary elimination of customs duties on goods exported from Armenia to the EU in a plenary session.

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The European Parliament, during its plenary session in Strasbourg, approved the European Commission's proposal to apply a system of trade measures for "Made in Armenia" products, which means there will be a temporary elimination of customs duties on a wide range of products imported from Armenia to the European Union.   The proposal presented by the European Commission was adopted at the plenary session of the Council of Europe with 583 votes in favor, 49 against and 39 abstentions. According to the proposal, the European Union plans to eliminate customs duties on a number of Armenian goods for a period of two years. At the same time, it is planned to establish duty-free import quotas for eight types of Armenian agricultural products. These include grapes, apricots, cherries, peaches, and cucumbers. The draft also provides for safeguard mechanisms that will allow the European Union to intervene, if necessary, if increased imports from Armenia have a negative impact on European producers. This step is due to the restrictions imposed by Russia on a number of important Armenian export products since May 2026. They relate, in particular, to alcoholic beverages, mineral waters, fruits and vegetables, as well as their transit through Russian territory. According to the European Commission, these restrictions have disrupted Armenia's traditional supply chains and significantly limited the country's access to traditional export markets. The situation has had a particularly severe impact on small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as agricultural producers, while creating challenges for Armenia's economic resilience. The EU sees the initiative as a temporary measure to support the Armenian economy and create additional opportunities for exporters to access the EU market. The next step for the proposal is formal approval by the EU Council. The regulation will enter into force the day after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. Let us recall that on September 2, the Council of the European Union approved the proposal to establish temporary trade liberalization measures for Armenian products and sent the draft to the European Parliament for approval. 

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