The number of confirmed Ebola cases ‌in the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen above 9,000, Reuters reported, citing government data.

The latest situation report from Congo’s public ⁠health institute put the number of cases at 9,066 and deaths at 4,381.

The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, was declared in May and has become the largest and deadliest in Congo’s history, overtaking the 2018-2020 epidemic. The strain currently has no approved vaccines or treatments.

Globally it is ‌second ⁠only to the 2014-2016 West African outbreak, which infected over 28,600 people and killed more than 11,000 across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the World ⁠Health Organization.

The current outbreak has also affected other countries.

Uganda reported 20 cases and two deaths earlier in the year ⁠but was declared Ebola-free in August.

Last week Kenya confirmed its first imported case, a Kenyan national who ⁠had travelled from Congo via Uganda and died in Nairobi.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Israeli President Isaac Herzog discussed regional developments during a meeting in Baku, according to a statement from the Azerbaijani president’s press service.

The two leaders exchanged views on bilateral relations and issues on the international and regional agenda.

Herzog praised the work carried out during Azerbaijan’s chairmanship of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) to expand practical cooperation and strengthen confidence-building measures.

Aliyev said Azerbaijan, as the chairing country, continued to work towards strengthening mutual trust and developing practical cooperation between the organisation’s member states.

The CICA summit will take place in Baku on 15 October.

Within the framework of the Warsaw Security Forum, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan met with Kosovo’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Glauk Konjufca.

The foreign ministers discussed issues of mutual interest, emphasizing the established dialogue, the Armenian ministry said in a press release.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a phone conversation with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq Fuad Hussein.

The foreign ministers exchanged views on regional issues, the Armenian ministry said in a press release.

Minister Mirzoyan presented the work being carried out to institutionalize the peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The importance of consistently strengthening peace was emphasized.

Issues in multilateral platforms were also discussed.

On October 13, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan delivered opening remarks at the roundtable discussion entitled “EU’s Eastern Partnership Reimagined”, held within the framework of the Warsaw Security Forum.

Below is the transcript of the FM’s speech published by the ministry: 

“Excellencies,

“Distinguished Colleagues,

“Ladies and Gentlemen,

“It is a privilege to address this esteemed audience today.

“We meet at a juncture when one of the European Union’s most successful political initiatives-the Eastern Partnership-is being tested by the new realities of an increasingly fragmented world. 

“Since its establishment in 2009, while acknowledging that the six Eastern partner countries do not necessarily share identical aspirations or priorities, the underlying premise of Partnership has been that closer engagement with the European Union could contribute to democracy and institutional reforms across the EU’s eastern neighbourhood.

“Over nearly two decades, however, profound geopolitical, security and societal transformations have fundamentally altered the environment in which the Partnership operates, and the six Eastern partner countries have chosen different political and European trajectories. This has inevitably challenged the original concept of a broadly common model of partnership. 

“The fundamental question is how it can remain relevant, effective and ambitious in a fundamentally changed political environment.

“Here, I want to share Armenia’s distinctive perspective in three points.

“First, the Eastern Partnership should retain its strong emphasis on democracy, the rule of law and institutional resilience.

“From Armenia’s perspective, one of the most significant achievements of the Eastern Partnership has been its contribution to democratic governance and institutional reform. These reforms matter not only because they bring Armenia closer to European standards, but also because they directly strengthen the resilience, effectiveness and legitimacy of our state institutions. In an era of hybrid threats and disinformation, strong, accountable institutions are themselves a strategic asset.

“Second, Armenia’s experience demonstrates the importance of envisioning the bilateral relations with the European Union in line with each partner’s aspirations and level of ambition.

“Armenia-EU relations have developed substantially since the launch of the Eastern Partnership, including through the consistent implementation of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement. Our partnership has evolved into a more ambitious character as in December 2025 we adopted a new Strategic Agenda for the Armenia-EU partnership, expanding into areas including security and resilience, connectivity, energy, mobility and sectoral integration.

“Our European aspirations have also taken legal and political form. In March 2025, Armenia also adopted the law on launching the process of joining the European Union, while the first-ever Armenia-EU Summit took place in May 2026, further underscoring the growing strategic dimension of the relationship. On the ground, the EU Mission in Armenia has contributed to stability along our border with Azerbaijan since 2023, while the new EU Partnership Mission helps strengthen our resilience to disinformation, hybrid threats and cyber risks.

“Responding to our ambitions, the European Union has been developing an increasingly tailored bilateral relationship. Armenia, not being a candidate country, has received the Resilience and growth plan, we are progressing on the Visa liberalization dialogue and most recently EU Autonomous Trade Measures came to support the diversification of our trade.

“Third, the future of the Eastern Partnership must take account of the changing geopolitical and connectivity landscape of the South Caucasus.

“The region of today is not the region that existed when the Eastern Partnership was launched. The Washington Peace Summit of August 2025 unveiled a new reality for the South Caucasus-one that creates opportunities for a more peaceful, interconnected and interdependent region. 

“The Washington Declaration also inaugurated the TRIPP initiative, which, by unlocking the region’s economic, transit and energy potential and establishing reliable connectivity between Europe and Asia, can also contribute to the peace and prosperity in the region.

“The unlocking of the region’s potential, in line with Armenia’s Crossroads of Peace vision, and the Armenia-EU Connectivity Partnership can bring Europe and its eastern neighbours closer together, while also helping the European neighbourhood adapt to the realities of a profoundly transformed geopolitical environment.

“Given all these factors and transformations, Armenia’s experience demonstrates that the future of the Eastern Partnership may lie precisely in its capacity to evolve: from a common neighbourhood framework into a flexible platform capable of linking different European pathways and accommodating different aspirations and forms of European integration, while keeping democratic principles, cooperation, connectivity and resilience at its core.

“Ultimately, a reimagined Eastern Partnership should aim not to preserve a model created for yesterday’s realities, but to create a framework capable of seizing today’s opportunities -flexible enough to accommodate different paths, yet ambitious enough to keep our regions connected.

Thank you”.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Republic of Armenia Robert Abisoghomonyan met with Lyaziza Sabyrova, Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Country Director for Armenia.

The meeting addressed the long-standing partnership between Armenia and the Asian Development Bank, the programs implemented within its framework in various areas of the economy and sustainable development, and opportunities to expand cooperation.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade presented current developments in the region and the priorities of the Government of Armenia in this context. Robert Abisoghomonyan highlighted ADB’s active involvement in addressing the needs of refugees, developing infrastructure, strengthening trade capacities, diversifying the economy, as well as implementing initiatives aimed at enhancing climate resilience and improving energy efficiency.

The meeting also discussed efforts to preserve biodiversity and issues related to hosting the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Armenia. Robert Abisoghomonyan highly appreciated ADB’s support for the conference’s preparatory work, emphasizing the importance of engaging international partners in promoting financing for biodiversity conservation.

Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ararat Mirzoyan took part in the Half-Baked or Step-by-Step? Rethinking EU Enlargement panel discussion within the framework of the Warsaw Security Forum.

President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović delivered opening remarks.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Kęstutis Budrys and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Oana-Silvia Țoiu also participated in the panel discussion, moderated by Steven Everts, Director of the European Union Institute for Security Studies (The Netherlands.)

Mirzoyan said Armenia will continue to deepen ties with the EU.

Mirzoyan said the process of normalizing relations with Türkiye has matured considerably, expressing hope that the Armenia-Türkiye border could open soon.

He also spoke about the connectivity projects.

Below is a transcript of the Q&A between FM Mirzoyan and the moderator, published by the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Moderator: Thank you. I would now like to turn to Minister Mirzoyan. We have heard that it is an imperative, that it is a long, quite complicated process. From Yerevan’s perspective, there is quite positive momentum in relations between your country and the European Union. Could you say what the end point is when you get on this train heading towards Europe? What is the final destination for you?

Ararat Mirzoyan: Greetings to everyone. Let me start by presenting what we have at the moment.

Our relations with the European Union are unprecedentedly deep and close and cover an unprecedentedly broad range of sectors and areas. We have a dialogue on visa liberalization. We have had and continue to have the EU Monitoring Mission, which observes the situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. Recently, we have also received a second mission, which is temporary in nature but operates on a permanent basis and supports us in countering hybrid threats.

Although we are not a candidate country for EU membership, we have received autonomous trade measures. This is the latest news: the EU has adopted autonomous trade measures to support the diversification of Armenia’s export markets. We have also signed an agreement with the European Union that will enable us to participate in various EU missions carried out in different parts of the world.

Again, although we are not a candidate country for membership, we have received a Growth and Resilience Plan and EU support. Although we are not a candidate country, we have also received support under the European Peace Facility.

Thus, this is not just about political dialogue or support in the fields of the economy or trade. It is also about security, foreign policy, and other areas.

I mention all this to show that, together with the European Union, we are in a process of continuously discovering new horizons, with the aim of bringing the EU and Armenia increasingly closer to each other.

Your question is what the end point, the final destination, is. I am afraid I will disappoint you, but I think nobody knows. Neither Armenia, nor the European Union, nor the member states. Let me explain the actual situation. In Armenia, to be completely honest, serious discussions on EU membership have only just begun. We have not yet had in-depth public discussions on this issue, although in the spring of 2025 we adopted a law on launching the process of Armenia’s accession to the European Union. This is the Armenian side’s perception.

Now let us look at the EU’s perception. We have already heard several remarks on this issue.

There is also a third layer, which is extremely important in our case: Armenia’s neighborhood. Let us list our neighbors. Azerbaijan: we have only recently established peace and started bilateral trade. We are opening each other’s territories for transportation and transit and unblocking regional communications. However, a number of sensitive issues still need to be resolved. To the west is Türkiye, with which we are conducting a very intensive dialogue. We are normalizing relations, but the border is still closed. To the south is Iran, with its complex regional environment, circumstances, and problems. To the north are Georgia and Russia.

As for Russia, you can imagine the possible reaction and the particularities of relations with that country. Historically, we have had very close relations and continue to maintain strong ties today, but the possible reaction must be properly managed. Nobody wants to acquire new enemies, and we have no interest in harming any third party.

As for Georgia, imagine how much easier the situation would be if Georgia continued on its path toward EU integration. That would bring about a significant change and would also change the nature of our discussion with the foreign minister on this stage.

Thus, returning to the main question, I think nobody knows the final destination. But the good news is that, at least in my impression, both of us — Armenia and the European Union, including the member states — are enjoying this process. So let us enjoy these warm relations, discover new opportunities and new layers of cooperation, and at some point in the future, we will discuss together whether we should “get married” or not.

Moderator: Thank you very much. There is an _expression_ in British English: “To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive.” Given the political situation in the European Union, perhaps this is an appropriate _expression_.

Minister Mirzoyan, I would like to return to a question you have already touched upon: your country’s regional environment and neighbors. Could you elaborate on how your country’s strengthening relations with the European Union, of which you gave numerous examples, can become a driver or a tool for positive change in relations with, for example, Azerbaijan or Türkiye? How can this help you strengthen relations with your neighbors?

Ararat Mirzoyan: My direct and honest answer is that these two issues may not be so closely interconnected, because, regardless of everything, we will continue to improve relations with our neighbors. This is not driven by our European policy or European aspirations.

On the other hand, we must acknowledge that if our aspiration is to become a full member of the European Union, the existence of problems or conflicts with our neighbors will probably hinder this process.

At the same time, we should also pay attention to what the President of [Montenegro] was saying over the past few minutes. They have fulfilled the requirements under all chapters. They have all the necessary checkmarks for all the points, subpoints, and even sub-subpoints. And we must acknowledge that, ultimately, it has always been a political decision. So where is the political decision regarding Montenegro?

This is very important for Armenia from the perspective of analyzing the situation when planning its own steps. We also heard the [Lithuanian] minister’s account of how decisions are made behind the scenes, behind closed doors. All these are important factors in our own decision-making process as well.

Thus, returning to your question, regardless of everything, we will continue to improve relations, and we have almost reached our goal.

We have peace with Azerbaijan, although a few more steps still need to be taken.

We are normalizing relations with Türkiye. The border is still closed, but I think the process has already matured considerably, and it is entirely possible that tomorrow morning we will wake up and see the following headline in the news: “Armenia-Türkiye border is open.”

Moderator: Let us hope that will be the case. Thank you all for these positive signals. Minister Mirzoyan, as a final point, what would you say about the United States and its role in your region?

Ararat Mirzoyan: I would prefer to leave the assessment of US-EU relations to officials of the European Union and the United States. What I can say is that, in my country and probably in the South Caucasus in general, their interests do not contradict each other, and they are cooperating excellently.

As you know, the United States is heavily involved in the South Caucasus, particularly in the process of opening and unblocking transport links between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This will be a crucial connecting link for communication and transportation, for example, between Portugal and China, between the West and the East.

I think the European Union and its member states are also beneficiaries of this process.

Thus, the interests of many countries and centers of power around the world converge on the issue of unblocking the South Caucasus.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has presented his vision of what peace should look like after the signing and ratification of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement.

Pashinyan addressed the matter on social media. 

“What should peace look like after the signing and ratification of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement? Armenia should have a territory of 29,743 square kilometers. The delimitation and demarcation of borders should take place on the basis of the Alma-Ata Declaration. The issue of enclaves and exclaves should be resolved according to the following formula: there should be no enclaves or exclaves on either side of the border; that is, the two countries, Armenia and Azerbaijan, should carry out an exchange of territories of corresponding precise sizes. All roads and communication routes should be open within the framework of the TRIPP project, but not only within the framework of the TRIPP project. All communication routes should operate and be open, including with the logic of operating and ensuring communication from Armenia to Armenia through the territory of Azerbaijan and from Azerbaijan to Azerbaijan through the territory of Armenia,” the Prime Minister said in a video posted on his Facebook page.

He added that Armenia and Azerbaijan should make no claims against each other and should not bother each other on any issue, including those framed in terms of Karabakh, Gardman, Shirvan, Nakhchivan, or “Western Azerbaijan.”

“Now, the next and perhaps most important question is whether there is a real possibility of giving peace this form. Based on the results of my engagements with the President of Azerbaijan in Turkmenistan, I have the preliminary impression that we have an opportunity to give peace such a form, and in the coming period we will be engaged in realizing this opportunity, turning this possibility into reality,” Pashinyan said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received a delegation led by Oleg Belozyorov, General Director and Chairman of the Management Board of Russian Railways.

The Prime Minister’s Office said in a press release that Pashinyan emphasized that, given the opportunities for unblocking regional transport infrastructure, the Armenian Government aims to make Armenia’s railways competitive and integrate them with the railway networks of neighboring countries and the international railway network.

In this regard, the sides discussed the opportunities emerging in the context of regional developments and steps aimed at making Armenia’s railways competitive and integrating them into international transport routes. They exchanged views on railway reconstruction projects along the Gyumri–Akhurik–Türkiye border and Yeraskh–Nakhchivan sections, as well as the opportunities these projects would create.

They also addressed the work carried out to develop infrastructure under the concession management of South Caucasus Railway, the effectiveness of its management, existing problems, and possible solutions.

An agreement was reached to establish a joint working group to discuss the identified issues within a tight timeframe, find possible solutions, and clarify further steps.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chaired a consultation on the main directions for reforming Armenia’s migration management system, a component of the draft migration strategy.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan recalled that a similar group had discussed the citizenship component with the prime minister at the beginning of the year. That discussion focused on reassessing the institution of citizenship, linking it to the concept of Real Armenia, a genuine connection to Armenia and the country’s position as the centre of an individual’s interests. She said draft amendments to Armenia’s citizenship law had been developed within this framework and were now being finalised.

Addressing the main directions for reforming migration management, Sargsyan said clarification was needed because Armenia had become a destination country in recent years, with an inflow of people making migration management a key area of state policy.

“Clarifying migration management at the strategic level stems from two important factors. First, the more we tighten the conditions for obtaining citizenship, the more the flow of foreign nationals will shift towards residency, particularly when the main means of tightening those conditions is to introduce residence and permanent residence requirements.

“Second, migration trends in our country have themselves changed significantly, creating a new picture. After decades as a country of departure, Armenia has become a destination and transit country over the past decade, a trend that has been much more pronounced since 2022. Moreover, in 2025, we recorded a positive balance of border crossings by Armenian citizens for the first time, which continued in the first half of this year,” Sargsyan said.

She added that these circumstances had created new challenges for effective immigration management. The number of transactions and applications had increased across all migration processes, from border crossings to asylum, including residence applications and efforts to regularise residency.

The minister said this created a need, in particular, to combat illegal and irregular migration more effectively by incorporating preventive measures, increasing capacity and strengthening institutions and mechanisms.

To support effective migration management, the proposals envisage modern digital tools, particularly through continuous and stable interoperability between the Electronic Border Management System, the State Population Register and other digital migration platforms covering citizenship, residence, asylum and other areas.

Sargsyan said a strategic review of the border management model and its tools would complement the migration strategy.

The meeting then heard proposals for legal and institutional steps to provide unified strategic direction for managing migration flows and mobility, and ensure the state had the necessary visibility of those processes.

Details were also presented on measures to address several problems in the existing migration system and provide a comprehensive review of the management of migration flows and mobility.

The main directions for reforming Armenia’s migration management system were outlined: establishing a unified migration management system; creating a digital, interoperable and secure system; targeted reform of entry, visa and residence regimes; and strengthening border management and law enforcement capacity.

Participants discussed the reforms envisaged in these areas and presented various observations and proposals.

Pashinyan stressed that migration management was a key area of state policy and that effective management underpinned state security, economic development and the protection of people’s rights.

He said measures to improve migration management must be comprehensive, balanced and aimed at long-term stability. The prime minister instructed officials to make the necessary adjustments to the draft strategy based on the decisions taken during the consultation and ensure that the process of adopting it moved forward.