New Delhi: The Armenian government has taken control of a cement company owned by arrested opposition leader and businessman Gagik Tsarukyan, intensifying political tensions in the country. According to the state news agency, the Anti-Corruption Court approved the prosecutor’s petition to transfer Tsarukyan’s shareholding in the company to the government, a move that has sparked fresh political controversy.

Tsarukyan, the 69-year-old billionaire and leader of the pro-Russian Prosperous Armenia Party, was arrested on July 6 on allegations of fraudulently importing goods worth approximately ₹181 crore (US$21 million) from Iran. A court has ordered his detention for two months pending trial. Tsarukyan has denied all allegations, describing the case as politically motivated.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has sought to strengthen Armenia’s ties with Europe in recent years, accused opposition parties during his re-election campaign of attempting to drag the country back into conflict and instability. Following his electoral victory, he pledged to pursue criminal proceedings against opposition leaders and seek the confiscation of assets allegedly acquired through illegal means.

The seizure of the cement company’s shares stems from a lawsuit filed in October 2023, in which prosecutors alleged that Tsarukyan had unlawfully acquired his stake in the company. Based on these allegations, the Anti-Corruption Court has now ordered the transfer of those shares to the Armenian government.

The lawsuit also seeks the confiscation of 36 real estate properties, 42 vehicles, Tsarukyan’s interests in 38 companies, and approximately 108 billion Armenian drams (about ₹810 crore), alleging they represent illegally acquired assets.

Opposition parties and several political analysts have criticised the government’s actions, arguing that legal institutions are being used to target political opponents. The Armenian government, however, maintains that the proceedings are being conducted in accordance with the law as part of its broader campaign against corruption and illicit wealth.

The case comes as Armenia continues efforts to strengthen its relationship with the European Union and advance democratic and governance reforms. While the EU has recently praised the country’s progress on reform and transparency, the latest developments have triggered renewed debate over the rule of law, political competition and judicial independence in Armenia.

Producers are working on Odysseus, an independent European-American television series inspired by Homer’s Odyssey, with plans to begin filming in Greece and Armenia in early 2027.

Deadline reported that Athens-based Tanweer Productions is producing the project in partnership with the newly launched US production company Tectonic and the Armenian-American company USATV. The team has spent several years developing the series and hopes to expand it into a broader television universe.

Stranger Things producer joins as showrunner

Karl Gajdusek, an executive producer on the first season of Netflix’s Stranger Things, will serve as showrunner. Sean Finegan, Scott Windhauser, Noah Lang, and Blake Hoss wrote the pilot episode.

The creative team plans to offer a visceral and historically grounded interpretation of the world associated with Homer’s epic. Rather than focusing exclusively on gods, monsters, and mythology, the series will explore warfare, political betrayal, seafaring, and the struggle for survival during the Bronze Age.

According to the producers, the story will connect Odysseus’ journey with the wider upheavals that preceded the Bronze Age collapse, a period of disruption that transformed much of the ancient Mediterranean world. “There’s something huge about taking on this epic story in the most grounded and realpolitik way we can,” Gajdusek said in a statement to Deadline.

Gajdusek argued that Homer presented the stages of Odysseus’ journey as metaphorical explorations of the self. However, he added that human realities lie beneath the mythology, including challenging life choices and lives and relationships lost or saved. According to the showrunner, stripping away the story’s embellishments would allow audiences to encounter the flesh-and-blood Bronze Age characters behind the legend.

A historically grounded portrayal of Ancient Greece

In Greek mythology, Odysseus is the legendary king of Ithaca and the central hero of Homer’s Odyssey. Homer portrays him as an exceptionally intelligent, strategic, and cunning leader who spends ten years trying to get home after the decade-long Trojan War.

Jordan Dykstra said the team began developing the series nearly five years ago, with the goal of bringing the story to contemporary audiences through an ongoing television format. “Our desire is to bring to audiences an authentic and thrilling portrayal of ancient Hellenic Greece,” Dykstra said in a statement to Deadline.

The production team aims to film on location in Greece and Armenia in early 2027, although it has not formally confirmed the schedule.

Halo director Roel Reiné to lead Odysseus as producers plan filming in Greece and Armenia

Dutch filmmaker Roel Reiné will direct the series. His previous credits include the historical productions Washington and Black Sails, the Paramount+ science-fiction series Halo, and Netflix’s martial arts drama Wu Assassins.

Executive producers include Vaagn Sarkissian of USATV, Jordan Dykstra, Denisa Juhos, Karl Gajdusek, Sean Finegan, Scott Windhauser, Noah Lang, Blake Hoss, Reiné, and Dionyssis Samiotis of Tanweer Productions.

Development continues, but the team has not announced a cast, broadcaster, streaming partner, or release date.

Under the guise of Iranian flowers, cut flowers from Armenia were imported into Russia, said the Rosselkhoznadzor, asking the Iranian Plant Protection Organization to suspend the certification of flowers for export to Russia.

As reported by “Caucasian Knot”, Rosselkhoznadzor imposed temporary restrictions on the import of flowers from Armenia starting May 22, 2026, and from May 30, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, greens, and strawberries. In addition, the import of all batches of Armenian mineral water “Jermuk” and several brandies and wines was halted, while the import of fish from Armenia was significantly restricted. From June 2, Rosselkhoznadzor extended the ban on fresh grapes and stone fruits, including cherries and sweet cherries, and from June 3 – on potatoes, eggplants, as well as pome fruits and dried fruits.

Flowers from Armenia can be sold in the markets of the EU, Central Asian countries, Arab states, and neighboring countries, said Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. On the domestic market, flowers are difficult to sell even at the lowest prices, and there is no information about supplies to Europe, farmers countered.

Rosselkhoznadzor appealed to the Iranian Plant Protection Organization with a request to suspend the certification of flowers for export to Russia.

In 2026, the volume of supplies from the Islamic Republic significantly exceeded the figures for the same period last year. The phytosanitary certificates indicate Iran as the place of origin of the products. At the same time, in terms of external characteristics and packaging features, the products are identical to those previously imported from Armenia, reported Rosselkhoznadzor.

Rosselkhoznadzor had previously informed Iran about the existing temporary restrictions on Armenian flower products. Since May 22, 2026, the import of cut flowers into Russia, with Armenia as the place of dispatch and origin, has been prohibited.

Due to the lack of response from the Iranian side, in order to maintain the phytosanitary well-being of the territories of Russia and the EAEU member states and to comply with the prohibitions and restrictions imposed by Rosselkhoznadzor, the Service appealed to the Plant Protection Organization of the Ministry of Agricultural Jihad of the Islamic Republic of Iran with a request to suspend the certification of local flower products until bilateral negotiations are held and the issue is clarified, the agency’s website states.

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Source: class=”gmail_default” st1yle=”font-family:tahoma,sans-serif”>© Caucasian Knot