The government of Armenia has approved a large-scale support program for the agricultural sector, which will compensate the exporters of greenhouse fruits and vegetables and flowers with around 2 billion drams in order to find new markets for consumption against the background of Russia’s restrictions.

According to the project approved at the executive meeting, during the month of June 2026, clearly defined subsidies will be provided to businessmen for goods exported from the republic. The state is obliged to pay 770 drams for each kilogram of strawberries, 275 drams for tomatoes, 400 drams for pepper, and 37 drams for each exported flower.

This decision was made as a result of discussions with exporters, during which business representatives said that they urgently need financial support to be competitive in new countries.

The need for urgent redirection of trade flows is due to the high dependence of the sector on the Russian market and the trade restrictions imposed on Armenia by the Russian control authorities in recent days. In 2025, the total volume of export of fresh fruits and vegetables and flowers from Armenia was about 73 billion drams, and more than 93 percent of these flows fell to the Russian Federation.

According to forecasts, the supported volumes in June will amount to about 4250 tons of fruits and vegetables and 10 million flowers. In order to benefit from state compensation, business owners must submit an appropriate application to the Ministry of Economy, attaching the transit declaration and invoice.

A temporary ban on the import of stone fruits and grapes from Armenia will come into effect in Russia on June 2, “Rosselkhoznadzor” reported. Cherries, cherries, apricots, plums, peaches, nectarines and fresh grapes are under restrictions, allegedly due to “frequent supply violations”. This is not the first restrictive measure imposed in Russia against Armenian exports in recent weeks. Earlier, “Rosselkhoznadzor” banned the import of fish and fish products from Armenia, making an exception only for two enterprises that passed the Russian inspection. In addition, Russia has limited the import of Armenian flowers, mineral water, cognac, wine, vegetables and strawberries.

Earlier, the Russian leadership openly indicated the need to make a choice between Brussels and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), stressing that rapprochement with European structures will inevitably create systemic complications for the republic in the Eurasian area.

The situation was significantly aggravated at the EAEU summit held in Astana at the end of May, where the partners of the union – Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan – issued a joint statement calling on Yerevan to hold a nationwide referendum in the shortest possible time to determine the foreign policy vector.

Moreover, the members of the union initiated the preparation of a special report on the consequences of the possible suspension of Armenia’s membership, which is planned to be presented at the December session of the Higher Eurasian Economic Council. Despite growing diplomatic pressure, Nikol Pashinyan reaffirmed Yerevan’s intention to continue planned and calm interaction within the framework of the EAEU until a geopolitical choice between the two economic blocs becomes completely inevitable.

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The government of Armenia will implement a large-scale redistribution of budget funds in order to modernize the republic’s transport infrastructure and speed up the process of road construction projects.

According to Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Armen Simonyan, according to the approved project, it is planned to redistribute about 7.12 billion drams, which will be directed to the major repair and construction of highways with a total length of 26.2 kilometers.

In addition to the actual construction works, public funds will also finance the services of technical and copyright control, as well as the preparation of design and estimate documents for transport facilities and the relevant expertise.

The main scope of the planned works will cover the roads of regional significance. According to the plan, 21.6 kilometers of the sections to be repaired are local, 4.4 kilometers are interstate, and 0.2 kilometers are national highways, which will allow to significantly improve internal logistics connections.

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Gagik Tsarukyan, the chairman of the “Prosperous Armenia” party, will not participate in the “Armenia chooses” debate organized by the Public Television Company, because he will participate in the rally of his political team. Gagik Tsarukyan’s spokesperson Iveta Tonoyan announced this.

It should be noted that Robert Kocharyan, the number one of the “Armenia” alliance, will not participate in the debate of the first numbers of the lists of political forces held within the framework of the National Assembly elections. He announced this during an interview with Public TV.

Let us remind that the last pre-election debate will be broadcast live on the Public Television on the evening of June 4, in which the first numbers of the lists of political forces will participate.

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On the eve of the parliamentary elections, the internal political agenda of Armenia is closely intertwined with the unprecedented dynamics of the foreign political vector. The signing of the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with the US, as well as the acceleration of initiatives on the ambitious TRIPP logistics project and the memorandum on critical minerals, bring Armenian-American relations to a fundamentally new level. Washington has a clear interest in the long-term strengthening of the South Caucasus, the development of regional transport corridors and access to resources. viewed not only as an element of a peaceful settlement, but also in the context of a global confrontation with China.

However, such activity of the Western power centers inevitably disrupts the established balance in the region, causing the open caution and opposition of the traditional players, first of all, Russia and Iran. In the conditions when large infrastructural projects become not so much a tool of economic development as a lever of harsh political influence, Yerevan faces a complex existential problem.

Will Armenia be able to gain real economic benefit from the competition of world powers by ensuring the safety of new transit routes, or does the country risk being in the epicenter of a geopolitical conflict? About whether there is an attempt to support the current government before the elections in the actions of the American administration, how the TRIPP Development Company will actually work, and why Armenia’s diplomatic avoidance field is rapidly narrowing, VERELQpresented a political scientist in an interview Davit Harutyunov:

VERELQ. How would you interpret the signing of agreements on comprehensive strategic partnership and TRIPP project on the eve of the parliamentary elections in Armenia? Is there a pre-election context in it, is it perceived as support for the current government?

Davit Harutyunov. Two factors are most likely present. It is both the pre-election aspect, that is, the attempt to support the current authorities of Armenia, which was later announced by the US president. But this is also a component of the continuation of US activity in the region and particularly in Armenia, as well as the development of the TRIPP project. Moreover, it is noteworthy that the document on strategic partnership was signed by Yerevan and Washington during the time of the Biden administration, and it is obvious that the current US authorities have decided to renew these commitments, which reflects their interest in the region.

VERELQ. Given that the TRIPP route is considered a key element of a peace settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, how do you think the US plans to ensure the security and economic viability of this route in the face of potential geopolitical risks and opposition from other regional players?

Davit Harutyunov. For now, all aspects of the actual implementation of the project remain uncertain, as it exists in the form of documents. At the same time, the experience of conducting similar routes in other countries proves that they are combined with the active and multi-faceted presence of the USA in the given country. Whether this option will be implemented in Armenia also largely depends on the degree of priority of the project for Washington and the intensity of opposition to its implementation.

VERELQ. What role will TRIPP Development Company play in the infrastructure development of Armenia and regional geopolitics?

Davit Harutyunov. Judging by the available information, there is still no particular clarity in this regard, and the implementation of this document will most likely require studies and additional investments. Moreover, this memorandum itself can still be considered not so much in the context of concrete projects in Armenia, but in the context of the priority of the topic of minerals of critical importance for the US administration in the conditions of competition with China.

VERELQ. It is noted that the memorandum of cooperation between Armenia and the USA in the field of critical minerals opens up new opportunities for Armenia. Meanwhile, the question arises: what are the mechanisms that will ensure that the extraction and processing of these resources are carried out for the benefit of Armenia and its economy?

Davit Harutyunov. It is obvious that the activity of the USA and the EU is already causing a reaction. Iran is currently focused on the conflict with the USA, so, as we can see, Russia is showing the greatest activity in this regard. At the same time, Moscow’s criticism and actions are mainly focused on Armenia’s cooperation with the EU. This situation may reflect the current state of aggravation of relations between the EU and Russia, while maintaining Moscow’s contacts with Washington, particularly on the Ukrainian issue. However, it is clear that the activity of the USA also arouses the dissatisfaction of the Russian side, albeit more discreetly.

VERELQ. How does the strengthening of the US presence in the South Caucasus affect the balance of power in the region, and how do other key players react to it, particularly Russia, which warns of the consequences of Armenia’s rapprochement with the West?

Davit Harutyunov. At the same time, this situation reflects the systemic complications that Armenia faces in the face of intensifying competition between global power centers. Active rapprochement with the West provokes Russian opposition, but a sharp revision of that course and a possible abandonment of the agreements reached, including TRIPP, will cause similar pressure already from the US and the EU. It will also be difficult for Armenia to endure it. In this regard, it is noteworthy that the Armenian opposition political forces participating in the parliamentary elections practically do not talk about the termination of the TRIPP agreement, but rather point out the need to revise or change it. In general, in the current situation, the only option for Armenia remains to dodge between the power centers, but the field for such maneuvering is objectively narrowing.

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“Hraparak” newspaper writes:

“The servicemen of the Ministry of Defense, the employees of various units, the employees of the Ministry of Defense administrative building were instructed to like and share Suren Papikyan’s public statements, posts in which he demands an answer from the “Oligarch of Kaluga” as to why the sons of the Karapetyans were not martyred in the war, calls them deserters, etc.

We were told that the heads of departments and departments were warned to send sms messages to their subordinates to “like” Minister Papikyan’s posts and speeches. It is said that many soldiers, Ministry of Defense workers, for fear of losing their jobs, are forced to “like” and share.

By the way, after the alert sent to us, we “went through” Papikyan’s Facebook page and found out that some of Papikyan’s posts related to Samvel Karapetyan have a lot of “likes and shares” that are not typical of his posts.

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