Armenia gains access to rail connections through Turkey: what to expect

George Mamian
JAM News
May 26 2026
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

“The Akhalkalaki-Kars railway, like Azerbaijan’s railway, is now open for exports from Armenia and imports into Armenia,” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wrote on social media.

He stressed that the development is highly important for the country’s economy and thanked Turkish and Georgian partners. Serdar Kılıç, Turkey’s special representative for the normalisation of Armenian-Turkish relations, shared the post on X.

“I hope this new step, which will contribute to four-way cooperation between Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, and significantly strengthen regional peace and stability, will benefit all these countries,” the diplomat wrote.

Armenian experts have so far avoided drawing firm conclusions. Economist Aghasi Tavadyan told JAMnews that, at this stage, the decision carries greater political significance.

He said analysts would only be able to assess the economic impact of opening the rail connection after conducting serious analysis.

In Tavadyan’s view, opening the border with Turkey will “partially solve” logistical problems linked to exports to European Union markets. However, Armenia still faces challenges in ensuring its products meet EU standards.

  • BTK railway line and Baku–Tbilisi train resume operations – what does it mean for South Caucasus?
  • ‘Hint of discontent’: Armenia’s foreign minister skips Antalya diplomatic forum
  • Armenia welcomes Turkey move to lift bilateral trade ban

Details: what the prime minister said

Nikol Pashinyan stressed that Armenia has gained the possibility of a rail connection with the European Union through the territories of Georgia and Turkey.

He recalled that Armenia had previously established rail links with Russia through Georgia and Azerbaijan, and later with China through Russia and Kazakhstan.

“In the future, the Armenia–Turkey and Armenia–Azerbaijan railways will open, followed by the Armenia–Iran route through Nakhchivan. We will witness these developments in the near future as a result of the implementation of the TRIPP project,” Pashinyan said.

TRIPP (Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity) is a proposed transport corridor that would connect mainland Azerbaijan with its exclave, Nakhchivan, through Armenian territory.

Comment

Economist Aghasi Tavadyan says he has not yet analysed the economic implications of rail access through Georgia and Turkey for Armenia. However, he has already examined the potential economic effects and possible risks associated with opening the Armenia–Turkey border, both for imports and exports.

Tavadyan noted that Armenia already imports Turkish goods through Georgia. These include textile products, agricultural goods and construction materials. Despite transaction costs, he says these products remain “highly competitive” on the Armenian market because of their low prices.

“If the border between Armenia and Turkey opens, transaction costs will disappear. Turkish goods will become even cheaper in Armenia, and the range of products will expand. First of all, we will definitely see economic growth,” Tavadyan says.

At the same time, according to his calculations, most of that growth would likely concentrate in Yerevan.

In his view, opening the border would benefit residents of the capital and businesses such as restaurants, which could purchase goods more cheaply. However, he believes the move could negatively affect agriculture.

He points to Armenian tomatoes, which he says have displaced Turkish products in recent years. He also argues that Ukraine stopped importing certain Turkish agricultural products because it viewed them as a “risk” to its economy.

The expert also presented statistical data. In particular, he said that after 2018, economic growth in Armenia mainly occurred in information technology and banking, where activity increased by three times or more.

“Meanwhile, agriculture declined by around 15%. If Turkey decides to export cheap tomatoes, apricots or other products to Armenia, that will certainly increase economic growth, but it will hurt agriculture.”

Tavadyan argues that economic development matters not only for Yerevan but also for rural communities. He says this is an issue of “economic security”.

Speaking about exports to the EU through Turkey, Aghasi Tavadyan stressed that under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Armenian exports to countries in the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union increased almost fivefold.

“However, we have not seen similar growth in the direction of the European Union.”

Tavadyan suggests that opening the Armenia–Turkey border could partially resolve logistical challenges linked to EU markets.

At the same time, he emphasises that Armenia must take steps to ensure its products meet European standards.

“We need to think about expensive, lightweight and non-perishable goods. Traditional agricultural products such as tomatoes and apricots would become significantly more expensive to transport to the EU, spoil during delivery and create additional problems.”

Asked which products he considers more suitable for export to the EU in the initial stage, the economist listed:

  • “Nuts — in attractive packaging and with Armenian branding
  • Chocolate sweets filled with dried fruit
  • Asparagus
  • Honey”

Tavadyan also considers the promotion of Armenian brands important, along with participation in exhibitions across different EU countries. He says Armenia needs to understand which products will attract demand and establish new business connections.

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Russia bans Armenian wines and cognacs from market

Kajoyan Gevork
Ukraine – May 25 2026

Moscow is increasingly using tools of economic coercion to keep former Soviet republics within its sphere of influence. The latest stage of this strategy has been large-scale restrictions against Armenian alcohol producers, which analysts describe as a politically motivated response to Yerevan’s rapprochement with the European Union. By exploiting the structural dependence of neighboring economies on its market, the Kremlin is turning trade relations into an instrument of hybrid warfare, repeating a scenario previously tested on Georgia, according to analysts at the Robert Lansing Institute.

Rospotrebnadzor announced the suspension of sales and the withdrawal from circulation in Russia of wines and cognacs from several Armenian producers, including Vedi-Alco, the Abovyan Brandy Factory, and the Shahnazaryan Wine and Brandy House. The agency stated that laboratory tests found that products such as Getap Vernashen, Armenian brandy 5 Stars, and Shahnazaryan XO did not meet mandatory physical-chemical standards. This move continues a series of trade restrictions, including bans on Jermuk mineral water and flower imports. It is evident that the removal of alcohol is a response to Yerevan’s attempts to pursue an independent foreign policy and a course toward closer ties with the EU.

Russia is deliberately targeting the alcohol sector because it is critically dependent on its market: previously, exports to Russia accounted for up to 90% of total production. By restricting imports, the Kremlin is using economic pressure as leverage over the Armenian leadership. Despite attempts to present this as a technical regulatory measure, the political context confirms the geopolitical nature of the sanctions. The measures coincide with Armenia’s distancing from Moscow after the Karabakh crisis, criticism of the CSTO, and the search for new partners in the security sphere. Moscow’s goal is to pressure not only the government of Nikol Pashinyan but also business groups whose stability depends on access to Russian consumers.

The situation mirrors the pressure campaign against Georgia in 2005–2009. At that time, under the pretext of sanitary issues, Moscow imposed an embargo on Georgian wine, mineral water, and agricultural products. In reality, this was driven by Georgia’s pro-Western course under Mikheil Saakashvili and its aspiration to join NATO. The Georgian case revealed key elements of Russia’s strategy: the use of regulatory bodies as political instruments, strikes at symbolic national industries, and exploitation of market dependence. Economic restrictions allow Moscow to punish neighbors while avoiding direct military confrontation, forming part of hybrid coercion alongside energy pressure and information operations.

Although the Georgian embargo caused damage, in the long term it failed: Georgia diversified its exports and modernized standards, accelerating its reorientation toward Europe. This precedent is important for Armenia, which may also be pushed by Russian measures to seek new markets in Asia and the Middle East to ensure national security. Moscow’s actions reflect concern over its weakening influence in the South Caucasus. However, the repeated use of coercion undermines Russia’s reputation as a stable partner, leading neighboring countries to see economic distancing from Russia as the only way to protect sovereignty.

The wine embargo against Georgia once served as a prelude to the 2008 war, demonstrating the Kremlin’s willingness to escalate. Today, similar tactics are being applied against Ukraine, Moldova, and now Armenia. Restrictions on Armenian exports are not merely a trade dispute but a signal to all post-Soviet states that foreign policy independence will carry financial consequences, analysts note. The Kremlin expects economic hardship to generate domestic discontent and strengthen pro-Russian forces. However, as experience shows, such policies often produce the opposite effect, ultimately breaking down the regional ties that Moscow is trying to preserve.

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Cher at 80: The Armenian Christian roots behind the woman rumoured to never ag

Ani Basmajian
Woman Alive, UK
May 25 2026

By Jemimah Wright

Jemimah Wright explores the extraordinary life of Cher as the superstar celebrates her 80th birthday — from Hollywood fame and endless reinvention to the ancient Christian faith woven through her Armenian roots.

Source: Cher, at 74, performs during the Here We Go Again Tour at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019 USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

At 80 years old, having celebrated the milestone birthday on May 20, 2026, Cher remains one of the most recognisable women on the planet. With her glossy black hair, razor-sharp wit and seemingly ageless appearance, she has become a cultural phenomenon as much as a singer or actress. 

Born Cherilyn Sarkisian in California in 1946, Cher is proudly of Armenian heritage through her father, John Sarkisian, whose family roots trace back to Armenia. That heritage carries a remarkable spiritual history. Armenia is widely recognised as the first nation to adopt Christianity as its state religion, doing so in AD 301, centuries before much of the Western world embraced the faith.

I have a special love for Armenia, having taken youth groups out for a few years running to help on Christian camps for children in the town of Zorovan. It was there we learned that the Armenian Church became central not only to the nation’s worship but to its survival, preserving identity through centuries of persecution, displacement and suffering.

That suffering reached its darkest point during the Armenian genocide of 1915, when an estimated 1.5 million Armenians were killed under the Ottoman Empire

That suffering reached its darkest point during the Armenian genocide of 1915, when an estimated 1.5 million Armenians were killed under the Ottoman Empire, forcing many survivors to flee across the world. Like countless Armenian families, Cher’s ancestors were part of a diaspora shaped by trauma, resilience and faith. The Armenian Christian story also continued in America through figures such as Demos Shakarian, whose family escaped persecution before he later founded the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International in California – an organisation I know well, as my Dad was the European director at one point. It was, and is, a movement where Christian businessmen shared their testimonies at dinners – inviting their friends and colleagues to have a meal and hear the good news of Jesus.

Though Cher has never publicly embraced Christianity in a clear or traditional sense, she has spoken openly about God and spirituality over the years.

Though Cher has never publicly embraced Christianity in a clear or traditional sense, she has spoken openly about God and spirituality over the years. “I only answer to two people, myself and God,” she apparently once said. Elsewhere, she admitted her discomfort with exclusivist religion, saying: “I have a problem with religion that makes it so, like, ‘We are the chosen ones.’” In later life she has also expressed interest in Buddhism and meditation, appearing more spiritually curious than doctrinally committed. Yet the Christian heritage of Armenia still forms part of the backdrop to her story — a faith carried through exile, persecution and survival.

READ MORE: Spreading hope in the House of Lords

Her rise to fame began in the 1960s alongside then-husband Sonny Bono. As Sonny and Cher, the pair became famous for hits such as I Got You Babe, with Cher’s distinctive contralto voice setting her apart from the sweeter pop vocals of the era. What followed was a career that constantly defied expectations. While many artists fade after one successful decade, Cher reinvented herself repeatedly, conquering music, television, film and even dance music across six decades.

She won an Academy Award for Moonstruck, released global hits such as Believe, and became a fashion icon in the process. Each reinvention seemed to arrive just as critics were ready to dismiss her. In many ways, Cher’s enduring youthfulness has less to do with her appearance and more to do with her refusal to become stuck in the past.

Perhaps, then, the most meaningful thing Christians could pray for Cher as she enters her ninth decade is not simply health or continued success, but that she would come to deeply know the faith of her forefathers, the ancient Christian hope that sustained generations of Armenians through suffering, exile and survival. Beneath the glamour, fame and mythology surrounding her life is a woman made in the image of God, still deeply loved by Him. And unlike earthly youth, that love never fades.

 https://www.womanalive.co.uk/opinion/cher-at-80-the-armenian-christian-roots-behind-the-woman-rumoured-to-never-age/21550.article

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‘A bridge, not an obstacle’: is Armenia a new crossroads between east and wes

Maral Chavushian
The Guardian, UK
May 25 2026

As former Soviet Republic goes to the polls, it finds itself in a strategic tug of war between Russia, the US, Turkey, Europe and Azerbaijan

Patrick Wintour in Yerevan

To describe Yerevan, a charming city of liberal values encased in imposing Soviet architecture, as the centre of the world is a stretch, but Armenia’s claim that it can become the strategic crossroads of the landmass of Eurasia is becoming less and less fanciful. As the former Soviet Republic goes to the polls on 7 June for national elections, it finds itself in a five-way tug of war between Russia, the US, Turkey, Europe and Azerbaijan.

The interest has in part been sparked by the possibility of an end to Armenia’s conflict with its neighbour Azerbaijan – and the chance this represents for Armenia to end its physical isolation and become part of the middle corridor, a vital trade route linking western China and Europe, bypassing both Russia’s northern corridor and the Suez canal.

The opening of its borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan could transform not just Armenia but the South Caucasus, Armenia’s prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, has claimed. Once these borders were open and peace secured, he said, it would be as if the geographical position of Armenia itself had changed. The shortest route between east and west, he said, goes through Armenia.

Ararat Mirzoyan, the foreign minister, said the government’s aim was to turn Armenia’s geography into a strategic asset. “The challenge after decades is how to become a bridge rather than an obstacle. So this is what we are now trying to do in Armenia. Somehow we have come to understand that we can connect Europe with Central Asia, with the far east, with India, China, and this, in turn, can not only be a way to save our existence, our sovereignty, but also guarantee our further peaceful prosperity.”

The so-called Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (Tripp) linking Europe and Asia and built across Armenian territory as part of a peace deal with Baku would only be one part of this new connectivity jigsaw.

This geopolitical vision – the heart of what Pashinyan is offering for his third consecutive term – is also in part about Armenia’s future identity. It turns the election into a decision on whether to back Pashinyan’s call to support what he calls Real Armenia, as opposed to a historical Armenia obsessed with lost lands and historical grievances.

The Real Armenia doctrine requires making a painful peace with neighbouring Azerbaijan, and a pivot away from Russia towards the EU – something Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party describes as a “more diversified foreign policy”. But it also involves controversy, such as sacking the director of the Armenian genocide museum for giving JD Vance a book on Azerbaijan massacres, or removing from Armenia’s passport stamps the image of Mount Ararat, a national symbol although it lies within present-day Turkey.

Early polls show Civil Contract may be on course to win, a remarkable achievement for a party that oversaw two successive humiliating military disasters at the hands of Azerbaijan in 2020 and 2023. The second defeat involved the overnight forced displacement of 100,000 Armenians from the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. The displaced refugees live in Yerevan and fear for their heritage. Nineteen prisoners from that war remain captive in Baku, including the region’s first minister, Ruben Vardanyan, who claims Pashinyan has abandoned their cause.

The election campaign promises to be wild.

With his near permanent Facebook presence and up-at-5am energy, Pashinyan pours out video content ranging from eating pastries to listening impassively to the Russian rock star Zemfira. He also has a tendency to become embroiled in volcanic rows with voters, accusing opposition leaders of being brainless foreign spies, and threatening to eliminate them.

Pashinyan is facing at least three pro-Russian nationalist parties, including Stronger Armenia, led by a Russian Armenian multi-billionaire, Samvel Karapetyan, the founder of the Tashir Group – a conglomerate with interests in Russia and ownership of Armenia’s electricity network. Last week Karapetyan accused Pashinyan of trying hallucinogenic mushrooms in China and enjoying them so much he imported a ton of them, which he has been consuming before government meetings. Pashinyan says he will sue over the claims.

Karapetyan has also promised a Ministry of Sex to address demographic decline. In a sign of how business and politics mix, he is fighting against the terms of the nationalisation of his electricity network.

Karapetyan was arrested last June after remarks that were interpreted as supporting a coup mounted by the Armenian church. As a result, he is now running his campaign from what might be described as house – or mansion – arrest. He is barred from becoming an MP due to owning Cypriot and Russian passports. Other members of Stronger Armenia have been arrested for allegedly offering bribes.

Human rights activists, such as Kenneth Roth, the former executive director of Human Rights Watch, have suggested Pashinyan’s populism borders on authoritarianism, and questioned whether European leaders such as the French president, Emmanuel Macron, should be showering him with so much support.

Karapetayan, meanwhile, accuses Pashinyan of betrayal by conceding so much to Azerbaijan, and has warned that if the prime minister is re-elected, “we will not become a province of Russia, but a province of Azerbaijan”. His model is clearly Georgian Dream, the pro-Russian group that has held power in Tbilisi since 2012.

Pashinyan’s allies, such as Maria Karapetyan, a member of the standing committee on foreign relations, argue that the pro-Russian nationalist opponents have no agenda to match Real Armenia.

She said: “They still entertain the idea that the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh might have a viable option of returning. They propose keeping the issue open on the Armenian foreign policy agenda. But this is a recipe only for returning to the dynamic of conflict. If you do not have a plan, that just means having an issue, and that means there will be a price to pay – and usually that price is Armenia’s sovereignty.”

The final hurdle to the ratification of the peace agreement initialled in the White House last August is Azerbaijan’s demand that Armenia remove a reference in its constitution to the country’s declaration of independence – a document that includes a call for unification with Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia says it has already renounced any territorial claims in the initialled peace treaty.

Knowing that this is Baku’s big red line, Civil Contract says it will rewrite the constitution, but insists this is not being done under duress. The aim is to put this to a referendum by the end of the year. That requires winning a constitutional majority of two-thirds of the parliament’s seats – a tall order. Asked if there is a plan B to secure a referendum, Pashinyan says: “We will not give up. Peace and open borders are the right path for Armenia and the whole region.”

Civil Contract’s chances would be improved if Azerbaijan were to make concessions to Armenia ahead of polling day. Yerevan has also been waiting for months for Turkey to reopen its border with Armenia, which has been closed since 1993. It has not yet done so. The release of some of the 19 Armenian prisoners held in Baku would also affirm Pashinyan’s quiet diplomacy

Tigran Grigoryan from the Regional Center for Democracy and Security in Yerevan said: “It is very possible they cannot deliver the new constitution and then we have a period of ‘no peace, no war’ for a long time. At the same time, Armenian politics will have become more polarised between a pro-Russian opposition and increasingly authoritarian government.”

Grigoryan questions how far a weakened Pashinyan could pivot away from Moscow towards Europe without provoking Russian retaliation.

Vladimir Putin recently suggested that Armenia stage a referendum on whether it wants to be a member of the EU or the Russian-led Eurasian Union. The Russian president is raising this issue before the elections – knowing EU membership is still deeply theoretical – to inject a polarising topic to the benefit of the pro-Russian candidates.

So far, Russia has toyed with only subtle signals of its disapproval of Armenia’s pro-European track, such as banning imports of Jermuk, Armenian mineral water. Grigoryan says a more structural threat to Moscow’s leverage in Armenia and a possible red line would be nationalising the debt-ridden Russian-owned railways.

Once less distracted by Ukraine, Putin could for instance end subsidies on cheap Russian gas imports, or even as a last resort turn the taps off altogether.

Macron, who was in Armenia this month for a state visit and a meeting of the European Political Community, accused Russia of treachery not just in Ukraine.

Referring to Russia’s failure to come to Armenia’s help at the time of the Nagorno-Karabakh war, he said: “Russia was not there [for Armenia] – no more than it was for Venezuela, Syria or Iran.” Pashinyan even warmly shook the hands of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the two men spoke in English, not Russian, a quiet declaration of independence that infuriated Moscow.

Maria Karapetyan denies her party’s turn to Europe is a mirage that misleads the electorate. She said: “We are just exiting a paradigm when we were looking to Russia as our saviour. So we are not in a rush to enter a new dynamic thinking that the European Union is going to solve all our needs. My party thinks we do not look for saviours. It’s OK for us that no one wants to save us”.

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Russia Targets Armenian Cognac and Wine in Latest Trade Curbs on Yerevan

Hovik Karapetian
The Moscow Times
May 25 2026

Russia has suspended the sale of several Armenian alcoholic products, widening a series of trade restrictions that come amid increasingly strained relations between Moscow and Yerevan, Russia’s consumer safety watchdog said.

Rospotrebnadzor said Friday that it had identified Armenian alcohol products circulating in Russia that failed to meet mandatory requirements and ordered sales to be halted. The agency did not specify which standards had allegedly been violated.

The measure is the latest in a series of restrictions on Armenian goods introduced as relations between Moscow and Yerevan deteriorate. Days earlier, Russia’s agricultural watchdog announced temporary curbs on all flower imports originating from or transiting through Armenia.

Rospotrebnadzor said the restrictions applied to products made by Armenian producers Vedi-Alco, the Abovyan Brandy Factory and the Shakhnazaryan Wine and Brandy House.

Products listed by the agency included Getap Vernashen semi-sweet red wine and Vedi Alco dry white wine from the Legends ARNI line, Armenian Cognac 5 Stars and seven-year-old Shakhnazaryan XO cognac.

The watchdog said it had instructed importers and retailers to suspend sales and withdraw the products from circulation.

The announcement followed a similar measure a day earlier against Armenian mineral water brand Jermuk. Russian authorities imposed a full ban on its imports and sale, citing excessive levels of bicarbonates, chlorides and sulfates.

Rospotrebnadzor said consumers could be misled about the product’s medicinal properties, which it said could result in ineffective treatment and worsening health outcomes.

The restrictions come against the backdrop of deteriorating relations between Russia and Armenia, once one of Moscow’s closest allies in the South Caucasus.

Russian officials have accused Armenia of taking what they describe as “unfriendly steps,” including following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s participation in a summit of the European Political Community attended by Armenian leaders.

State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin has publicly criticized Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan over Armenia’s decision to begin the process of seeking EU membership and for recognizing the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin.

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu has also accused Armenia of deliberately worsening conditions for Russian businesses operating in the country.

Putin has warned Armenia to consider the consequences of pursuing closer integration with Europe, invoking Ukraine as an example and suggesting that Yerevan should first hold a referendum on leaving the Eurasian Economic Union if it wished to part ways with Moscow “softly, intelligently and mutually beneficially.”

Read this article in Russian at The Moscow Times’ Russian service.

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Medvedev: Pashinyan is a crook, he considers us suckers, and all Armenians wil

Emma Nadirian
Eurasia Daily
May 25 2026
Medvedev: Pashinyan is a crook, he considers us suckers, and all Armenians will suffer

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is not a “guarantor of peace” for Armenia, he is just a “crook, elevated to the top of power in a certain period.” This was stated to RIA Novosti by Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev today, May 25.

Medvedev noted that Pashinyan has set a course to break off relations with Russia, as a result of which the people of Armenia will lose the Russian market and the entire EAEU.

“Apparently, he thinks we’re suckers. At the same time, he himself made a big mistake in the coordinate system and is pursuing an extremely dangerous course for his country,” said the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council. “Think about it: as a result of the actions of this very specific little man, the entire people of Armenia will lose, who will lose the Russian market, the entire EAEU and the economic ties built over decades.”

In particular, Pashinyan’s course may lead to Yerevan having to buy Russian gas at European prices, which is three times more expensive than current tariffs.

“It is especially dangerous that temporary worker Nikol is actively pushing his homeland on the sorrowful path of Bandera Ukraine,” Medvedev added.

The deputy chairman of the Security Council pointed out that Pashinyan, despite Yerevan’s benefits from membership in the EAEU, refused to participate in the union’s summits, and gathers in Yerevan “vile enemies of Russia”.

“Armenia is historically a very close country for us, our strategic partner. I emphasize — the fraternal people of Armenia, and not any Armenian leader,” he said.

Medvedev said that during the first conversation with Pashinyan, he touched upon the topic of Russia’s special relationship with the people of Armenia, but he said: “You will never accept me, I am a stranger to you.” Then Medvedev assured the head of the Armenian cabinet that for Moscow “there are no friends and strangers.”

“You have been elected by the people, and we will work with you, but the course that your government will pursue depends only on you. And for us, only the fraternal people of Armenia for Russia are their own. We will always have the most friendly relations with him,” Medvedev said in an interview with Pashinyan, recalling that only in “There are more Armenians living in Russia than in Armenia itself.”

However, the conversation did not affect the Armenian Prime Minister, “he did not heed these words, did not appreciate the numerous examples of fraternal help and support” from Russia.

Read more: https://eadaily.com/en/news/2026/05/25/medvedev-pashinyan-is-a-crook-he-considers-us-suckers-and-all-armenians-will-suffer

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Medvedev Calls Pashinyan’s Course Dangerous for Armenia

Emil Lazarian
Tasnim, Iran
May 25 2026

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The people of Armenia will lose the Russian market and the entire EAEU as a result of the dangerous course of the country’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, said Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev.

Medvedev previously stated that Pashinyan had taken a course toward breaking relations with Russia.

“(He) made a major mistake in his coordinate system and is pursuing an extremely dangerous course for his country,” the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council stated.

“Think about it: as a result of the actions of this very specific … man, the entire people of Armenia will lose, who will be deprived of the Russian market, the entire EAEU, and economic ties built over decades,” he added.

Medvedev said that Pashinyan’s course could lead to Yerevan having to buy Russian gas at European prices, which is three times more expensive than current tariffs. The deputy chairman of the Security Council suggested that the Armenian prime minister ask citizens if they are ready for such a price.

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Colonizer Desecrates Armenian Monastery in Occupied Jerusalem

Maghakian Mike

IMEMC News

International Middle East Media Center

May 25 2026

A video recorded days earlier near the Armenian Monastery in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem shows an Israeli colonizer desecrating the site, an act condemned by the Jerusalem Governorate as part of a growing and documented pattern of attacks targeting Christian clergy, churches, and religious symbols across the city.

The Jerusalem Governorate said Monday that a video filmed four days earlier near the Armenian Monastery in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem captures an Israeli colonizer violating the sanctity of the site, provoking widespread anger among Christian residents and church institutions.

The footage shows the colonizer engaging in behavior described as a direct insult to one of Jerusalem’s most significant Christian landmarks.

In its statement, the Governorate said the act constitutes a deliberate provocation against the Christian community and an assault on a historic religious institution that has stood in the Armenian Quarter for centuries.

It added that the incident reflects a broader escalation in attacks carried out by illegal Israeli colonizers against Christian clergy, churches, and religious symbols in occupied Jerusalem.

Christian clergy and local residents have repeatedly reported a surge in harassment, including spitting attacks, verbal abuse, vandalism of church property, and attempts to intimidate priests and monks.

Armenian and Greek Orthodox clergy have documented dozens of such incidents in recent months, many occurring within meters of Israeli police stations that fail to intervene or act promptly.

The Governorate stressed that the absence of accountability encourages further violations, noting that colonizers often act with full confidence that they will not be arrested or prosecuted.

Christian institutions, including the Armenian Patriarchate, have warned that these attacks are becoming routine, increasingly aggressive, and aimed at pressuring Christian communities in the city.

This latest desecration is not an isolated case. In recent weeks, colonizers have assaulted clergy, vandalized churches, disrupted religious ceremonies, and spat at Christian processions.

Similar attacks have been documented in the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and around the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

|Israeli Colonizer Causes Damage To Church, Try To Burn It, In Occupied Jerusalem|

Human rights groups and local journalists have repeatedly stated that Israeli authorities are enabling these violations by failing to enforce the law or protect Christian clergy and institutions.

The Governorate called for immediate measures to halt these attacks, hold perpetrators accountable, and implement effective protections for Jerusalem’s religious heritage.

It urged international bodies to intervene to safeguard the Christian presence in the city and ensure respect for its diverse historical and religious character.

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Peskov: Gas Price for Armenia Will Change If It Leaves EAEU

Bedik Zaminian
May 25 2026

According to the press secretary of the Russian President, the current price for Russian gas and energy resources for Armenia is “more than preferential” and “very attractive”.

He stated that this will change if the country continues “further economic integration” into the EU.

“Russia remains a reliable and responsible supplier of energy resources to all countries, and especially to its closest allies and partners. Well, of course, such a regime, such a regime is impossible for participants of other integrations. There, the price category is completely different, it is market-based. This is well known to our friends in Yerevan. We continue the dialogue,” Peskov stated.

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Samvel Karapetyan vows to block Azerbaijani settlement in Armenia

George Mamian
Panorama, Armenia
May 25 2026

Armenian businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan has issued a stark warning ahead of the June 7 parliamentary elections, pledging that his Strong Armenia party will act decisively to prevent large-scale Azerbaijani settlement in the country.

Speaking during a live broadcast on Monday, Karapetyan claimed that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev were planning to allow 300,000 Azerbaijanis to enter Armenia. 

He argued that such a development would weaken the country’s economic future, stating: “If we cannot stop this, our economic programs will be impossible to implement, since the main jobs will go to Azerbaijanis.”

Karapetyan said that, if elected, his Strong Armenia party’s first legislative initiative would be the introduction of a “Safarov Prevention Law.” According to him, the proposed law would ban Azerbaijani citizens from purchasing or acquiring land and property in Armenia.

The proposal references Ramil Safarov, an Azerbaijani officer convicted of murdering an Armenian soldier in Hungary in 2004 who was later pardoned in Azerbaijan.

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