Armenia: Legal Dispute Continues Over Catholicos Case

Garo Vardanian
Eurasia Review
April 14 2026
 April 14, 2026  0 Comments

By PanARMENIAN

The Yerevan Court of First Instance, presided over by Judge Ani Danielyan, has ruled to grant the appeal filed by the defense of Catholicos Karekin II, ordering the removal of the preventive measure imposed on him.

According to the lawyer and Mother See representative Ara Zohrabyan, the decision has not yet been implemented, Aysor.am reports.

“I am certain that the Prosecutor’s Office will appeal this decision and will do everything possible to avoid its enforcement,” Zohrabyan said.

Commenting on whether the ruling reflects the existence of justice, he noted that hope remains.

“Unfortunately, some judges blindly make decisions that are pleasing to the authorities. However, there are also judges who act in accordance with the law, and this, of course, increases hope for justice,” he emphasized.

The lawyer’s assessment has been confirmed, as Armenia’s Prosecutor General’s Office stated it is preparing to file an appeal.

The Catholicos is accused of obstructing the enforcement of a judicial act requiring the reinstatement of Arman Saroyan as Primate of the Masis Diocese. A travel ban had been imposed on the Catholicos as a preventive measure.

—

‘Robert Kocharyan is the prime ministerial candidate of the ‘three-headed part

Lilit Nahapetian
JAM News
April 14 2026
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Armenia’s Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyan has described opposition forces planning to take part in the parliamentary elections in June as a “three-headed party of war”. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had earlier used the same phrase. He said that the “three-headed party of war will face a wall of people in the elections”. He meant that voters will not support them and will not allow them to enter parliament.

Pashinyan’s team uses the term “three-headed party of war” to refer to the Armenia bloc, as well as the Strong Armenia and Prosperous Armenia parties.

The prime minister explained that their leaders advocate a “revision of peace” with Azerbaijan. He argued that this would inevitably lead to war.

The Armenia bloc is led by former president Robert Kocharyan. Russian businessman Samvel Karapetyan heads the Strong Armenia party. Authorities arrested him in June last year on charges of publicly calling for a seizure of power. He is currently under house arrest. The Prosperous Armenia party was founded and is led by prominent businessman Gagik Tsarukyan.

Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyan has drawn voters’ attention to how his main opponents are preparing for the elections. He noted that the Prosperous Armenia party has not announced its candidate for prime minister. He also said that Strong Armenia’s candidate, Samvel Karapetyan, cannot run for the post. Armenia’s constitution allows only a person with solely Armenian citizenship to serve as prime minister. Karapetyan holds citizenship of Armenia, Russia and Cyprus.

Based on this, Rubinyan concludes that the three opposition forces share a single candidate for prime minister. In his view, that candidate is former president Robert Kocharyan.

“What does this mean now? How many prime ministerial candidates does the three-headed party of war have? One. The Russian oligarch cannot be a candidate for prime minister. Tsarukyan is not a candidate, because he says: ‘I will not say who my candidate is.’ In short, these three forces together have one candidate for prime minister — Kocharyan,” he said.

  • Vote-buying in Armenia: ‘Strong Armenia’ party disguised bribes as salaries and charity
  • Robert Kocharyan named prime minister candidate: will he become represent opposition in Armenia’s upcoming elections?
  • ‘Russia trying to send tens of thousands of voters to Armenia’s elections’: debate in Yerevan

‘They have decided to take part in the elections with a secret candidate’

The deputy speaker said the situation ahead of the parliamentary elections has become rather unusual. Rubinyan pointed out that Robert Kocharyan appears first on the electoral list of the Armenia bloc as its candidate for prime minister. He said the situation looks different for the Prosperous Armenia and Strong Armenia parties.

“The number one candidate from the force led by Tsarukyan is Tsarukyan. But the candidate for prime minister is not Tsarukyan. This is an exclusive know-how in global politics: their candidate for prime minister is a secret. In other words, Tsarukyan says: my candidate for prime minister is a secret,” he said.

Gagik Tsarukyan’s party has already presented its election programme to voters. However, it has not yet announced the name of its candidate for prime minister.

Rubinyan said Prosperous Armenia has chosen to run in the elections with a “secret candidate”.

“In other words, dear voters, if you cast your vote for Tsarukyan’s force, you should know that anyone could become prime minister,” he said.

The deputy speaker also stressed that Tsarukyan’s electoral list includes figures who took part in the 2021 snap elections as members of Robert Kocharyan’s Armenia bloc.

He added that the electoral list of the recently established Strong Armenia party also includes representatives from Kocharyan’s team. Among them is Aram Vardevanyan, listed second on the party’s slate led by Samvel Karapetyan. Vardevanyan is a former MP from the Armenia bloc and Kocharyan’s lawyer.

“From the lists I have seen, it looks as if they mixed everyone together, split them up and created a single list. They simply wrote down names, mixed them, each picked a party label, and that is how they formed the lists,” Rubinyan said.

‘Let Samvel Karapetyan give up his foreign citizenship’

One of the journalists asked Rubinyan: “Samvel Karapetyan says they are sacrificing everything for Armenia, and you…”. The deputy speaker did not let him finish and replied:

“Is he going to give up his Russian and Cypriot passports for Armenia? Is this a trend among so-called saviours? They all want to ‘save’ the country while holding citizenship of several other states. Archbishop Bagrat [the leader of the opposition movement ‘Sacred Struggle’] held Canadian citizenship. When we said he should give it up, he did not do so. They want to become prime ministers, but they are not ready to give up even foreign citizenship to prove they are not proxies or acting on someone else’s orders.”

Rubinyan did not specify whose interests dollar billionaire Samvel Karapetyan would serve, although most of his assets and businesses are in Russia.

“I do not know whose will he would carry out, but it would certainly not be that of the Armenian people,” he said.

‘Which of them is a new face?’

Gagik Tsarukyan, the leader of Prosperous Armenia, has repeatedly said his party has not just one but several candidates for prime minister. He has insisted that the party has no ties either to former authorities or to the current government. Tsarukyan argues that Armenia needs a “prime minister of the future”.

“It is telling that Tsarukyan speaks about the need for new faces. So who are these new faces? Is Kocharyan a new face? Is Tsarukyan himself a new face? Perhaps he has aged well physically. But what is new about him? Or what is new about the Russian oligarch?” Ruben Rubinyan said.

He also recalled that Samvel Karapetyan’s brother, Karen Karapetyan, led the parliamentary faction of former president Serzh Sargsyan’s Republican Party and later headed his office.

Journalists asked the deputy speaker why Tsarukyan and Karapetyan do not openly say that their candidate for prime minister is Robert Kocharyan.

“Why did Martun Grigoryan, who is now on the Prosperous Armenia list, say during the election campaign in Gyumri that he would not support Vardan Ghukasyan? He wanted to mislead people, win votes, and then he voted for Ghukasyan,” Rubinyan said.

Snap municipal elections were held in Gyumri on 30 March. No party secured 50% plus one vote. The ruling Civil Contract party received the largest share of votes. However, none of the opposition forces agreed to form a coalition with it. Three of the four opposition groups that passed the electoral threshold backed Vardan Ghukasyan, the mayoral candidate from the Communist Party of Armenia.

He believes the opposition forces will “tell fairy tales” and claim they are not connected to each other in order to implement a “Gyumri-2” scenario.

“They want to create a false impression that they have nothing to do with each other. They do this to win votes. Then they will unite and carry out the ‘Gyumri’ scenario. But with one difference. After the original ‘Gyumri’ scenario, Vardan Ghukasyan was arrested on corruption charges six months later. In this case, no one will be arrested, because corruption will become a highly desirable, patriotic and respected activity, like in the old days,” Ruben Rubinyan said.

—

Armenia Courts Global Investors for U.S.-Backed Trade Corridor

Hovik Karapetian
Oil & Price
April 14 2026
By Eurasianet – Apr 14, 2026, 1:00 PM CDT

  • Armenia is actively inviting additional international investors, including Middle Eastern states and Kazakhstan, into the TRIPP corridor project.
  • The corridor would connect Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan via Armenia, forming part of a broader Europe–Central Asia trade route.
  • The United States reaffirmed its commitment to the project despite ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Persian Gulf.

Anticipating that US attention could be focused on Iran and the Persian Gulf for a long time, Armenia is seeking to attract additional investors in TRIPP, the planned trade corridor that Yerevan foresees as a cornerstone of its economic future.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan have indicated in recent days that the bilateral agreement between the US and Armenia on building TRIPP, or the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, is moving forward. But both leaders now indicate that Armenia wants to attract other investors to be involved in the corridor’s construction and operations. 

The project, the centerpiece of the provisional Armenian-Azerbaijani peace deal signed last August in Washington, would connect Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan exclave via a 42-kilometer land bridge across Armenia’s Syunik province. It is envisioned as a key node in the emerging Middle Corridor trade network connecting Central Asia to European markets.

Mirzoyan suggested some Middle Eastern states, which he did not name, have expressed interest in TRIPP.

Pashinyan, meanwhile, seems keen to get Kazakhstan involved. On April 9, he met with Kazakh Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev, with the discussions exploring potential cooperation on infrastructure development, connectivity, and tourism. The two countries have also pledged to engage in intelligence cooperation.

“Naturally, we should invite Kazakhstan to be prepared to consider using transit routes through Armenia as part of their export, import, and transport service chains,” the official Kazakh news agency, Kazinform, quoted Pashinyan as saying prior to the meeting.

US officials have sought to reassure Yerevan that the ongoing turmoil in the Persian Gulf, despite an ostensible ceasefire between the United States and Iran, will not distract Washington from implementing TRIPP.

TRIPP “remains a top priority for the United States, with the potential to unleash peace and prosperity in the South Caucasus region and beyond. The Trump Administration remains committed to making TRIPP a reality,’’ the Armenpress state news agency quoted a US State Department representative as saying. 


 https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Armenia-Courts-Global-Investors-for-US-Backed-Trade-Corridor.html



—

Hungary Elections Results Sparks Heated Debate in Armenia’s Opposition Ranks

Yeghisabet Arthur
Cocoa Took daily off
April 14 2026
14 Apr 2026 | News, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia

Hungary held its most consequential parliamentary elections since the end of communism on 12 April 2026, with a record voter turnout of around 76–79%, the highest in decades. The vote marked a major political turning point in the country’s modern history. The opposition Tisza Party, led by Péter Magyar, won a landslide victory over Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, which had been in power for 16 years.

On April 14, commenting on political developments in Hungary, Edmon Marukyan, the leader of the Bright Armenia party, stated in a video shared on his Facebook page that opposition figure Péter Magyar had achieved a “historic victory” over Viktor Orbán, whose party had governed the country for 16 years. He noted that out of 199 parliamentary seats, 138 were secured by Magyar’s party, while Orbán’s party obtained 55.

Marukyan emphasized that the outcome came despite external political signals, recalling that “two or three days ago, JD Vance was there and declared his support for Orbán.” Drawing parallels with Armenia, he argued that public narratives about the invincibility of the authorities are misleading. Referring to Nikol Pashinyan, he remarked that claims about backing from global powers should not discourage opposition efforts, stressing that “if the Armenian people have a good offer from the opposition, there will be intrigue… and the government will be changed.”

Addressing voter engagement, Marukyan pointed to the high turnout in Hungary, where citizens reportedly stood in long lines to vote. He contrasted this with Armenia, stating that such participation cannot be achieved through appeals alone, but requires a compelling political alternative. “It’s not because the opposition is saying, ‘People, this is important, you must go to the polls,’ but because there’s no compelling proposal… We need to create an intriguing proposal,” he stated.

According to Marukyan, discussions about opposition consolidation in Armenia are unproductive, as political forces continue to act independently. He added that his party intends to present a distinct platform, noting, “we… will put forward a good proposal that will be different from all the others, and you will see.” He also rejected characterizations of Orbán as a dictator, arguing that “it’s impossible to defeat a dictator in an election,” and highlighting that Orbán conceded defeat before the final recount, stating, “I accept my defeat, congratulations, we will be the opposition, we will serve Hungary.”

He further criticized interpretations of political processes in Armenia, asserting that they are often distorted. “You have dictators; in Armenia, power hasn’t changed through elections for 35 years, and you’re talking about Hungary?” Marukyan stated, adding that electoral outcomes depend on the choices presented to voters: “If you offer the voter the same thing, you get the same result… the voter makes the decision… not based on your appeals.”

On the same day, Narek Karapetyan, a member of the Strong Armenia party, also commented on the developments, stating that the Hungarian opposition had defeated a long-serving leader and prevented the country from becoming a dictatorship. “Hungary has chosen change, and soon it will happen in Armenia too!” he emphasized.


https://caucasuswatch.de/en/news/hungary-elections-results-sparks-heated-debate-in-armenias-opposition-ranks.html


—

Armenpress: US announces blockade of all Iranian ports

Mary Lazarian
Read the article in: ArmenianRussian:

The U.S. military said it will begin a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas on Monday, after the latest talks held amid the two-week ceasefire failed to reach a deal to end the war with Iran.

“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces will begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13 at 10 a.m. ET, in accordance with the President’s proclamation. The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports. Additional information will be provided to commercial mariners through a formal notice prior to the start of the blockade. All mariners are advised to monitor Notice to Mariners broadcasts and contact U.S. naval forces on bridge-to-bridge channel 16 when operating in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz approaches,” CENTCOM said in a statement.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday U.S. forces would also intercept every vessel in international waters that had paid a toll to Iran.

“No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,” Trump wrote on social media, adding: “Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!”

He added that the U.S. Navy will begin destroying mines that the Iranians had dropped in the Strait of Hormuz.

After Trump’s initial remarks on Sunday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards warned that military vessels approaching the strait will be considered a ceasefire breach ‌and dealt with ⁠harshly and decisively, Reuters reported.

Reuters reported citing a U.S. official that Iran rejected Washington’s call for an end to all uranium enrichment, the dismantling of all major enrichment facilities and the transfer of highly enriched uranium.

Iran also refused U.S. demands that Iran cease funding for Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, as well as fully open the Strait of Hormuz, the official added.

Iranian media said there was agreement on a number of issues, but the strait and Iran’s nuclear program were the main sticking points during the talks in Islamabad.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran had “encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade” when just inches away from an “Islamabad MoU.”

Read the article in: ArmenianRussian:

Published by Armenpress, original at 
—

Trump lambasts Pope Leo XIV

Tambiyan Samvel
Read the article in: العربيةFrançaisՀայերենRussian

U.S. President Donald Trump strongly criticized Pope Leo XIV on Sunday evening, denouncing his stance on the Iran war and saying he’s “terrible for foreign policy.”

“We don’t like a pope that’s going to say that it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon. … He’s a man that doesn’t think that we should be toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon so they can blow up the world,” CNN quoted Trump as saying, adding, “I’m not a fan of Pope Leo.”

Leo, the first American pope, last week condemned Trump’s rhetoric and threats against the people of Iran as “truly unacceptable.” That comment was prompted by Trump’s threat that “a whole civilization will die tonight” in the hours before a two-week ceasefire with Iran was struck.

According to CNN, both Trump and his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, have invoked God in public messaging during the conflict, with Hegseth framing the war effort as divinely supported and even using scriptural justification.

Leo has pushed back against this idea.

“Jesus is the king of peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” he said on Palm Sunday. “He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war but rejects them.”

The U.S. president’s remarks about the pope on Sunday night came shortly after he posted a similar critique of the pontiff on Truth Social.

“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote, going on to say he doesn’t want a pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon or who thinks it’s “terrible that America attacked Venezuela.”

After the US operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January, the pope called for the “will of the Venezuelan people” to be respected and a return to stability in the country.

“I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States,” Trump said.

The president went on to claim Leo “wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.”

Pope Leo has previously spoken out against the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Read the article in: العربيةFrançaisՀայերենRussian

Published by Armenpress, original at 
—

Pope Leo responds to Trump’s criticism: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’

Ani Basmajian
Read the article in: العربيةFrançaisՀայերենRussian

Pope Leo XIV on Monday responded to criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, telling reporters while traveling to Algeria that he has “no fear” of the White House.

“I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the church is here to do,” the pontiff told reporters.

“We are not politicians,” Pope Leo said. “We are not looking to make foreign policy … with the same perspective that he might understand it, but I do believe in the message of the Gospel: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ is the message that the world needs to hear today.”

 ”I will continue to speak out strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems.”

Trump posted on social media calling the pope “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.”

Amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict in Iran, the pope has been posting on his account on the social platform X about peace, saying in one post on Saturday that “God does not bless any conflict.”

Read the article in: العربيةFrançaisՀայերենRussian

Published by Armenpress, original at 
—

Viktor Orbán ousted after 16 years in power as Hungarian opposition wins elect

Markos Nalchajian
Europe10:11, 13 April 2026
Read the article in: ArmenianRussian:

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has conceded defeat after 16 years in power, with the opposition securing a landslide election win.

BBC reported citing results that Peter Magyar’s Tisza party won by a landslide.

“Prime Minister Viktor Orban just called to congratulate us on our victory,” Magyar posted on social media on Sunday as the results rolled in.

Péter Magyar, a former Orbán ally who became his fiercest critic, swept to victory promising closer ties with the EU.

With more than 98% of the votes counted, Magyar’s party Tisza is set to win a massive majority in parliament, according to the BBC. 

According to Al Jazeera, Magyar’s centre-right party secured 138 seats in the 199-seat parliament on 53.6 percent of the vote, while Orban’s Fidesz took just 55 seats with 37.8 percent in the elections that saw a nearly 80 percent turnout.

Read the article in: ArmenianRussian:

Published by Armenpress, original at 
—

Spanish embassy in Iran reopens

Boris Nahapetian
Read the article in: SpanishFrançaisՀայերենРусский

Spain’s ambassador to Iran, Antonio Sánchez-Benedito Gaspar, said Monday that the Spanish embassy in Tehran has reopened in a move aimed at supporting regional peace efforts, Xinhua reported.

In a post on the social media platform X, the ambassador said he had returned to the Iranian capital with his team to “join efforts for peace from every possible quarter,” following instructions from Spain’s Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares.

Read the article in: SpanishFrançaisՀայերենРусский

Published by Armenpress, original at 
—

New MEDam platform seeks to put Armenia on the global medical tourism map

Emil Lazarian
Tourism09:10, 13 April 2026
Read the article in: ArmenianRussian:

Armenia is rapidly emerging as a growing hub for medical tourism, with the sector becoming an increasingly important part of the country’s economy. The newly created MEDam platform in Armenia aims to further boost medical tourism by presenting the country’s opportunities in the international market.

Anni Keshishyan, co-founder and CEO of “Bridged Corp” and one of the co-founders of the MEDam platform, noted in an interview with Armenpress that, together with experts closely connected to the tourism and healthcare sectors, they discussed and concluded that Armenia has strong potential to develop medical tourism, as the sector continues to grow globally.

“Healthcare and tourism have not yet been fully integrated on a single platform in any country. This segment is developing, and as Armenians, we understand how important this initiative can be both for the global market and especially for Armenia. The platform is expected to launch by the end of April, and we want to start it in Armenia,” said Anni Keshishyan.

High-quality medical services will be available to tourists in one place. However, what makes the platform different is that it will include a wide range of services and will primarily present not individual doctors, but Armenia itself, highlighting its opportunities in both healthcare and tourism.

“We do not see ourselves as just a platform; we are creating a complete infrastructure, one of the most important components of which is healthcare. In the first phase, we have focused on cosmetology, plastic surgery, and dental services. Later, we will expand the fields to include ophthalmology, orthopedics, and other areas. Our goal is to create global value while also contributing to the country’s development. In the future, we plan to involve all participants in the sector,” noted Anni Keshishyan.

Keshishyan noted that, as a result, it will be possible to find various medical services on the same platform, as well as the best licensed doctors. Through the platform, users will also be able to connect with their chosen doctor, insurer, and tour operators.

The medical tourism platform is closely cooperating with the Tourism Committee.

According to Lusine Gevorgyan, Chairperson of the Tourism Committee of Armenia, a government agency under the Ministry of Economy, the main goal of the MEDam platform is to provide an opportunity to find and receive medical services accompanied by tourism services.

“The MEDam platform can already be considered almost ready, and we are working closely with its founders. There is a memorandum of cooperation between the Ministry of Health, the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, the Ministry of Economy, and the Tourism Committee. The goal is to ensure that the digital solution created is accessible both to citizens of Armenia and to people around the world who are looking for affordable and high-quality medical services,” said Gevorgyan.

Within this broad cooperation, each responsible party provides guarantees in its respective area so that tourists traveling to Armenia for healthcare purposes have a legal basis and confidence that they are visiting licensed specialists.

“For example, the Tourism Committee, together with the platform, is reviewing hotels that can provide conditions for medical services. This means that rooms must be adapted for post-treatment recovery, including appropriate furnishings or access to nursing services. In addition, we are also discussing cooperation with top tour guides, as we believe that visitors who receive treatment should also have the opportunity to discover Armenia and travel,” Gevorgyan noted.

Published by Armenpress, original at 
—