Month: April 2026

The CEC informs that the parties/parties’ alliances are obliged to open an election fund within 5 days after the registration of the electoral lists.

The parties included in the alliance of parties do not have the right to form a separate pre-election fund.

The pre-election fund of a party (alliance of parties) is formed from the payments made by that party (member parties of the alliance).

Funds can be opened in the following banks:

Ardshinbank CJSC

Armeconombank OJSC

AKBA Bank JSC

Unibank OJSC

VTB – Armenia Bank CJSC

Fast Bank CJSC

In the case of the National Assembly elections, the maximum limit of expenditures from the fund is 800 million drams.

Compulsory expenses to be made and declared from the fund are:

Political advertisements on the pre-election campaign in the mass media and on the Internet;

Sociological surveys and research,

Costs of indemnification of proxies,

Costs of preparation, installation and distribution of propaganda posters, propaganda print and other materials,

The costs of renting premises of election headquarters,

Costs of holding cultural or sports events,

Costs of renting halls, premises,

Expenses for vehicle rental/ excluding up to 7-seater cars.

Non-declarable costs

Utility costs of electoral headquarters

Vehicle fuel costs

Utility costs of halls and areas for holding pre-election meetings, meetings with voters and other events related to pre-election campaigning

Failure to include the expenses to be declared results in an administrative penalty of three times the amount of expenses not included in the fund’s expenses.

Exceeding the limit of incurred expenses causes an administrative penalty in the amount of three times the amount that exceeds the set maximum amount.

If the amount of expenses incurred in the specified directions and the amount of fines paid to the state budget is more than 120 percent of the maximum amount of the pre-election fund, then based on the application of the Central Electoral Commission, the court shall invalidate the registration of the electoral list of the party (alliance of parties) participating in the elections.

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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a working discussion with Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan, during which the works implemented in the direction of introducing a new system of biometric passports and identification cards in the Republic of Armenia were presented.

In his introductory speech, Prime Minister Pashinyan noted that the process of introducing biometric passports and identification cards is in the final stage and they will be available to citizens from the fall of 2026.

Arpine Sargsyan emphasized that the purpose of introducing the new system is to ensure the compliance of identity documents with high international standards, in particular, with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). According to the Minister of Internal Affairs, it will increase the reliability of documents, facilitate border crossings and facilitate the free movement of citizens, including in the visa liberalization process with the European Union.

It was noted that modern infrastructures are being created within the framework of the implementation of the new system. The project is implemented in the format of public-private cooperation. The new passports will have high-level protection mechanisms, including security components, including UV layers.

At the same time, it was emphasized that the Armenian identity, historical and cultural heritage and symbols of statehood are reflected in the design of the document. Accordingly, the outline map of the Republic of Armenia, the alphabet created by Mesrop Mashtots, and the first sentence in the Armenian alphabet, “Know wisdom and wisdom, know my language with genius” are reflected first. The Prime Minister emphasized that some letters are reflected larger and there is a certain thought and logic in it. “In particular, the letter “A” means freedom, independence, the letter “E” means happiness, the letter “E” means that in Grabar “E” means God, emphasizing God, the letter “Z” means the people, the letter “I” means sovereignty, the letter “X” means peace, “K” means life, “H” means Armenia, “M” means man, “J” means water as a symbol of life. The letter “O”, since there was no letter “O” in the initial version, we meant the law, legality, the letter “P” – we meant the state, the letter “S” – we meant love, the letter “K” – Christ, as the first state that accepted Christianity. Of course, these accents could be made with all letters, but in general, we thought that such accents would perhaps also significantly emphasize our strategies, perceptions, aspirations, and our ideas, and also add a certain design element.”

Continuing to present the images inserted on different pages of the document, it was noted that it begins with the genealogy of Armenians, with the image of Hayk Nahapet and the rock paintings found in Geghama Mountains and Ukhtasar, which have a very old history. The next important milestone in history is also presented, the cuneiform record of the founding of Yerevan, which is a very important part of Armenian identity and history. It was emphasized that the image of the Erebuni fortress has been restored by scientists. Next, the boundary stones of the Artashes period with Aramaic inscriptions are presented. The form and position of the boundary stone also with scientists formed as a result of consultations, are a visualization depicting the lifestyle and agriculture of the given period. It was emphasized that the choice of the boundary stone was not accidental, it was a very important state and legal tool even in that period, because it showed the existence of the state, the essence of state administration and also the land reforms that took place in that period.

On the next page is presented the Mother See of St. Ejmiadzin, which symbolizes the fact of accepting Christianity as the state religion in 301. The year of adoption of Christianity was emphasized as one of the key parts of our identity and history.

According to the logic of ceremonial seniority, the symbols of modern statehood are presented: the residence of the President of the Republic of Armenia, the Government building, the National Assembly building, the Constitutional Court building. Yerevan Cascade and Alexander Tamanyan, as the patriarch of modern urban development, were also depicted.

There is also a reference to the marzes. In alphabetical order, Aragats marz is presented with Mount Aragats with its four peaks, Ararat marz with Khor Virap as one of the most important centers of Christianity, Armavir marz with lavash baking process, Armavir marz gardens and fruits, Gegharkunik marz with Lake Sevan and the 10th century Berdkunk fortress, Kotayk marz with Garnu pagan temple, Lori marz with Lori fortress, Shirak region with the street of the historical center of Gyumri and the famous Phaeton view, Syunik region with Baghaberd castle, Tavush region with Sranots bridge, Vayots Dzor region with Jermuk waterfall and Jermuk’s famous deer. The Prime Minister emphasized that through all these historical and cultural monuments, an attempt was made to ensure the diversity and multi-layeredness of the portrait of Armenia.

It was emphasized that along with the introduction of the biometric passport, it is also planned to introduce automatic, contactless crossing systems at the border checkpoints, which will significantly facilitate and speed up the movement of citizens.

Summarizing the presentation of the passport, the head of state noted that with this step, Armenia takes an important step towards having a modern, safe and international passport system.

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“Information” was spread in a number of media that, allegedly, an agreement was reached within the framework of the border demarcation process, according to which Armenia will transfer the village of Jiliza of the enlarged community of Alaverdi.

Nazeli Baghdasaryan, press secretary of the RA Prime Minister, reports that any statement, thought or “information” about the intention, plan or agreement to transfer any part of the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia to any other country cannot correspond to the reality.

“Consequently, as before, we have denied, we deny and will deny any publication with similar content, due to their fictitiousness,” Baghdasaryan wrote.

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The elections.mia.gov.am platform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has already published the preliminary lists of voters participating in the regular elections of the National Assembly to be held on June 7, 2026, with the possibility of searching and downloading.

In the search system, the voter can enter his name and surname to find the polling station where he should vote. To get a more accurate result, it is also possible to fill in the date of birth, month and year.

In the platform, with the possibility of downloading, preliminary lists of voters are also available according to communities and precincts.

Eligible voters can search for their data by accessing the “National Assembly Elections” section of the website elections.mia.gov.am or download the lists by going to the “By Precincts” section.

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President Vahagn Khachaturyan and Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan visited Georgia and Kazakhstan in the last ten days of March. They were transferred by a businessman MP, a member of the ruling “Civil Agreement” faction Khachatur Sukiasyan the business class plane (business jet) of a family-owned airline.

“Flyuan Armenia” LLC of Sukiasyans received 28,600,000 drams from the RA state budget (taxes included) only to take the delegation of Deputy Prime Minister Grigoryan to Kazakhstan and bring it back. At the current exchange rate of the Central Bank, this amount is equal to about 77 thousand. dollar How much did the airline earn? To bring Khachaturyan back to Georgia, the president’s staff does not say.

Below is Hetq’s investigation in its entirety.

Yerevan-Tbilisi-Yerevan, not by a state plane, but by a private plane

On March 22, V. The delegation led by Khachaturyan flew from Yerevan to Tbilisi on a working visit to participate in the funeral ceremony of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilya II of All Georgia.

In the photos published by the official website of the president, we see that Khachaturyan was accompanied by KGS Minister Zhanna Andreasyan and RA Ambassador to Georgia Ashot Smbatyan. In addition to participating in the funeral, V. Khachaturyan had a private conversation with the President of Georgia, Mikheil Kavelashvili.

The high-ranking officials of the Republic of Armenia, in particular the President and the Prime Minister, are served by the government plane of the Republic of Armenia, the Airbus A319 ACJ type aircraft, which is a VIP aircraft. In 1998 This production plane is the property of RA and has been operated in our country since 2007.

The flights of the state board that serve the prime minister are currently numbered FIE4001, in the case of the president – FIE4002, for other officials (for example, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Minister of Foreign Affairs) – FIE4003 (FIE is the code of “Flyuan Armenia”, which operates the state plane from September 2023, and the number identifies the official taking advantage of the flight).

On March 22, when the president was scheduled to leave for Tbilisi, the Airbus A319 was not involved in other official flights (FIE4001 or FIE4003), according to online flight tracking platforms. But why Khachaturyan did not fly on the state plane is not clear.

Instead, the president was served by a Gulfstream G450 business jet owned by “Flyuan Armenia” LLC. The plane took off from Yerevan on the morning of the 22nd of the month at 9:06, landing in Tbilisi 30 minutes later.

The president and his entourage returned the same evening. The return flight lasted 32 minutes.

The G450’s flight history on Flightradar24.com suggests that it is mostly based at Zvartnots Airport in Yerevan. But it should be emphasized that the aircraft is not registered in RA, but in Romania as YR-SIL (YR is the national symbol of Romania, and SIL is on behalf of the company “SIL Capital” owned by the Sukiasyan family, which was a shareholder in “Flyuan Armenia” in 2022-2025). The aircraft is operated by FlyOne Romania, the Romanian sister company of Flyuan Armenia (both are part of the Moldovan Fly One airline network).

Free shipping or government purchase from former partners?

50% of “Flyuan Armenia” belongs to Eduard Sukiasyan, one of the brothers of Khachatur Sukiasyan, KP MP, 4% – to the general director of the company Aram Khachatryan, the remaining 46% – to the Moldavian Fly One airline. In other words, E. Sukiasyan is the largest owner of the airline.

On the other hand, Khachatur, Saribek and Eduard Sukiasyan own the control package of “Armeconombank” OJSC, 51.45%. And in 2022, Vahagn Khachaturyan, who was elected president by the National Assembly in 2019-2021. was a free member of the board of “Armeconombank” OJSC. Moreover, the head of the air carrier A. is a member of this council. Khachatryan, and the chairman of the board is Saribek Sukiasyan.

In other words, the country’s president was served by an aircraft belonging to a large business family, on the other hand, Khachaturyan is a former partner of the Sukiasyans in the banking business. How did this happen?

Two options are likely.

The first is the option of transporting the president for free or providing him with a free service, taking into account Khachaturyan’s connection with the Sukiasyans.

However, in this case, we face a legal ban, because the Law on “Public Service” prohibits public office holders, including the president of the country, from accepting gifts in connection with the performance of their official (service) duties. The concept of “gift” implies any property advantage, including a service provided free of charge or at an inadequately low price, or other actions, as a result of which a person receives a benefit or an advantage, and which is provided due to the fact that the person occupies a position.

The second option is to make a state purchase, that is, Khachaturyan’s staff purchased a transportation service at the expense of the state budget, which was provided by the Sukiasyans’ aircraft. But by what procedure was the purchase made? If the “one-person” (without tender) procedure was chosen, then on what legal basis and why was “Flyuan Armenia” or FlyOne Romania chosen (it is not clear with which of these the contract was signed, if, of course, the state procurement was carried out)?

Let’s emphasize that the fact that the president used the Sukiasyans’ business jet (regardless of whether it was free or for a fee) raises the question of whether there is no conflict of interest here.

The Law “On Public Service” states that a person holding a position must avoid a conflict of interest situation, refrain from taking action (inaction) or making a decision in such a situation.

And the conflict of interests is a situation when the private interests of the person holding a position (in this case, V. Khachaturyan) affect or can affect the impartial and objective performance of his official duties. Private interest includes any privilege, in particular, to those persons (in this case, Sukiasyans) or organizations with whom he has business, political or other business or personal relations.

Thus, if the transportation was free, then, in fact, we are dealing not only with violating the legal prohibition of accepting a gift, but also with a conflict of interests, because such a gift should affect the impartial and objective performance of the official duties of the president. And if the transportation was for a fee, from the point of view of the conflict of interests, the question arises as to why “Flyuan Armenia” (or FlyOne Romania) was chosen, whether that choice was not influenced by V. Khachaturyan’s personal and previous business relationship with the Sukiasyans.

Considering all this, we asked President Khachaturyan if he does not see a conflict of interest in the fact that, as a high-ranking RA official, he used the services provided by the plane owned by the Sukiasyans’ airline.

We were also interested in why he did not fly on the RA state aircraft, did the G450 provide the transportation service free of charge or for a fee, if it was for a fee, was a state purchase made and from whom, the Armenian “Flyuan Armenia” or the Romanian FlyOne Romania, by what procedure was the purchase made (it is assumed that it was a “one person” procedure – ed.). If the purchase was made from “one person”, what is its legal justification, and even then, why was the company directly (Flyuan Armenia) or indirectly (FlyOne Romania) related to the Sukiasians chosen? We asked you to tell us how much the transportation service contract was value.

How high-ranking officials “protect” themselves from journalists’ questions

In response to “Hetk” inquiry, the Public Relations Department of the President’s Office informed that according to the provisions of the Law on “Purchases”, the expenses of the RA President’s stay, food, transportation, transportation services are included in the procurement plan containing state secrets. Based on this, the president’s staff refused to answer Hetk’s questions.

The Law “On Purchases” defines: “The procurement plan containing state secrets includes the goods, works and services required for the provision of ceremonial expenses, accommodation, food and transportation services for officials (including the President of RA) provided for in Article 5, Part 2 of the Law “On Ensuring the Security of Persons Subject to Special State Protection” (emphasis is ours – ed.).

Our experience shows that this provision of the law adopted in December 2016 has become a way for high-ranking officials and their staffs to “protect” themselves from unwanted questions from journalists. In this sense, the current officials are effectively duplicating the experience of their predecessors.

In 2018, we wrote that the Gulfstream G650 type business jet belonging to businessman Samvel Karapetyan transported the delegation of Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan to Zurich in January of that year to participate in the Davos World Economic Forum. The government informed the press that no money was allocated from the state budget for the aircraft lease. Considering that businessman S. Karapetyan, then (2016-2018) Prime Minister K. Karapetyan is the friend and father-in-law, we had expressed doubt that the flight was made free of charge (that is, K. Karapetyan didn’t even pay from his own pocket), but in that case, the option of violating the Law on “Public Service” arose, because a public servant is prohibited from receiving services from other persons in connection with official duties.

The government did not answer our questions, that is, they did not deny the fact of the conflict of interests and violation of the law. They also did not say whether Prime Minister Karapetyan paid for the service from his own pocket, confirming our suspicion that the plane served his delegation for free.

Then, thanks to a tip from one of our readers, we found out that S. In July 2017, Karapetyan’s business jet transported President Serzh Sargsyan to Tehran to participate in the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected president of Iran.

When S. We asked Sargsyan’s staff whether payment was made from the state budget for the air transportation service, and we received the same answer as V. Khachaturyan’s staff.

Although the staffs of the former and current presidents have referred to the Law “On Purchases”, from which it can be assumed that the transportation service was purchased and not provided to the officials for free, in reality, one cannot be sure in this matter and claim that it was so, first of all, taking into account the relations between Serzh Sargsyan and Samvel Karapetyan, as well as Vahagn Khachaturyan and Sukiasyan.

When the president’s staff refers to the state secret and, being “protected” behind it, does not comment on the possible conflict of interests, it only strengthens the suspicions that at least a conflict of interests has occurred.

Refer to the law according to discretion and political situation

Our experience has also shown that referring to the above provision of the “Procurement” Law and not disclosing information about the use of private business jets can be done according to the discretion and political situation. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan did something similar. You can get acquainted with the details from the links presented below.

 

77 thousand dollars for the transportation of Mher Grigoryan’s delegation

On March 18, Prime Minister Pashinyan made a decision to send a delegation to Kazakhstan (Shimkend) headed by Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan. It included Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mnatsakan Safaryan, RA Ambassador to Kazakhstan Armen Ghevondyan, Deputy Minister of Economy Narek Hovakimyan, Deputy Chairman of the SRC Rafael Gevorgyan, Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister and Head of Protocol.

Pashinyan instructed his chief of staff Araik Harutyunyan to organize a flight. on March 26 – Yerevan-Shimkend, and on March 27 – via the Shimkend-Yerevan route.

Both on March 22 (the day of the president’s flight) and on March 26-27, the RA state Airbus A319, according to aviation platforms, was not involved in flights. However, in this case too, M. Grigoryan’s delegation was taken to Kazakhstan and brought back by Sukiasyan’s Gulfstream G450.

Since the Deputy Prime Minister is not an official subject to state protection, and the above-mentioned provision of the Law on “Purchases” on state secrets does not apply to him, we are the head of the Prime Minister’s Office A. We sent a request to Harutyunyan with the same content as to the president’s office, expecting a proper answer. But Armen Khachatryan, head of the information and public relations department of the staff, did not answer the following questions.

1. Why didn’t the RA delegation use the RA government plane, or why didn’t they purchase airline tickets from regular passenger airlines, but chose to use the services of a business class plane?

2. Before signing the contract, was a price comparison made between the service provided by this aircraft and the ticket prices of airlines performing regular passenger transportation?

3. If the purchase was made through the “one person” procedure, what is its legal justification, and even in that case, why was a contract signed with a company directly (Flyuan Armenia) or indirectly (FlyOne Romania) related to the family of a member of the ruling faction?

The Prime Minister’s Office informed that the payments stipulated in the contract were made under the article “expenses for foreign business trips”, within the framework of which the expenses are not entered into the armeps.am public procurement platform. Nevertheless, they sent us the contract signed between the Prime Minister’s office and “Flyuan Armenia” LLC on March 24.

Sukiasyan’s company undertook to transport 7 people from Yerevan to Shimkend, and from there to Yerevan, by business class Gulfstream G450.

The contract included airport service, catering, VIP service, aircraft operation services, including crew, fuel, maintenance, aeronautical, airport fees. The price of the contract is 28,600,000 drams (including taxes and duties), which at the current exchange rate of the Central Bank is equal to about 77,000 drams. dollar

The questions remain unanswered as to why the delegation of the Deputy Prime Minister did not leave with “regular” airline(s). There is no direct flight between Yerevan and Shimkend, but logically, transportation could be organized by connecting flights. That is why we asked the head of the Prime Minister’s office whether a price comparison was carried out. The lack of an answer to this raises new questions, such as why “Flyuan Armenia” of Khachatur Sukiasyan’s family was chosen as a member of the ruling team.

Vahe Sarukhanyan

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Siranush Sahakyan, head of the Center for International and Comparative Law, representative of the interests of Armenian prisoners at the ECHR, informed NEWS.am that he has information from Ruben Vardanyan’s family that he was transferred to the Umbak prison complex in Baku’s Gharadagh district.

The last statements of Mrs. Sahakyan and Ruben Vardanyan, addressed first to the human rights defenders of Azerbaijan and then to Armenia, were disturbing. Now that the activities of the Red Cross have been stopped and the judicial farce is over, from which at least from time to time photographs were published and one could make judgments based on their appearance, what information is there about the condition and conditions of detention of him and the other prisoners?

The situation is disturbing and worrying. I have information from Ruben Vardanyan’s family that he was transferred from the investigative detention center under the National Security Service to the penitentiary under the Ministry of Justice, the Umbak prison complex in the Gharadagh district of Baku. According to our information, other Armenian prisoners were also transferred to this facility.

Nothing is known about the conditions he and the other captives were held in the new facility. There is no transparency in this issue either, the guarantees established by the norms of international law are violated. in particular, they did not inform the family members in advance where and when they are moving and what changes will be made in terms of routine and calls. There is no reliable information about their health, access to medical care, basic living conditions. You know that since September of last year, at the request of the government of Azerbaijan, ICRC’s activities in that country were suspended, but once after that, in December of last year, the Geneva office of ICRC managed to visit and visit the Armenian prisoners. After that we don’t have any exact information about their condition.

I can only say that at the moment, phone calls with family members are kept, some information is transferred during these private conversations, but there is no structure that collects and records information through direct observation, condition, monitoring, and this creates an information vacuum.

Ruben Vardanyan also said that until now the verdict has not been provided in any language, which, in fact, hinders the appeal process. In this regard, do you have any news, if the judgments are not issued within the specified time, does it mean that they cannot apply even to, for example, the European Court?

The ECHR obliged Azerbaijan to provide the prisoners’ verdicts by August 31. This decision can be an incentive for providing these documents.

At the same time, this does not mean that Azerbaijan can block the way to international courts by not issuing verdicts. On the contrary, in such a situation, we can record that the domestic legal measures do not work effectively, and in such conditions, the calculation of the deadlines for applying to the ECHR starts from the moment of the actual receipt of judicial acts.

It should be noted that at the moment the ECHR has become an important link, because some documents, including those concerning the health condition of the prisoners, are obtained thanks to the court’s activities. As is known, Azerbaijan submitted such information to the court back in January, but in February presented a new motion, asking the ECHR to eliminate the measures of security applied to Armenian prisoners and to stop the obligation to submit reports.

We have submitted a position regarding this petition, arguing that the immediate threats to the lives and health of the captives continue to exist. Moreover, the lack of information itself is a cause for serious concern and can be considered as a circumstance involving the risk of torture. In such circumstances, the continued involvement of the ECHR remains crucial.

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Gagik Tsarukyan stated that in recent weeks he visited the villages of different marzes and shared his impressions.

1. People want widespread changes. There are problems accumulated over the years. no one tries to solve it, or talk to people, or offer a solution.

2. 80-90 percent of problems will be solved in a very short time in case of proper management. You just need to understand the problem and find the right solution.

3. We have a brilliant people: hardworking, honest, really proud. People are broken by a difficult life, people are disappointed that there is no one who can solve their problems.

4. The villager was left alone with his problems. This is unacceptable.

People raise new questions during conversations, which must be included in our programs.

You know that the pre-election program of the Prosperous Armenia party is called “Offer to Armenia”. This program is not written in closed rooms and we say: this is it, but the opposite: we go to the people, we go to villages, cities, we listen to people’s worries, problems, and also the suggestions for solutions, and then the specialists bring it all together, present their solutions in the program.

Now the people have asked me to pay attention to several issues.

a. Loans. people should be helped. There isn’t a family that doesn’t have loans, the interest of which is paid for years, but the principal amount doesn’t even arrive. This issue should be resolved, after all, the banks should serve our citizens, not the citizens – the banks.

b. People are very worried about the fate of consumption of agricultural products. They are talking in the city offices, filming, collecting political points, but the peasant is worried about what will happen to his crop in case of possible problems with the EATM. They took those loans for so many years, planted a garden, set up a greenhouse, now they have started to harvest, and there is a fear in people’s hearts that if political problems start, the peasants will be the first to suffer. That was one of the first questions I asked in every village I entered.

c. The point system of fines for taxi drivers. It is not right to define the same scoring system for everyone. A person drives a taxi from morning to night, maintains his house with righteous sweat, we put that person in a desperate situation for a violation of a lie. How can it be so? The point system of taxi drivers and those who just go to work from home cannot be the same.

d. The next problem, which is particularly acute in Yerevan. the property tax problem. It is a dishonest law, it cannot be done like this. The law must be changed. Our team will come up with a specific proposal.

We will continue to visit villages, cities, yards, houses, we will talk to people, listen, formulate the problems, together we will write our offer to Armenia.

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“HayaVote” national civil association appealed to the member states of the European Union to reconsider their participation in the 8th European Political Community Summit to be held in Yerevan and to postpone it. We learn about this from the “HayaKvei” Facebook page.

“International cooperation and dialogue are important, but this summit, which will immediately precede the next parliamentary elections in RA in June, contains elements of direct political support to the current authorities, especially to RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Such an approach will create unequal conditions for other political forces operating in Armenia and undermine the principles of fair democratic competition,” the letter-call says.

“HayaQue” emphasized that RA is currently facing deep internal polarization and serious external security challenges, therefore international actors should avoid direct interference in maintaining internal political balance. According to HayaKve, any step aimed at strengthening the current government can endanger the country’s strategic vulnerability, especially in the context of Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem pressures.

The civil association also called to consider the possibility of postponing participation in the summit scheduled for May 4. They proposed to organize the summit and participate in it after the parliamentary elections, when the newly elected parliament will be formed.

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The Ministry of Economy clarifies that as a result of the accumulations at the Lars checkpoint, liquid gas supplies have been somewhat disrupted, but it is not a complete deficit. the situation is under control and steps are being taken to restore normal supplies.

Regarding liquid gas supply

Հարց․ Is there a shortage of liquefied gas in Armenia?

Answer:. Due to the congestion at the Lars checkpoint and temporary logistical difficulties, the entry of some trucks transporting liquid gas into Armenia was delayed, which affected the normal rhythm of supplies in the market. We are not talking about a complete shortage, but temporary supply interruptions are possible at individual filling stations.

Հարց․ What is the Government doing?

Պատասխան․ The responsible state bodies are in constant contact with the importing companies and partner structures in order to resolve the situation as quickly as possible and to restore the normal supply to the market.

Հարց․ Is there a risk of price increase?

Պատասխան․ Prices can be affected not only by logistical difficulties, but also by fluctuations in the international market caused by regional developments. At the same time, the market is under surveillance, and the relevant authorities are monitoring the situation to exclude unreasonable inflation and possible speculative manifestations.

Հարց․ What should citizens do?

Պատասխան․ We urge citizens not to make panic purchases and follow only official information. The works aimed at regulating the situation are in progress.

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On April 27, a meeting of heads of RA diplomatic missions accredited in countries and organizations of the European region was held in Paris under the leadership of RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan. This was reported by the RA MFA.

Minister Mirzoyan stated in his opening speech. “The last time we all met, of course with a larger group, at the end of August, after which a lot of events took place, especially in the European world and in the relations of the Republic of Armenia with the European Union and individual countries. Strategic cooperation with many countries is being discussed. In a week, we will also see the signing of the long-negotiated document with France.

Before this, in recent months, of course, this has already happened with some countries, for example, with Germany. Of course, the names differ slightly from document to document. in one case it is a confirmation of strategic partnership, in another case it is a strategic partnership agenda. For example, we signed the “Strategic Partnership Agenda” with the European Union and so on.”

Minister Mirzoyan referred to the high-level events to be held in Yerevan on May 4-6, the European Political Community and RA-EU summits and the “Yerevan Dialogue” event.

Vahan Kostanyan, the deputy minister coordinating relations with European countries, referred to the main agenda of the CIS and RA-EU summits, the documents to be signed.

General Secretary of the Foreign Ministry Davit Karapetyan referred to the preparations for the “Yerevan Dialogue” and the main directions of the discussions.

During the meeting of ambassadors, the works, current programs and prospects for deepening the RA-EU partnership, bilateral cooperation with European countries were discussed.

Minister Mirzoyan presented the implementation process of regional interconnection projects with the participation of Armenia, the works being carried out with international partners in the direction of the development of the economic and transport infrastructure network.

Reference was made to the processes of normalization and development of relations with neighbors, including the steps towards the institutionalization of the peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Thoughts were exchanged on regional and international developments, existing challenges.

Initiatives aimed at improving the diplomatic service were also discussed during the discussion, as well as the proposed amendments to the RA Law “On Diplomatic Service”.

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