April 30, 2026
On April 29, with the article “Is Anna Vardapetyan saving the director of the NSS or did she resort to “innocent manipulation”?” article: have published, which you don’t know why, caused “commotion” in the General Prosecutor’s Office, when it is based on dry facts, and we only tried to show that mentioning the cases recorded in the border guard troops under the National Security Service among the number of deaths recorded in the RA Armed Forces or in the context is misleading and manipulative.
And today, on April 30, during the briefing organized after the Government session, Nikol Pashinyan, referring to the service of the border guards, said the following wording did
“I am the prime minister of the Republic of Armenia, but I may not know if there is a question about how the border guard of the Republic of Armenia performs his service, with what logic, because it is a matter of my agenda. no”.
Let’s remind that the Border Guard troops are under the National Security Service, and the Security Service is directly subordinated to Nikol Pashinyan.
In particular, attached to Nikol Pashinyan’s decision of June 28, 2018 on approving the RA NSS statute and structure հավելվածի՝ In the section related to NSS administration and management, it is stated that “The National Security Service is managed by the Prime Minister.” And the director of the National Security Service “manages the organizations and institutions assigned to the national security service”.
In other words, how the border guard will serve, what will happen in the border guard troops, both Nikol Pashinyan and NSS director Andranik Simonyan, and of course the NSS border guard troops commander, are responsible here. Now, when Nikol Pashinyan, who a few days ago, again with pride declared that in the demarcated part of Tavush Marz, the border guard troops of Armenia and Azerbaijan carry out their service without helmets, without body armor, and with rifle magazines not on rifles, but in bags.
Can we say that Nikol Pashinyan puts all the responsibility in this case on the director of the NSS? And in the event that, during the question-and-answer session with journalists, he stated that Armenian border guards will be stationed in the border areas with Iran and Turkey step by step, along with the strengthening of the state’s capabilities.
“According to the agreement signed with Russia in the early 1990s, it is envisaged that along with the capacity of the RA border guard troops, we should take the border under the control of our border guard troops. We also make payments to the Russian border guards for guarding the border. It happened in the past when the Russian partners raised the issue of increasing these amounts, because these amounts are not enough to provide that service.
We also calculate that there is a topic of increasing these funds, we can spend them on developing our border guard capabilities, and little by little, as much as we have the opportunity, the Russian partners will fit in the amount, which is not too difficult for us to pay, and we will take over the control of the remaining parts of the border. This is provided for in the contract,” Pashinyan elaborated.
It should be noted that the Armenian border guards have already replaced the Russian border guards on the border with Turkey At the “Akhurik” checkpoint. The same practice also applies to those on the border with Iran At the “Agarak” checkpoint.
Armenia-Turkey state border from February this year “Prophet” the border service at the crossing point is also carried out exclusively by the forces of the RA border guard troops.
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RFE/RL – Pashinian On Defensive Over Baku’s Demands For ‘Return Of West Azeri
- Ruzanna Stepanian
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian rejected on Thursday renewed opposition claims that he will make further concessions to Azerbaijan and, in particular, allow a mass influx of Azerbaijanis into Armenia in case of winning of the upcoming parliamentary elections.
At least two of Pashinian’s main election challengers are seizing upon Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s repeated demands for Yerevan to ensure the return of Azerbaijanis who lived in Soviet Armenia until the late 1980s. Baku has said that as many as 300,000 Azerbaijanis must now be allowed to settle in Armenia.
That is essential for ending the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, Aliyev said in December two days after Pashinian again declared that peace has already been established between Armenia and Azerbaijan as a result of their U.S.-brokered agreements reached in Washington in August.
“The issue of the return of West Azerbaijanis will not be removed from Azerbaijan’s agenda until it is resolved,” Aliyev declared last June.
Armenian opposition groups claim that having already made major unilateral concessions to Baku, Pashinian would bow to these demands as well. The issue is used by two of those groups led by businessmen Samvel Karapetian and Gagik Tsarukian as a key line of pre-election attack on the ruling Civil Contract party.
“We will make Armenia the homeland of 10 million Armenians [around the world,] while Pashinian wants to make it the homeland of 3 million Armenians and 300,000 Azerbaijanis,” Karapetian told journalists on Wednesday.
Tsarukian also makes such claims during his pre-election meetings in various parts of the country.
“They [the Armenian government] have raised the property tax,” he said earlier this week. “Are they suggesting that people sell their houses and leave so that those 300,000 Azerbaijanis come, buy them and stay here?”
Pashinian dismissed the opposition allegations as “cheap political speculation.” He hit out at Karapetian whose Strong Armenia bloc is emerging as Civil Contract’s main challenger in the June 7 elections.
“I’m 100 percent sure that the oligarch [from the Russian city of] Kaluga doesn’t understand what he’s saying and why he’s saying it,” he told a news briefing in Yerevan. “He is saying what he is instructed to say.”
The allegations picked up by some media outlets intensified on Wednesday as an Azerbaijani government delegation led by Armenian-born Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev visited Armenia for further talks on the demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and establishment of bilateral commercial ties. Pashinian insisted that Aliyev’s demands for the “return of West Azerbaijanis” were not on the agenda of the talks.
“We have never discussed and are not discussing such an issue with Azerbaijan,” he said. “We are also not discussing with Azerbaijan the issue of the return of Armenians from Karabakh and Baku because discussions in both directions have a provocative effect on the current political situation and can inflame one another.”
Former President Robert Kocharian, who leads another major opposition group running in the elections, rejected this week Pashinian’s parallels between Aliyev’s demands and the Karabakh Armenians’ right to return to their homeland recaptured by Baku in 2023.
“The Artsakh issue is a totally different topic because Artsakh had a status in Soviet times and Artsakh’s self-determination was entirely within the framework of internationally accepted principles,” argued Kocharian.
Even before the unfolding election campaign, Armenian opposition leaders maintained that Baku will continue to make more demands on Yerevan despite unilateral concessions already made by Pashinian. They claimed that Aliyev’s ultimate goal is to end Armenia’s existence as a viable state.
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Armenia records fewer crimes and higher clearance rate in 2025, says Prosecuto
Armenia saw fewer crimes and a higher clearance rate in 2025, according to official data presented by Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan.
Prosecutor General Vardapetyan presented the figures at a parliamentary committee hearing on her annual report.
Citing data from the Crime Statistics and Analysis Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, she said that 40,722 crimes were recorded in Armenia in 2025, compared to 42,057 cases in 2024.
She noted that the number of crimes decreased by 1,335, or 3.2%, over the year. Of the recorded crimes, 18,857 were committed in Yerevan (19,877 in 2024).
The Prosecutor General also said that the crime clearance rate increased.
“In 2025, the clearance rate stood at 29.7%, compared to 22.8% in 2024,” Vardapetyan said at a session of the Parliamentary Committee on State and Legal Affairs, emphasizing that the increase amounted to 6.9 percentage points.
According to her, the overwhelming majority of crimes continue to be minor and medium-severity offenses.
“Of the 40,722 recorded crimes, the absolute majority—82.6%—are minor (20,041 cases, or 49.2%) and medium-severity (13,585 cases, or 33.4%) crimes,” Vardapetyan said.
The Prosecutor General also added that, compared to 2024, the share of serious and most serious offences has decreased from 18.3% to 17.4%, a decline of 0.9 percentage points.
Published by Armenpress, original at
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A major scheme of drug sales through Telegram and crypto accounts has been revealed
The preliminary investigation of 3 criminal proceedings initiated in connection with the cases of illegal sale of drugs and money laundering in particularly large amounts in the investigation department of human trafficking, sexual integrity of minors and illegal drug trafficking crimes of the RA Investigative Committee’s main department for the investigation of particularly important cases has been completed.
“During the preliminary investigation of the criminal proceedings, it was found that H.E., H.M. and D.H. illegally acquired various types of narcotic drugs in particularly large sizes in order to sell them, ensure their separation by weight, packaging and pre-installation in hiding places, after which the locations of the narcotics were photographed, the geographic coordinates of their locations were marked using the software application and “Telegram” controlled by the criminals. through a number of other online shops-platforms engaged in drug trafficking, identified in the telecommunication application under different names, drugs were transferred into the hands of persons who expressed a desire to bring and transferred funds in the corresponding amount to the cryptocurrency accounts actually managed by the accomplices.
Then, in order to hide the criminal origin and true nature of the property obtained from criminal activities – in one case – 583 thousand 303 AMD, in the other case – 19 million 420 thousand 703 AMD, and in the third case – in particularly large amounts – 93 million 890 thousand 436 AMD, and to hide the movement and allocation of financial funds obtained through criminal means, various electronic documents were transferred. accounts, converted, and cashed or otherwise disposed of by HE, HM and DH.
A public criminal prosecution was initiated against the latter for illegal sale of drugs and money laundering in large quantities.
The criminal proceedings were sent to the supervising prosecutor with an indictment,” said the report of the Investigative Committee.
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Passports with the image of Donald Trump will be issued in the USA
The US Department of State is preparing a limited series of passports with the image of US President Donald Trump dedicated to the 250th anniversary of US independence. This is reported by Fox News.
On the mock-up of the passport, a copy of which appeared at the disposal of the TV channel, on the inner side of the document, Trump’s portrait is surrounded by the text of the Declaration of Independence and the US flag. On the other page is the painting “Declaration of Independence” by the American artist John Trumbull, which depicts the founding fathers of America.
A representative of the State Department said that the new copies will be available to “any American citizen” who applies for a passport. The release of the series is expected to coincide with the country’s 250th anniversary in July.
It also notes that the passport promotion is part of the Trump administration’s massive “America 250” celebration, which also includes a Grand Prix race on the National Mall and a UFC fight on the White House lawn.
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The Minister of Finance of the Republic of Armenia received the new permanent representative of the IMF
RA Minister of Finance Vahe Hovhannisyan received the newly appointed permanent representative of the International Monetary Fund in Armenia Natalia Nowta. RA Ministry of Finance informs about it.
Minister Hovhannisyan congratulated Ms. Nowta on assuming the position, expressing confidence that further cooperation will be effective and mutually beneficial. He also expressed special thanks to IMF Permanent Representative Umang Rawat for his dedication and consistent partnership during his tenure.
During the meeting, the parties emphasized the successful completion of the first summary review within the framework of the “Stand-By Arrangement” implemented with the support of the IMF, as well as the agreement reached on economic policies. The progress of the implementation of the structural benchmarks provided by the program was also emphasized, and the further expansion of the IMF’s technical support was highlighted.
The parties reaffirmed their willingness to continue and deepen effective and constructive cooperation.
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The delegation headed by the Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan is in Aghveran
Shahin Mustafayev, the Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan who arrived in Armenia today, and the delegation led by him are in Aghveran. 24News writes about this, referring to its sources.
Earlier, the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the information circulating in the mass media that the delegation headed by the Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan is in Armenia.
“A delegation of Azerbaijan headed by Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev has arrived in Armenia. An additional press release will be issued,” the MFA said.
Shahin Mustafaev is the chairman of the state commission for the delimitation of the state border between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
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Is Anna Vardapetyan saving the director of the NSS or did she resort to “innocent manipulation”?
April 29, 2026
On April 29, Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan presented to the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs the 2025 plan of the Prosecutor General’s Office of RA. about the activity the program.
In this context, he also referred to the cases recorded in the power structures.
“2025 It was recorded in the military units of the RA Armed Forces and other troops 2248 cases. Of the recorded cases 1027or 45 percent They are accidents, in other words, not crimes 1221or 54.3 percentcrimes, including: 687or 56,3 տոկոսը՝ military, 534or 43,7 percent: other crimes. Compared to 2024, accidents have increased with 265 or 34 percent, crimes are down 110with or 8,3 in percent. At the same time, general crimes have decreased with 82 or 13 percent, and the cases of military crimes with 28 or 3,9 percent,” Anna Vardapetyan elaborated, stressing that, in particular, no murder case was recorded in the RA Armed Forces in 2025.
Then Vardapetyan decided to present separately the 2025 Service-related deaths recorded in the RA Armed Forces, but intentionally or accidentally, among them, he also mentioned the cases registered in the Border Guard troops, although the Border Guard troops are under the National Security Service, and the Security Service is directly subordinated to Nikol Pashinyan.
“2025 The following cases of service-related deaths of servicemen in the RA Armed Forces were recorded: 6 conscripts, 2 conscripts of the border guard troops and 1 militia, i.e. total service-related deaths 9 cases: 2024 compared to 27 cases.
The service-related deaths are as follows: 4 cases of negligent suicide, 1 case of military official negligence, 1 case of causing death due to failure or improper performance of professional duty by a medical worker, 1 case of lightning strike, 2 cases of illness. 2025 during the service-related deaths of servicemen decreased by 18 or 66 percent.” Anna Vardapetyan listed.
In other words, the General Prosecutor presents the cases of death of conscripts in the border guard troops of the National Security Service among the cases registered in the RA Armed Forces, while in this case, the responsible is the director of the Security Service of the National Security Service and Nikol Pashinyan, to whom Andranik Simonyan is directly subordinate.
168.amin 2025 on July 26 «Another case of suicide of a conscript soldier was registered again in the military unit of the structure directly subordinate to Pashinyan. who is to blame with the text in the article referred to 2025 on April 25, one of the divisions of the border guard troops of the RA NSS of Syunik marz death of a conscript soldier in case the second case was recorded in July of the same year. Both cases were suicides.
As for the army, RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan in 2026. in January had announced that in 2025 had a service-related death 6 cases, of which 1 of lightning, 1 for electrocution, 2-ը՝ suicide All 2due to health problems.
“In the period from January 1 to December 31, 2025, 30 servicemen died, but this does not mean that all 30 deaths are victims. It is also about biological deaths. And 24 are the cases of death in circumstances unrelated to the service, including from diseases, various accidents, at home, due to conditions of traffic violations, due to accidents. I call on my fellow MPs and politicians not to become a vehicle for death and mourning, that is not a good thing,” Papikyan elaborated.
Let’s return to Anna Vardapetyan and remind that in the army in 2023 he too in connection with the related cases errors allowed, this time a number different from the official number of the Ministry of Defense was given. And this was personally acknowledged by the Prosecutor’s Office 54instead of was noted 22: And right here, let’s go back to what the Attorney General mentioned 27 to the number
2025 In April, Anna Vardapetyan, referring to the events in the army, had noted.
“2024 During this period, 27 cases of death of servicemen were recorded in the RA Armed Forces due to circumstances related to servicemen’s service. Let me remind you that the number in 2023 was double: 54 cases.
By the way, 2023 of the RA government program (2021-2026) about the execution process and results in the report is noted. “During 2023, 19 people died in the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia in combat conditions, and in non-combat conditions: 64 soldier”.
And now, how the Prosecutor’s Office perceives Anna Vardapetyan’s mistakes, confusing wording, or whether or not they will admit that it can lead to manipulation, is their problem. We only present the facts, only the facts.
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Azerbaijani media reports Deputy PM Mustafayev’s arrival in Yerevan — Updated
Azerbaijani media reported on Wednesday that Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev has arrived in the Armenian capital, Yerevan.
According to the reports, the plane carrying Mustafayev and his delegation landed at Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport on Wednesday morning.
Other details were not immediately clear.
Asked to comment, the Armenian Foreign Ministry confirmed to Armenpress that the Azerbaijani delegation led by Mustafayev has arrived in Yerevan, but noted that additional information will be released later.
Update: This article has been updated with additional information from the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirming the visit.
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Armenpress: Armenian, Azerbaijani deputy prime ministers discuss issues of mut
Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Mher Grigoryan and Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev exchanged views on issues of mutual interest in Aghveran, Armenia.
This was reported by Armenia’s Foreign Ministry.
It was noted that the transit of cargo to the Republic of Armenia through the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan is being successfully carried out and is currently ongoing. It was noted with satisfaction that Azerbaijan is supplying petroleum products to Armenia, which indicates the formation of trade and economic ties between the two countries.
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