March: 27, 2026
“LUYS” Foundation analyzed the socio-economic developments of the RA economy in 2026. in January-February.
Thus.
- 2026 the high economic growth rate is maintained, mainly due to the growth of the mining industry. The current year started with a relatively high economic activity index, the pace of which slowed down slightly in February. In February, RA’s economic activity index (TAC) was 7.2%, slowing down by 0.4 percentage points compared to January. The TAC of January-February was 7.4%, to which the industry sector had the biggest positive contribution, which in turn was caused mainly by the growth of the mining industry. Services, trade and construction sectors also contributed positively to the TAC.
- The indicators of export and import have been restored. After the decline recorded in January, both export and import volumes recovered sharply in February, increasing by 37.6% and 26.9%, respectively. Although the structural data of February’s foreign trade have not yet been published, the analysis of January’s indicators allows us to assume that the increase in exports is mainly due to the activation of exports of mining products.
- State budget revenues and expenditures are increasing, but capital expenditures are decreasing. 2026 In January-February, both revenues and expenses of the state budget increased. At the same time, capital expenditures have decreased significantly by 58.8%. Such a sharp decline in capital expenditures is worrisome given their importance to long-term economic growth and infrastructural development.
- The rate of inflation has started to accelerate. Inflation rate in 2026 in February it was 4.3%, accelerating by 0.5 percentage points compared to January. In those circumstances, however, the central bank did not revise the refinancing rate during March, maintaining it at the level of 6.5%.
The full analysis is available at this link:
“LUYS” Foundation
—
Public criminal prosecution will not be initiated against Armine Ohanyan. Prosecution
Public criminal prosecution will not be initiated against Armine Ohanyan, editor-in-chief of “Hraparak” daily. This was reported by the RA General Prosecutor’s Office.
“On March 23, 2026, the Prosecutor’s Office made a decision not to initiate a public criminal prosecution against A.O. in accordance with Article 12, Part 1, Clause 1 of the RA Criminal Procedure Code,” the prosecutor’s office noted.
To remind, on March 17, Armine Ohanyan was summoned to the CC as a witness.
Criminal proceedings were initiated under Article 330, Part 2, Clause 3 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (public calls to commit violence, publicly justifying or advocating violence, as well as disseminating materials or objects for this purpose using publicly displayed works, mass media, or information or communication technologies).
—
At Fresno ARF Day Benefactor Alice Gureghian Bequeaths Additional Portion of H
105th Anniversary of Soghomon Tehlirian’s Heroism Marked
The Fresno community turned to mark the 135th anniversary of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation on March 14 organized by the ARF Soghomon Tehlirian chapter. The event held at the Garo and Alice Gureghian Armenian Cultural Center.
A surprise announcement by benefactor Alice Gureghian, who pledged to bequeath additional funds from her estate to the Fresno’s Armenian Cultural Foundation to ensure the maintenance and upkeep of the center that is named after her and her husband.
The Fresno ACF extended its utmost gratitude to Gureghian for her unwavering support of the organization and the center, which serves as vibrant hub for the community.
Garo Gureghian, who is the son of late Asbarez Editor Melik Shah, and his wife Alice announced a donation of $300,000 to the ACF Fresno Center in 2014.
A capacity crowd of more than 400 community members gathered in 2017 for the grand re-opening of the Fresno Armenian Center, which was rechristened that day as the Garo and Alice Gureghian Armenian Cultural Center.
Screenshot
Mr. and Mrs. Gureghian were on hand and ushered community leaders in the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which kicked off the evening’s festivities to celebrate this milestone.
A year after their generous donation, in 2015, the ACF honored Mr. & Mrs. Garo and Alice Gureghian during their annual gala, citing their unwavering and decades-long support of the organization and its mission to advance the aspirations of the Armenian people.
The ARF Day Celebration on March 14, under the banner of “Honoring Our Legacy,” not only brought together the Fresno community, but became a success due the attendance of community and ARF members from the Bay Area and Los Angeles.
The evening’s program began with Master of Ceremonies Nshan Der Kalousdian who highlighted the role the ARF has, and continues to play, in our modern Armenian history, as well as the Fresno Armenian community.
Der Kalousdian also introduced other guests, among them former Western Prelate Archbishop Torkom Donoyan.
Van Boghossian relayed the ARF Soghomon Tehlirian chapter’s message, after which the chapter president, Raffy Chekherdemian introduced a special video tribute to all Fresno ARF members who had passed away during the past more than 40 years.
DJ Raffy and Hratch Gaydzagian provided the evening’s entertainment.
A day after the event, on March 15, a special Requiem Service was held at the On the Holy Trinity Armenian Church in memory of great National Hero, Soghomon Tehlirian, marking the 105th anniversary of his heroic fete to bring justice for the Armenian Genocide.
Following the church services, Fresno parish priest Very Reverend Ashod Khachadourian led a memorial service at the Soghomon Tehlirian Monument that is located at the Masis Ararat Armenian Cemetery.
The event began with the Homenetmen Fresno Sassoon Chapter scouts marching toward the monument and laying a wreath. A brief program, once again, was led by Der Kalousdian, who invited Boghossian to present a message on behalf of the ARF Soghom Tehlirian chapter.
Zvart Boghossian recited a moving poem marking the occasion, following which the attendees sang the traditional ode “Verkerov Lee” in remembrance of Soghomon Tehlirian. Following the recitation, Armenian Youth Federation Kevork Chavoush Chapter Chairman Berj Karamanlian presented remarks on behalf of the youth.
“The success of this weekend was not the ARF Soghomon Tehlirian Gomideh of Fresno alone, it was a success for the Region since so many from all over came together to support and show respect to our Martyrs. We also extend many thanks to Archishop Torkom Donoyan and Mrs. Alice Gureghian for attending the event,” said Chekherdemian, the ARF chapter chairperson.105th Anniversary of Soghomon Tehlirian’s Heroism Marked
The Fresno community turned to mark the 135th anniversary of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation on March 14 organized by the ARF Soghomon Tehlirian chapter. The event held at the Garo and Alice Gureghian Armenian Cultural Center.
A surprise announcement by benefactor Alice Gureghian, who pledged to bequeath additional funds from her estate to the Fresno’s Armenian Cultural Foundation to ensure the maintenance and upkeep of the center that is named after her and her husband.
The Fresno ACF extended its utmost gratitude to Gureghian for her unwavering support of the organization and the center, which serves as vibrant hub for the community.
Garo Gureghian, who is the son of late Asbarez Editor Melik Shah, and his wife Alice announced a donation of $300,000 to the ACF Fresno Center in 2014.
A capacity crowd of more than 400 community members gathered in 2017 for the grand re-opening of the Fresno Armenian Center, which was rechristened that day as the Garo and Alice Gureghian Armenian Cultural Center.
Screenshot
Mr. and Mrs. Gureghian were on hand and ushered community leaders in the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which kicked off the evening’s festivities to celebrate this milestone.
A year after their generous donation, in 2015, the ACF honored Mr. & Mrs. Garo and Alice Gureghian during their annual gala, citing their unwavering and decades-long support of the organization and its mission to advance the aspirations of the Armenian people.
The ARF Day Celebration on March 14, under the banner of “Honoring Our Legacy,” not only brought together the Fresno community, but became a success due the attendance of community and ARF members from the Bay Area and Los Angeles.
The evening’s program began with Master of Ceremonies Nshan Der Kalousdian who highlighted the role the ARF has, and continues to play, in our modern Armenian history, as well as the Fresno Armenian community.
Der Kalousdian also introduced other guests, among them former Western Prelate Archbishop Torkom Donoyan.
Van Boghossian relayed the ARF Soghomon Tehlirian chapter’s message, after which the chapter president, Raffy Chekherdemian introduced a special video tribute to all Fresno ARF members who had passed away during the past more than 40 years.
DJ Raffy and Hratch Gaydzagian provided the evening’s entertainment.
A day after the event, on March 15, a special Requiem Service was held at the On the Holy Trinity Armenian Church in memory of great National Hero, Soghomon Tehlirian, marking the 105th anniversary of his heroic fete to bring justice for the Armenian Genocide.
Following the church services, Fresno parish priest Very Reverend Ashod Khachadourian led a memorial service at the Soghomon Tehlirian Monument that is located at the Masis Ararat Armenian Cemetery.
The event began with the Homenetmen Fresno Sassoon Chapter scouts marching toward the monument and laying a wreath. A brief program, once again, was led by Der Kalousdian, who invited Boghossian to present a message on behalf of the ARF Soghom Tehlirian chapter.
Zvart Boghossian recited a moving poem marking the occasion, following which the attendees sang the traditional ode “Verkerov Lee” in remembrance of Soghomon Tehlirian. Following the recitation, Armenian Youth Federation Kevork Chavoush Chapter Chairman Berj Karamanlian presented remarks on behalf of the youth.
“The success of this weekend was not the ARF Soghomon Tehlirian Gomideh of Fresno alone, it was a success for the Region since so many from all over came together to support and show respect to our Martyrs. We also extend many thanks to Archishop Torkom Donoyan and Mrs. Alice Gureghian for attending the event,” said Chekherdemian, the ARF chapter chairperson.
—
The June 7 election will be a choice between peace and possible war: Civil Con
He noted that this is the current reality: if people say they intend to make territorial claims beyond the borders of Armenia, this is called war.
“Call it whatever you want, but that is what it is. Am I to blame that Robert Kocharyan speaks about it? Am I to blame that other political forces are moving in that direction? I say the following: people, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, unresolved border issues were left everywhere – in Central Asia, in Ukraine, and in our region. And we were told: you who live in Armenia should always dream that your home is not only here, but also there, and we will take care of you – so that we always remain dependent on them.
And yes, there is a party of war, and there is a party of peace, and the June 7, 2026 election will be about choosing between peace and possible war,” added the Speaker of Parliament.
—
MP visits Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan in prison, calls for his release
Opposition lawmaker Tigran Abrahamyan has visited Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the leader of the Holy Struggle movement, at the Yerevan-Kentron Penitentiary.
“Archbishop Bagrat has been detained for approximately nine months, and the case brought against him and the movement’s activists has long since fallen apart,” he wrote on Facebook on Monday.
“From the outset, this case was built on falsifications, defamation and political directives, and it has no legal basis or prospect of success.
“Freedom to Archbishop Bagrat and all others facing political persecution,” Abrahamyan added.
—
Armenia’s cultural scene expands as rising demand drives up prices
—
Aliyev’s man, the guarantor of keeping Armenia on the bottom
Imagine a situation when someone in your neighborhood has told you very directly to your face for years that he will come to solve your and your brother’s issues, he said it is not enough, and he has also regularly shown that he is preparing for it. He buys weapons, trains, comes and scouts the location of your house and your yard.
In short, you have put your hope on the neighboring “good guys” that if they come, they will stand behind you, there will be no one to say anything to you and your brother. One day they come after you, no “good guy” comes from the side yard, instead he silently watches how they solve your problems. During this fight, your brother is seriously injured or we can say killed, and you are also plastered on the floor. Now after that the murderer says: look, I’ll come after you too, if I don’t see you suddenly, get up, you’ll be plastered on the floor, you’ll stay like that, one thing: I’ll solve your questions. During that time, distant neighbors and friends come and say: come, let’s help you get up from the floor, exercise a little, get stronger, we can stand on your back for a while, you will come to your senses. Instead, you say no, you start worshiping your brother’s killer, justifying him, telling all the policemen that he did the right thing, I never had a brother like him, I was wrong to think about a healthy life. You become his henchman, you don’t want to get up in any way, you start to make it normal and pleasant to be lying on the floor. Then, when people come with the goal of training, getting stronger, and self-defense, you say, “Why, you have to stay down.”
Aliyev’s man, the supreme “mutilovshik”, is the guarantor of keeping Armenia on the ground, so whoever comes, good or not so good, but puts forward any idea to get up from the ground, is aggressive, gets to the point.
The man who came in 2018 with unprecedented popular support, in the last eight years brought three wars, actual genocide, brought upon us Aliyev’s concept of aggression, brought humiliation and humiliation, agreed to become Aliyev’s man, alone, to stay in power and ensure that Armenia remains at the bottom. It won’t work. Armenia will stand up, even if alone, precisely because the enemy has directly said to its front that it will come from behind, and this time it is necessary to prevent that fateful day by being strong, not relying on the neighboring “good guys” or the enemy’s non-existent goodwill…
Azerbaijani scholar Tatevik Hayrapetyan
—
Armenian Church Rejects Pashinian’s Latest Attacks
The Armenian Apostolic Church on Friday rejected Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s new accusations voiced in the European Parliament amid his continuing attempts to depose its supreme head, Catholicos Garegin II.
Addressing the European Union’s legislative body on Wednesday, Pashinian claimed that the church’s top clergy is leading a “party of war” that comprises Armenia’s main opposition groups and is keen to reignite the conflict with Azerbaijan. He accused it of collaborating with “foreign special services” not named by him.
The church’s Supreme Spiritual Council dismissed the allegations as “fabricated” and “unacceptable” at the end of a four-day session held in Echmiadzin. In a statement, it said they are aimed justifying the Armenian authorities’ “illegal actions against the Church” and “further repressions” planned by them.
Pashinian began pressuring Garegin to resign last June shortly after the Catholicos accused Azerbaijan of committing ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and illegally occupying Armenian border areas during an international conference in Switzerland. Three archbishops and one bishop were arrested in the following months on different charges strongly denied by them. Three of them have been moved to house arrest in recent weeks.
Earlier this year, law-enforcement authorities also indicted Garegin himself as well as six other clergymen. They were banned from leaving the country to attend an emergency episcopal conference held in Austria last month.
Pashinian defended the crackdown in his speech at the European Parliament. His domestic critics say it violates Armenia’s constitution and laws guaranteeing the ancient church’s separation from the state.
Pashinian has used different lines of attack on the church during his nearly yearlong campaign. He said until December that Garegin and other top clerics at odds with him must go because they had secret sex affairs in breach of their vows of celibacy. He then began accusing them of spying for a foreign country, presumably Russia.
Last month, Pashinian turned on eight prominent members of the Armenian communities in the United States and Europe who condemned his “attacks” on the church. He claimed that they want to remove the seat of the Catholicos from Armenia and seize church treasures kept in Echmiadzin.
—
EU says Armenia ‘successfully’ implementing visa liberalisation plan
The EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, has said that Armenia was ‘successfully and effectively’ implementing its visa liberalisation action plan with the EU.
Brunner had made the remarks during a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday.
According to an official Armenian statement about the meeting, Brunner expressed hope that Armenia’s implementation of the plan and ‘consistent steps will lead to the expected results’.
He also stressed the EU’s readiness to ‘provide support to promote reforms’.
In his turn, Pashinyan ‘expressed satisfaction’ with work being carried out on the visa action plan, which he said would be ‘another important step towards deepening and expanding bilateral relations’.
He also emphasised the ‘EU’s continued assistance in the effective implementation of democratic reforms’.
As Pashinyan met with Brunner, Armenia’s Defence Minister, Suren Papikyan, embarked on a work visit to Brussels, where he met Belgium’s Defence and Foreign Trade Minister Theo Francken. The two discussed the ‘great potential’ for the development of military education cooperation, professional training, military medicine, peacekeeping, and humanitarian demining.
The EU delivered the visa liberalisation plan to Armenia in November 2025, after talks on the matter were launched in September 2024.
According to the EU Commission, the plan included a range of reform objectives ranging from security to human rights.
The EU requires countries to meet certain benchmarks before providing visa-free access to the Schengen area. Before its citizens received visa free access to the EU, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine were tasked with meeting four blocks of requirements which tackled issues such as border management, migration and asylum, public order and security, and external relations and fundamental rights.
—
PM Pashinyan, IAEA director discuss cooperation progress
Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan met with Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mariano Grossi in Paris, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout.
The parties discussed issues related to the development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
They also discussed cooperation between Armenia and the International Atomic Energy Agency, emphasizing the importance of the continuous implementation of nuclear safety, technical cooperation, and expert assistance programs.
The interlocutors exchanged views on ongoing projects in Armenia’s energy sector, small modular reactor technologies, and prospects for the development of nuclear energy.
Published by Armenpress, original at
—