Garegin B accused the authorities of unconstitutional steps

Photo: Press service of the Armenian Apostolic Church

Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II announced unprecedented pressures and targeted attacks on the Armenian Apostolic Church by the current authorities. The spiritual leader mentioned this during a meeting with young pilgrims at the Mother See, pointing out the illegal arrests of the clergy and attempts to interfere in the affairs of the Church.


On April 12, a reception of about 650 young people from different dioceses of Armenia took place in the Holy Etchmiadzin Mother See. In his address to the believers, Garegin II emphasized the historical and spiritual role of the Church in the life of the Armenian people, but drew the main attention to the current crisis in relations with the state.


According to the Catholicos, during the last year, the clergy faced large-scale persecution by the representatives of the government. As an example, he mentioned unjustified arrests of bishops, artificial obstacles to spiritual service and attempts to seize ancient monasteries and churches.


The situation around the Masyatsotni Diocese has received particular criticism. according to the AAP bishop, the ex-priest, who was excommunicated with the open patronage of state institutions, continues to illegally dominate the presbytery and, based on the controversial decisions of the court and the enforcement service, acts as the head of the diocese in a secular capacity.


Garegin B also described the inclusion of unacceptable provisions directed against the Church by the ruling political force in its pre-election program as “another unconstitutional step”. The spiritual leader noted that such processes are accompanied by false accusations, incitement of intolerance and open threats.


Despite the aggravation of the situation, the Catholicos assured the flock that the Church will continue to protect national rights and the interests of the country. At the end of the meeting, he called on young people to actively participate in church life, to be faithful to Christian values ​​and to be law-abiding citizens.

Construction of Kajaran–Agarak section of North–South Road progressing rapidl

Armenia11:41, 10 April 2026
Read the article in: فارسی, Armenian, Russian:

Despite bad weather, construction on the 32-kilometer Kajaran–Agarak section of the North–South Road is progressing at a rapid pace, the Road Department said in a press release.

Work is continuing on the concreting of the two already excavated tunnels, as well as retaining walls, bridges, artificial structures, and earthworks for the future highway, the government agency responsible for ensuring the effective implementation of road projects said.

Officials emphasize that construction quality is under constant supervision by the technical oversight team and staff of the Road Department.

The Kajaran–Agarak section of the North–South Road is being built with funding from the Government of Armenia and the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development.

Published by Armenpress, original at 

DDF 2026: Government highlights strategic focus on digital economy and society

Innovation11:25, 8 April 2026
Read the article in: ArmenianRussian:

Armenia’s Minister of High-Tech Industry, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, emphasized during the Doing Digital Forum 2026 that developing a trust-based digital economy and a digital society is a strategic priority for the government.

“We are convinced that one of the key prerequisites for enhancing our national resilience and ensuring the stable, sustainable development of our economy is an environment of open, transparent, secure, and protected data, along with the necessary infrastructure and trust,” said Hayrapetyan.

He added, “If someone asked me whether it is possible to define digitalization or digital transformation in a single phrase, I personally could not do so, and I am not even confident that artificial intelligence could fully convey it to the public. First of all, the government envisions digitalization as a way to make life easier for citizens, create a trustworthy and predictable environment for the private sector and businesses, protect citizens’ data, develop infrastructure, and, why not, provide a new environment for the growth of technology and innovation.”

The minister also noted that the government has been implementing large-scale, multifaceted reforms in collaboration with the private sector for several years to advance this agenda.

Doing Digital Forum (DDF) 2026, organized by SPRING PR, kicked off in Yerevan on Wednesday, bringing together top local and international experts, business leaders, and public sector decision-makers. The premier event for digital transformation and financial technology is being held under this year’s theme, “Bridging Platforms and Economies.”

Published by Armenpress, original at 

The failure of TRIPP is also the failure of the CP

There is a misconception that what is happening inside the country has nothing to do with geopolitical processes. The reality is just the opposite.

The 2018 conspiracy had geopolitical reasons, a prelude to the 2020 war. CP is a war party and was created as such to surrender Artsakh. The loss of Artsakh also had the goal of implementing geopolitical changes. That is why in 2020 an international coalition was at war against us.

The so-called TRIPP should be considered as one package together with Artsakh.

The war against Iran was the next stage of that geopolitical process, but it failed. The pre-made program also crashes.

The failure of TRIPP is also a failure for the CP, the party of war. The KP has nothing more to do, but with the defeat of the KP, a new difficult phase begins, which we must go through together.

Our defeat was first of all the defeat of political thought, or rather the consequence of the non-existence of collective political thought, and therefore the absence of a real political system.

After June 7, we have to solve this very problem, and it is not the case that with the removal of the CP, we will have established political units, in fact, quite the opposite.
after June 7


Political scientist Stepan Danielyan



https://verelq.am/hy/node/171797?fbclid=IwY2xjawRECQlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeXN8fRdCKRFojNq_aFLSrvBalrjY971M-MMG_NGz1YgMhLYpMPIuuz3EYRS8_aem_pU4yKBGHzoT8Khoh6aetiA

168: Get oriented. who will bring this “disastrous war”? were you here in person?

April 7, 2026

Nikol Pashinyan’s statement about the need for the CP to obtain a constitutional majority in the National Assembly and scaring people with a “new September war” means that the current government really knows that it has no chance of being re-elected. He expressed such a view 168 TVof Revue on the air of the program political scientist Tevan Poghosyanspeaking about the National Assembly elections to be held in June.

According to the former member of the National Assembly, all external actors are interfering in Armenia’s internal affairs even before the elections have started.

“Before the elections have started, the great powers have already stated their preferences, and these are the same countries that once taught us democracy, which is the opinion of the people. The people’s opinion is: wait patiently, who is asking you to name the candidates? It means that the world has lost everything of democracy, they used to educate us with the vain fairy tales, putting all this aside, we simply understand that we have entered into a wild struggle for power, and the only bearer of power, which is called the people, must have its say,” says Tevan Poghosyan.

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According to Poghosyan, if the people will rise up and not allow the intervention of foreign forces, then June 7 will be our election, and if we pay tribute to external pressures: “Oh, Putin said this”, “Trump said this”, “Vance said this”, “Fidan said that” or someone in Europe said something else, then what is the Armenian election?

Putin-Pashinyan April Fool’s Day in Moscow meeting Tevan Poghosyan says: “The world has changed, there is more transparency in diplomacy. today everyone speaks openly like that. Every country advances its interests as best it can. That is how they imagined their interests in Russia, they said. We have heard, we have taken note. But if you look at it from the other side, he also said.

“If Putin won’t call to ask me to meet, I have to call.” So, in his perception, he understood well, he knew where he was going. It means that it does not feel strong, in fact, even those who are acting rely only and only on foreign countries and forces, be it Russia or Europe. Europe was asked to send some “hybrid group”. Armenian atyshniks are the best all over the world, but we invite some people from Europe to give us advice on what is hybrid and what is not. We have fantastic specialists. In fact, the operatives did not rely on the people either. they are looking for a mechanism to maintain their power in external support.”

To the question of “Review”, why did Putin and Pashinyan put the blame for the loss of Artsakh on each other, and who among them was more right in his accusations, the former member of the National Assembly answered: first of all, we are to blame for not being able to keep our land. However, Tevan Poghosyan puts this question aside and pays attention to another question, why the Russian president mentions the Karabakh issue during the meeting with Pashinyan.

“If Russia talks about it, then it had interests there. When America tells you not to talk about Artsakh, then it has interests here too. When Europe says, let’s forget everything, then it is also in their interest. It is the framework of understanding their interests that is necessary to read. If a person did not feel that he lost his interests there, there would not be such a conversation. So he [Putin] considers that there were some previous agreements that you should have acted like this, but you didn’t do it, that’s why I’m accusing you openly about it now. What the President of Russia said that day is the consequence of what he did before, which was revealed that day. I cannot say how many years it is.

For example, in 2021, the same Russia was not against it, they kept the war of 2020 with their teeth, but then that same Russia, without changing people, gives heresy after 5 years. So something happened. Perhaps history will reveal what happened,” Tevan Poghosyan thinks.

To the question of “Review” whether the operatives are anti-Russian or hidden pro-Russian, Poghosyan answered: “They are pro-establishment “кресло”. If necessary, they will become Russian in a day. The fact that you say that I should call and ask for a meeting, why are you surprised that they will tell you whatever you say? Why did you go because something was more important? That something is holding power. Why are you scaring your people with war? A month before that, you said, “it’s over, there’s peace, there won’t be a war.” Who will bring this “catastrophic war”? What does that mean? Who said that it is in person? That you were signing there, were you signing in your own person? Wasn’t it an LLC or a private individual? If it was on behalf of the country, then that peace belongs to the country. The choice is our internal problem. And why do they say: don’t interfere in our internal affairs, the government is formed by the people? Where did all that go? If you signed that document, then there will be peace. Where did this war come from? Orient yourself!’

“Aside from what Russia, America, and Europe said, what have we done?” You told me, as a part of the people, that we are the guarantor of Artsakh. That’s how they came to ask for votes. Was it? And how did they deceive me: the de-occupation of Shushi, the de-occupation of Hadrut, the guarantor of security? Our whole problem is that we meet, we talk about other people’s worries. Where is ours? Deceiving us – nothing? We put this lie aside, we say that we have not seen this, let me think about what they promised and what they did.

Powerful countries always know how to advance their interests, that’s why they are powerful. Let them take care of themselves, we have to live today. If we have decided that it is very good for us, let them deceive us, even more than that, we have reached the historically smallest Armenia from the historical Sea to Sea Armenia, because we have always carried the burdens of others, not our own. Once we went on our own, we were guided, we restored the Motherland a little, in 30 years we fell into the hands of our victory, we decided that we don’t need it,” the interlocutor added.

Tevan Poghosyan notes with pain the current division of the Armenian society, which was sown by the current government, and those “actors” also understand that it is easier to manage in this situation by bringing in the intervention of external forces. “Any nation was able to win only when it relied only on its strength and unity. Unfortunately, our society is divided, and this division has been sown by the perpetrators.

Hybrid war is exactly that, when you see that one Armenian can bribe another Armenian without thinking about anything. This is where our inner caring comes in… We say “dear” to each other, but we have forgotten that word, we have forgotten to bear each other’s pain, love has disappeared from us. The consequence of all this will be that others will take advantage. We live in a region where elements of the third world war are already visible. In any case, our region will no longer be the first, conflicts will continue, but the only resource with which any nation will stand is national unity, which, unfortunately, we do not have. No matter what changes come, if we are going to be divided, we will end up facing the pit of defeat.”

Full interview in the video.




Senior Lawmaker Apologizes For Scandalous Statement

April 07, 2026


Armenia – Andranik Kocharian of the ruling Civil Contract party (left) attends a session of the parliament, Yerevan, May 6, 2025.

Andranik Kocharian, the controversial chairman of the Armenian parliament committee on defense and security, on Tuesday apologized for a scandalous statement defending his elder son’s exemption from compulsory military service.

He snapped on Monday at a male journalist who asked him to explain why Levon Kocharian has not served in the Armenian armed forces unlike most of his peers.

“My son is a very talented boy,” Kocharian said. “If you had as much knowledge as he, you wouldn’t serve either.”

The remark sparked an uproar from not opposition and public figures who accused Kocharian of denigrating young men drafted to Armenia’s armed forces. Health Minister Anahit Avanesian added her voice to the criticism. In a social media post, Avanesian said Armenian soldiers are also “worthy and bright.”

Kocharian responded by saying that he did not mean to question their intelligence. He claimed that he only wanted to emphasize just “how much education and scientific activity are valued by Armenian law.”

“I regret that my response has given rise to disagreements and speculation, for which I apologize,” he wrote on Facebook.

Kocharian’s son qualified for his exemption after receiving a postgraduate degree in 2020 only one year after completing his postgraduate studies during which he was eligible for military service deferment. The opposition-linked media outlet Yerevan.today reported at the time that the Armenian Defense Ministry extended the deferment in 2019 on suspicous health grounds.

Earlier this year, another senior pro-government lawmaker, Hripsime Hunanian, declared on the parliament floor that Armenian male students enrolled in foreign universities deserve to avoid military service because Armenia needs “not only soldiers but also smart heads.” Hunanian resigned as chairwoman of the parliament committee on healthcare following a storm of criticism on social media provoked by her statement.

‘An army of fake accounts backs one of the prime ministerial candidates,’ Arme

JAM News
April 7 2026
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Armenian fact-checkers have identified an “army” of fake pages and accounts that create the impression of widespread support for a prime ministerial candidate. The candidate in question is Russian dollar billionaire Samvel Karapetyan. These fake pages actively promote the leader of the opposition party Strong Armenia and spread disinformation about members of the current government.

The fact-checking team at Media.am found that 17 Facebook pages were created on 18 February this year. These pages publish posts criticising the government and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. They also spread disinformation about him personally and about members of his family.

Numerous fake accounts then amplify videos published on these pages. The fact-checkers identified 60 such accounts.

“Most fake accounts appear on each other’s friends lists. They actively support Samvel Karapetyan and his political force in comments under posts by various media outlets,” the journalists said.

Samvel Karapetyan is under house arrest on charges of calling for the seizure of power. The Strong Armenia party has nominated him as a candidate for prime minister. However, under Armenia’s constitution, he cannot hold the post, as he is a citizen not only of Armenia but also of Russia and Cyprus.


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Details about the fake pages

Fact-checkers list a number of fake Facebook pages created on 18 February, including Week/News Armenia, Lurer Aysor, Time News, Yerevan Times, BreakNews Arm, YerevanTimes, Voice.Yerevan, Liberty News Armenia, Tarm News, Hay News, Top News Arm, YVN Pulse, Arm Urban Voice, Armenia Pulse, Live Updates Armenia, Focus on Armenia and ArmeniaNow.

“It appears that these pages are run by a single person. The only differences are the names and profile images,” they say.

The pages, created almost simultaneously between 12:30 and 12:45, posted a video at nearly the same time. The video featured photos of the prime minister’s former wife, Anna Hakobyan. It claimed that she once wore earrings worth 5,000 drams ($13), but as the prime minister’s wife wore ones worth 2,500,000 drams ($6,666).

Notably, the pages did not share the video. Instead, they uploaded it directly to Facebook at almost the same time.

Based on their analysis, the fact-checkers say this points to a coordinated campaign to discredit the authorities, the current prime minister and members of his family.

Journalists provide specific examples of the content circulated by the fake pages:

  • A video showing Nikol Pashinyan’s book The Reverse Side of the Earth, with accompanying text implying “sexual deviance” on the part of the prime minister;
  • A post urging people not to vote for Pashinyan, claiming he is “handing over Armenian territories to Azerbaijan”;
  • A video allegedly featuring Pashinyan’s son, claiming he is “under the influence of drugs”, without any evidence;
  • A post stating that by electing Nikol Pashinyan, people would effectively be voting for Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev;
  • AI-generated videos discrediting Pashinyan by contrasting him with Samvel Karapetyan.

A video created using AI was also circulated, showing Azerbaijani troops supposedly entering Yerevan,” the report says.

Dozens of users amplify content from fake pages

The fact-checking team also identified fake Facebook accounts that coordinated the spread of content from these pages.

These users also criticise the current government in their posts and express support for Samvel Karapetyan and the Strong Armenia party:

“The group includes more than 60 identified fake accounts. However, this is not a final figure. There may be many more.”

The investigation also found that most of these fake accounts were created in August–September 2023.

Analysis helped identify the real individuals behind many of the fake profiles — shown in the video.

“Their photos are mostly taken from Russian dating sites or adult (18+) platforms,” the report says.

I don’t deal with the issue of soldiers bathing, I don’t know if we don’t have soldiers who haven’t bathed

April 6, 2026

In many countries, soldiers bathe every day. In Armenia, in several African countries and in several underdeveloped countries, they bathe once a week, CP MP Hayk Sargsyan said during a press conference.

According to Sargsyan, he proposed to create an opportunity for the soldiers to bathe every day. “Two years have passed, the situation is the same. Yes, now we have some places where the army can bathe every day, but mostly our boys bathe once a week. Well, let the leadership of the Ministry of Defense take a bath once a week. Let them bathe once a week until the problem is solved, I wonder if they can?”

The deputy said that this is the first time he is making such a public statement.

The Deputy Minister of Defense said in a conversation with journalists that he does not deal with the issue of soldiers bathing, he does not know when they bathe. “I don’t know what Mr. Sargsyan is talking about, we don’t have unwashed soldiers. I do not coordinate that sector, but there has not been any problem in that matter so far.”

…Otherwise, at any moment nuclear weapons can appear, for example, various here

April 5, 2026

“Classes” in the program Doctor of political sciences, professor, energy security specialist Vahe Davtyanspoke about the gas shortage in Europe in the current situation and the role of Turkey and Russia in filling this shortage, as well as nuclear threats.

«The Strait of Hormuz is closed and there is a shortage of oil and gas in Europe. Turkey is more than skillfully trying to adapt to this situation, which is trying to diversify the export of natural gas to Europe through “Turkish Stream” and “Blue Stream”. Russia will try to fill that deficit in the form of indirect supplies, but this does not mean that there are no bypass ways, and one of those ways is Turkey, and that is the reason why Turkey is showing a rather passive attitude now,” said the energy security expert.

As for nuclear weapons, he said proliferation must be controlled, and in this regard the IAEA must be given real tools to influence the internal decisions of states, otherwise nuclear weapons could end up in the hands of, for example, various terrorist organizations at any moment. 

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«We must closely monitor Turkey’s development of nuclear weapons. This is also brought to the Azerbaijani agenda. Aliyev has already announced the development of a peaceful atom several times, but taking into account the relations between Azerbaijan-Turkey, Azerbaijan-Pakistan, which is a nuclear power, of course, at some point, Azerbaijan will transform the peaceful atom into a military atom. In this regard, even more so, we should not allow our Metsamor nuclear power plant to be closed,” Vahe Davtyan said.

Details in the video.