- Narine Ghalechian
Russia’s state agricultural watchdog has reported a major tightening of its controls on multimillion-dollar imports of food and flowers from Armenia following President Vladimir Putin’s stern warnings to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
The head of the Rosselkhoznadzor agency, Sergei Dankvert, claimed on Thursday that many of those products do not conform to sanitary standards set by the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), a Russian-led trade bloc. He said a sharp rise in their exports to Russia observed in recent years suggests that they were produced in third countries.
“The range and quantity of products arriving gives us reason to believe that not all of them are from Armenia,” Dankvert told Russian state television. “We also looked into this in 2024 and 2023.”
In particular, he described as highly suspicious the fact that annual Armenian exports of cut flowers to Russia tripled over the last three years.
Rosselkhoznadzor seriously restricted those exports last summer, accusing the Armenian government of failing to “ensure the phytosanitary safety and traceability of flower products sent to Russia.” The government’s Food Safety Inspectorate scrambled to address the Russian concerns at the time, stepping up sanitary controls and organizing video inspections of Armenian flower greenhouses for Rosselkhoznadzor. It declined to comment on Dankvert’s latest comments on Friday.
They came the day after Putin’s talks with Pashinian in Moscow during which he publicly warned that Yerevan’s moves to eventually join the European Union are “not compatible” with Armenia’s continued membership in the EEU, which gives Armenian exporters tariff-free access to Russia’s vast market. He noted that Russia remains Armenia’s most important trading partner and supplies natural gas to the South Caucasus state at a significant discount. Putin also said that Pashinian’s administration should not bar pro-Russian opposition groups or politicians from running in Armenia’s upcoming parliamentary elections.
Russia is the main market for agricultural products as well as alcoholic beverages exported by Armenia. In the last few years, Moscow has occasionally and briefly banned some of those exports on sanitary grounds construed by Armenian commentators as Russian retaliation against the Armenian government’s continuing drift to the West.
“We have always felt that on our skin,” an Armenian truck driver regularly shipping goods to Russia told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Friday.
The driver, who did not want to be identified, said Dankvert’s statement left him and many of his colleagues bracing for more serious problems at Russian border checkpoints.
“There are concerns because we may be turned away from [the Georgian-Russian border] due to these tensions [between Moscow and Yerevan,]” he said.
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Metsamor NPP has been stopped. the sun will replace the atom
The only nuclear power plant in the South Caucasus is temporarily shutting down for a major upgrade, while the government plans to fill the energy gap with renewables and prepares to switch to modular technologies.
From April 1, Metsamor Armenian nuclear power plant was taken out of operation for five months. As the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure explained at the government meeting held on April 2 Davit Khudatyan, the technological break is necessary for the implementation of the second phase of the project to extend the operation period of the station until 2036.
At the same time, the head of the department expressed his belief that the temporarily out of order capacities will be successfully compensated. it is expected that the volumes of energy produced by solar power plants during that period will be fully comparable to the indicators of a stopped nuclear facility.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during the session, he again emphasized the significant potential of renewable energy. According to him, huge solar resources are able to make Armenia an absolutely self-sufficient country in terms of energy and free the state forever from the need to import electricity.
In order to achieve such an ambitious goal, the head of the government called for conceptually rethinking the approach to the sector and focusing the main efforts on the development of modern energy storage and storage technologies.
In parallel, active discussions about the prospects of building a new nuclear power plant continue in the country. Earlier, in February, the sector minister confirmed that Yerevan is making a strategic choice in favor of the modular NPP, a flexible and compact technology of the new generation.
The existing Metsamor plant, which traditionally supplies about one third of the electricity produced in Armenia, has been in operation since 1976. Having survived the conservation after the devastating earthquake of 1988 and the restart of one of the power units in the second half of the nineties, today this object of strategic importance is undergoing another phase of vital renewal.
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On June 7, Pashinyan must leave, the leadership of Armenia for him for the third time
March: 29, 2026
Vardan Oskanyan writes: “If you still have any doubt that trusting Pashinyan to lead Armenia for the third time, who has already brought it to the most unfavorable position in this complex region, could seriously endanger Armenia’s existence, just try to read the analyzes of regional developments. Without that, of course, there are dozens of undeniable and well-founded reasons to make it clear that Pashinyan should leave on June 7.
Starting from breaking the negotiations with Azerbaijan and inciting a war, from losing it catastrophically, to the complete emptying and loss of Nagorno Karabakh. Add to this the continuous disruption of Armenia’s territorial integrity, as Azerbaijan still occupies and may still occupy different parts of the country, as well as the disruption of the Constitution, the delegitimization of the judicial system, and the consistent restriction of civil rights and freedom of speech.
Among Pashinyan’s “achievements” are the deep division of society, turning the state system into a joke, abuse of the budget, pressures on the Armenian Apostolic Church, growing alienation of the diaspora, and in the background of all this, the decline of Armenia’s reputation. The list can be continued for a long time.
But especially today, when a war is unfolding in Iran, in Armenia’s immediate neighborhood, and now in the entire Middle East, one more weighty reason is added for Pashinyan to leave.
Whatever the outcome of this war, the region will not be the same by June 8. The attitude and expectations of the involved players towards the countries of this region will not be the same either. Very difficult times await us. And Pashinyan has clearly shown that he is not the person who can lead Armenia even in much more stable and calm times, such as 2018-2020.
Over the past eight years, he has shown profound ignorance and incompetence in almost every area. We made a mistake in 2018 by entrusting the leadership of the country to him. We made the second mistake by reproducing him in 2021. We have no right to make the third mistake.
Pashinyan must leave on June 7. The case of the head of Armenia, in the situation created by his own cause and in a complex region independent of him, is not his own. As experience has shown, it never happened.”
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The column is endangered. what to do
March: 28, 2026
Taking the territories that Azerbaijan considers its own, the so-called “captured”, or as we used to say, liberated, or Artsakh, was essential for Aliyev in order to maintain his power.
He had to show his people that he is conquering Artsakh.
But from a strategic point of view, Syunik has always been important for Azerbaijan and Turkey.
For that reason, Syunik is a most important strategic issue for them, and Artsakh is a matter of maintaining authority and power.
Details in the video
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Pashinyan’s statement about the war is a bluff. Azerbaijan will be drawn into Iran
March: 26, 2026
168TVof “Trigger” the guest of the program Former Prime Minister of RA (1992-93), former Speaker of RA National Assembly (NA) Khosrov Harutyunyan is:
Current political and historical issues were discussed during the program.
In particular, reference was made to Nikol Pashinyan’s statement that in case of his defeat in the June parliamentary elections, a new destructive war with Azerbaijan is possible in September.
Particular attention was paid to the question of the Declaration of Independence and its interpretation as a tool for the prevention of genocide, rather than a territorial claim.
In the framework of the discussion, the following question was also raised. can the rejection of the Declaration be considered as a de facto acceptance of Ilham Aliyev’s position?
The historical retrospective of the late 1980s took a key place. it was discussed whether the issue of the status of Artsakh at that time was a matter of territory or survival.
In addition, the appropriateness of modern comparisons with Nakhijevan as an example of “loss through demography” was considered, and whether the Sumgait pogroms can be considered the main motive behind decisions on reunification was discussed.
Issues of regional communications were discussed, including the railway connection between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as possible alternative routes and approaches for the development of transport links.
Hayk Derzyan
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RFE/RL – Armenia Sends Humanitarian Aid To Iran Amid Regional War
- Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia has sent humanitarian aid, primarily medicines, to Iran amid an ongoing regional war involving the neighboring country, a senior official in Yerevan said Monday.
Speaking in parliament, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said the government did not report the shipment earlier because it saw no need to give much publicity to the assistance. He did not specify when the aid was sent.
Speaking to reporters after a committee meeting, Mirzoyan emphasized that Yerevan is interested in the “complete preservation of peace” in the region. “We feel sorry also for the brotherly people of Iran, and their neighboring Arab peoples and states are our friends. We are for peace to be established there as soon as possible,” he said.
The conflict between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other began on February 28 after diplomacy over Tehran’s nuclear program failed. The U.S.-Israeli coalition has targeted Iran’s military facilities with missile and air strikes, killing Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the first hours of the attack and decimating the Islamic Republic’s political and military leadership. Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks on Israeli targets and on U.S. military assets across the Middle East, as well as on Washington’s interests and allies in the Gulf region.
The Iranian government has also effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a 33-kilometer-wide chokepoint through which roughly a third of the world’s seaborne oil passes. Late last week, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Tehran to reopen the passage, warning that the United States would “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if the strait remained closed.
Officials in Armenia have reacted cautiously to the continuing war that could have far-reaching ramifications for the South Caucasus nation’s security, emphasizing diplomacy as a solution to the conflict.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has been among the few world leaders who have extended diplomatic gestures toward Tehran during the conflict.
On March 2, Pashinian offered condolences to the Iranian president “on the casualties among the Iranian leadership and citizens,” and on March 9, he congratulated Mojtaba Khamenei on succeeding his killed father as Iran’s supreme leader.
On March 21, the Armenian leader sent congratulations to Mojtaba Khamenei on the Iranian New Year, expressing confidence that “relations between the two friendly countries will continue to develop in the coming year, anchored on sincerity, trust, and mutual respect.” He also wished “lasting peace” to “the friendly people of Iran.” The same day he sent similar Nowruz greetings also to Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian.
Iran remains a key trading partner for Armenia and one of its two overland routes to international markets.
Hundreds of people, both Iranians and citizens of other countries fleeing the war, crossed the land border into Armenia during the first few days of the latest escalation.
Although the Armenian-Iranian border has largely remained open since the outbreak of hostilities, the conflict has reportedly caused a significant drop in cargo traffic between the two countries.
The Armenian prime minister also acknowledged earlier this month that the ongoing Iran war could delay the planned opening of a U.S.-administered transit corridor for Azerbaijan through Armenia.
The regional connectivity project, known as the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), is a key element of the peace agenda agreed by Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington last year to put an end to more than three decades of conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
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Analyst slams travel ban on Armenian church leader
Political analyst Suren Surenyants has criticized a politically motivated decision preventing Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II from traveling abroad, calling it a “dangerous manifestation” for Armenian statehood.
The travel restriction barred the Armenian church leader from attending the funeral of Georgian Patriarch Ilia II despite an official invitation from Tbilisi. Surenyants argued that legal justifications in this case are unconvincing and warned against using the law as a tool for domestic political retribution.
In a social media post on Saturday, Surenyants warned the situation places Armenia in a “vulnerable and embarrassing” diplomatic position, undermining its ability to ensure representation at a significant event. He added that the absence of Armenia’s spiritual leader risks casting a shadow over Armenian-Georgian relations.
He concluded that the incident reflects a broader pattern of weakening state institutions, with consequences increasingly visible both domestically and internationally.
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Iran has started charging a toll to pass through the Strait of Hormuz
Iran has imposed a toll on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, setting up a “safe corridor” for approved carriers. One of the operators paid about 2 million dollars for the transit of his tanker. Lloyd’s List wrote about this, referring to the source:
At least nine ships have already passed through the strait under this scheme. However, it is not known how many of them have paid. In some cases, according to some reports, diplomatic intervention was the only solution. Additionally, the payment mechanism itself remains uncertain amid sanctions against Iran.
According to some reports, the route of the “safe corridor” passes through Iran’s territorial waters near Larak Island, where the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and port authorities carry out visual identification of ships. Access to the corridor is allowed only after coordination with Tehran.
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Exporters to U.S. and EU invited to meet Armenia’s Economy Minister
The Armenian Ministry of Economy on Wednesday issued a public invitation to businesses exporting goods to the United States and the EU for a meeting with Minister Gevorg Papoyan.
“Dear businesspeople exporting to the U.S. and the EU, you are invited to attend a meeting with Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan on April 8 at 11:00 a.m. The meeting will take place at the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia (5 M. Mkrtchyan Street),” the ministry said in a statement, providing a registration link.
Published by Armenpress, original at
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Hungary to block loan for Ukraine, sanctions until Druzhba restarts, minister
Hungary will continue blocking a 90-billion-euro ($103 billion) loan for Ukraine and new sanctions on Russia as long as oil flows via the Druzhba pipeline remain suspended, Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday in Brussels, Reuters reports.
Russian oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia have been suspended since late January. Kyiv says a Russian strike hit Druzhba pipeline equipment in western Ukraine, while Slovakia and Hungary say Ukraine is to blame for the prolonged outage.
Published by Armenpress, original at
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