Category: News

Ahead of the parliamentary elections to be held on June 7, the opposition field has mostly been formed. Their lists are published, their programs are presented. The general agenda is evident in the programs: peace, economic development, overcoming poverty, restoring justice, national revival and unity.

Now that the foundation is laid, it is time to form and strengthen the idea of ​​”collective opposition” in the public consciousness. This is no longer about individual efforts, but about a common goal. I believe that this collective opposition will win the elections.

However, just winning is not enough. A higher bar should be set. I mentioned this idea in my previous post and will continue to repeat it. The goal should not be simply to prevent Pashinyan from returning to power, but also to ensure that his party does not even cross the threshold of entering the parliament.

Only then will we be able to finally close the page of the past eight years, leaving that period and memories in the pages of history.

Former RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan

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The meeting with big business was aimed at “anesthesia” to calm the businessmen after Russia’s harsh statements, as well as certain restrictions.

Businesses usually feel the threat at the level of the spinal cord. And in the pre-election period, such uncertainty of business can “get out of the nose” of some people.

Of course, unlike the masses of the public, it is not so easy to “hang noodles” in the ear of a businessman… because a businessman who for decades has been trying to find markets for export or find producers of cheap raw materials and goods for import is difficult to calm down with tales about new markets and roads… especially when you yourself have done everything to increase the dependence on Russian markets to a historical maximum…

Jermuk is a witness…

Gas technologist Karen Kocharyan

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It is proposed to introduce a new performance evaluation system, which will form a general evaluation for each year, will be measurable, will enable to evaluate the work performed by the service both at the individual and structural unit level and give appropriate evaluations. The overall rating will be based on the effectiveness of the performance of the functions assigned to the officer, the arithmetic mean of the current ratings, the general rating of the tests as a result of physical and combat readiness.

This was announced by the RA Minister of Internal Affairs, Arpine Sargsyan, presenting the legislative package “On Service in the Police” and related laws for discussion in the first reading at the NA session.

A harmonious relationship between certification and performance evaluation systems will be ensured. According to the minister, the certification is carried out once every 3 years, which does not give an opportunity to carry out current assessments of the performance of the employees and give a more comprehensive assessment of the work of the service.

“We have a number of employees who, over the course of 3 years, can record very good results, but for various reasons fail to pass the actual certification exams. On the other hand, an employee may have less than stellar results over a three-year period, but when preparing for the certification, he may receive a good or excellent grade on several tests. This approach should allow us to harmonize the general work and have an impartial image,” explained Arpine Sargsyan.

An officer with a positive result should claim promotion or promotion, and in case of a negative result, the police officer’s promotion is restricted.

With another change, it is proposed to extend the requirement of training to junior and senior police officers. In this context, taking into account the specificity of the post of police chief, a training opportunity is planned.

The mechanism of certification of rescue workers and police officers is being harmonized. In the case of the police, two months after being appointed to the position, a person can apply for certification, and in the case of the rescue service, after 6 months. It is recommended to provide another two months rule in the case of rescue workers.

At the level of the Minister’s order, a schedule for conducting the certification will also be provided for those officers of the first stage who have not yet managed to pass the certification due to a number of structural changes that have occurred in the police system.

It should be noted that the educational complex of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is a higher educational institution under civil administration.

Performance is proposed to come into force on 1 January 2027 so that the performance assessment indicator can be tested before then.

In a related report, Andranik Kocharyan, chairman of the Standing Committee on Defense and Security Affairs, expressed his opinion that the most important initiative from the point of view of personnel policy was presented. According to him, the performance evaluation system will give the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs the opportunity to appear on the promotion lists. The Ministry will create a system, appearing on the promotion list will depend on the correct implementation and evaluation of performance procedures.

Minister Arpine Sargsyan, answering the questions of the deputies, clarified some regulations of the legislative package. Then the MPs raised a number of issues in the police system, which related to the mechanisms of evaluation of the work of the officers, the salary policy, the amount of bonuses, the training of the police and other issues.

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All problems will be discussed and solved. We will not go to war with Russia on any issue, we will not fight. NA Speaker Alen Simonyan announced this in a briefing with journalists, commenting on the question of whether Armenian businessmen will have problems in Russia.

“We will raise all the problems, trying to solve them. We do not present any threat to Russia, we are not going to become a threat, and if there are any issues, those issues exist between all countries, at one moment these issues increase, at another moment they decrease,” Simonyan stressed.

He also informed that he will leave for Istanbul in the coming days.

“A meeting is planned with the leaders of the parliaments of Azerbaijan and Georgia,” he elaborated.

In particular, the delegation led by the Speaker of the National Assembly will be sent to Istanbul on April 16-19 to participate in the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

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The government initiated one of the key reforms of tax administration, which was formed during the last year as a result of comprehensive cooperation between the state and the private sector. This was stated by SRC Chairman Eduard Hakobyan at the regular session of the National Assembly convened on April 14, presenting the proposed amendments to the Tax Code with the attached package.

According to him, the goal of the reforms is to strengthen the state-taxpayer mutual trust, to expand the right of taxpayers to be heard, to promote voluntary discipline, and to wage a more targeted fight against tax crimes.

The SRC president noted that changes are planned in three codes: Tax, Criminal and Criminal Procedure.

Accordingly, with the proposed amendments to the Tax Code, it is envisaged that the State Revenue Committee will not immediately submit a report to the law enforcement agencies upon receiving information regarding the alleged crime of non-payment of taxes. First, the information will be analyzed by internal tools and the taxpayer will be notified in order to provide reasonable clarifications. If reasonable explanations are not presented, the tax authority will register the offense through a thematic study and draw up an administrative act, which can be appealed according to the established procedure. Only then will the issue of filing a criminal report be considered.

The exception will be cases requiring immediate intervention when there is a risk of evidence loss. With the legislative amendments, it is proposed to review the limitations of thematic studies as well, making it possible to carry out more than one study during the year if necessary.

At least half of the approximately 600 preliminary assessments annually are expected to go through the administrative process, ensuring that taxpayers’ right to be heard is fully exercised.

According to Eduard Hakobyan, the thresholds of tax crimes will be revised in the Criminal Code. Currently, 10 million drams is considered a large amount, and 20 million drams is considered particularly large. The draft proposes to increase the large size threshold to 30 million AMD, for the next two years – to 45 million AMD, especially to increase the large size threshold to 50 million AMD, in the case of two following years – to 75 million AMD.

As a result of these changes, about 600 criminal cases could be decriminalized with the consent of taxpayers. In addition, in the case of a particularly large amount, the classification of the crime will change from serious to moderate.

Amendments are proposed to the Criminal Procedure Code regarding prohibitions during criminal proceedings.

Instead of confiscation of property, it is planned to introduce alternative mechanisms: provision of bank guarantees. The current legislation does not provide for such an opportunity. According to the initiators, the prohibition of property often disrupts the activities of businessmen and causes additional costs. It is also recommended to accept securities – stocks and bonds – as a guarantee, which will enable taxpayers to continue receiving income until the end of the criminal proceedings.

The draft also envisages the possibility, during the proceedings, with the approval of the supervising prosecutor and the decision of the investigator or the court, to release the restricted property from the restriction, if an equivalent bank guarantee or security is presented.

The proposed changes will contribute to the increase of legal clarity in the tax sector, the stability of the business environment and the strengthening of the constructive dialogue between the state and the private sector.

Babken Tunyan, deputy chairman of the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, noted in a related speech that the project was discussed for a long time with the Government and all interested parties. According to him, this is a package of long-awaited reforms.

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The legislative initiative is due to the need to ensure the smooth implementation and common logic of the “Higher Education and Science” law that came into force on October 20, 2025. The law creates the necessary legal basis in the fields of higher education and science for the implementation of large-scale systemic reforms. The proposed changes refer to the unhindered process of admission to higher educational institutions during the transitional period, as well as to the selection process of the management bodies of public universities and scientific organizations.

Artur Martirosyan, Deputy Minister of Education and Culture, said this during the regular session of the National Assembly, presenting the first reading of the draft law “On Amendments and Additions to the Law on Higher Education and Science”.

The Deputy Minister presented the proposed changes related to the procedure of admission to universities in the transition period (until 2030).

According to the representative of the department, the changes will contribute to the normal course of reforms carried out in the fields of higher education and science, in particular, in the case of the selection of executive bodies of scientific organizations and higher education institutions, the guarantee of more competitive conditions, open and transparent mechanisms, providing reasonable deadlines for that process, as well as the normal organization of the admission process to higher educational institutions, until the application of the new regulations provided by law.

Julieta Azaryan presented the positive conclusion of the senior committee.

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On April 14, Minister Plenipotentiary for European Affairs of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Benjamin Hadad, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum.

Benjamin Haddad laid a wreath on the wall of the memorial complex, then the members of the delegation placed flowers near the eternal fire, and honored the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide with a minute of silence. The delegation toured the area of the memorial complex, at the suggestion of the French Ambassador to Armenia, Olivier Dkotinyin, approached Hushapat, at the back of which, in special niches, there are filled with soil taken from the graves of a number of foreign public figures, politicians, intellectuals and missionaries who raised their voice of protest against the mass massacres of Armenians and genocide carried out by the Turkish government in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. small jugs. Guests stop were taken near the memorial stones of Anatole France and Louis Dartiges du Fournay.

Then the delegation visited the Armenian Genocide Museum, Benjamin Haddad made a note in the memorial book of the honored guests, then walked around the last hall of the museum, the open-air inner courtyard, on the basalt wall, which is divided into twelve equal parts, the words of outstanding statesmen, diplomats, scientists, and writers condemning the Armenian Genocide are engraved.

At the end, Hrachya Tashchyan, acting director of the Armenian Genocide, presented Hadad with a French picture book of the Armenian Genocide and Raymond Gevorgyan’s booklet.

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Another manifestation of Pashinyan’s panic.

Afraid of Samvel Karapetyan, Pashinyan sent law enforcement officers to arrest the breastfeeding mother of many children, Gohar Ghumashyan, a member of the Strong Armenia Party.

Pashinyan, Armenia will not become Azerbaijan.

“Strong Armenia” party

VERELQ reminds that Gohar Ghumashyan is a mother of three children, the youngest is 40 days old.

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