August 7, 2026
Lawyer, businessman Armen Sakapetoyan sounds the alarm about what happened to him and his family, which, however, concerns all RA citizens and potential investors in Armenia.
“I am Armen Sakapetoyan, lawyer, businessman. I decided to address the public and the media, because the problem I faced has gone beyond the personal domain. it refers to the case of mass leakage of bank secret information.
In 2021, there was an illegal leak of bank data concerning me and my family members, which came into the possession of a police officer, without criminal proceedings and without a court order.
All the banks operating in Armenia deny the provision of data by them, and the law enforcement agencies refused to initiate a criminal case, which I am now appealing to the court.
This alert is not just about my family or business. If today it is possible to bypass the law, violate bank secrecy and illegally paralyze business activities, then tomorrow any citizen, businessman, investor living in Armenia may find themselves in the same situation.
I am attaching a video where I present the details of the case. I am ready to answer your questions in any format and provide additional information and legal documents in the near future.”
—
New National Assembly, unchanged demand: removal of Nikol
August 7, 2026
“Two Fronts” podcast next issue Davit Sargsyan and the special guest of this issue, Hakob Avetikyan, editor-in-chief of “Azg” weekly newspaper they discuss the first sessions of the parliament of the new convocation, the behavior of the opposition, compare it with the National Assemblies of the previous convocations, and also discuss what the opposition needs in order to eventually remove the regime.
Details in the video
—
168: Israeli-Azerbaijani deal. From the suspension of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide
August 7, 2026
On June 28, 2026, the Israeli government approved the country Foreign Minister Gideon Saari of the presented formula to the projectofficially to recognize the Armenian Genocide։
This decision had to be finally approved by the Israeli Knesset, but on July 13, the Knesset suspended the parliamentary vote on recognizing the Armenian Genocide.
Israeli sources immediately reported that the Armenian issue was removed from the Knesset agenda after a call from Baku.
More specifically, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu blocked the vote after Azeri presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev contacted his office on Aliyev’s behalf.
This information the other day confirmed Hajiyev himself.
“We have conveyed our position to the Israeli side. the adoption of such a decision would first of all be unfair, would not reflect the historical reality, and we consider it unacceptable. The positive thing is that the Israeli side has taken Azerbaijan’s messages seriously. We consider that the further advancement of this issue has been prevented,” he told Haber Global TV channel, adding that Turkey’s interests are a priority for Azerbaijan.
And today from the Azerbaijani APA agency we find out that Israeli ambassador to Azerbaijan Ronen Krauss visited the Ganja memorial built after the 44-day war, the purpose of which is to remind about the “Ganja incidents” and “missile attacks of the RA armed forces from the territory of Armenia”.
“This memorial visit is a very touching and emotional moment for me. Because this place is extremely important in terms of preserving the memory of those who died and were injured during the attacks on Ganja. As a person from Israel, I know that unfortunately we also suffer from such terrible events.
This spiritual connection between the pain that Azerbaijan feels and the pain that Israel feels is a feeling that both countries deeply understand and appreciate. We will always honor the memory of the fallen.
It was a great honor for me to visit this memorial. I believe that for Azerbaijan, “investments” are extremely important in preserving the memory of the fallen and passing on their stories to the new generations who have not seen war and conflict.
Preservation of historical memory is a matter to which great attention should be paid. I am very happy and deeply flattered to have the opportunity to visit this place and see firsthand Azerbaijan’s efforts to preserve this history and bring it to the international community. And in the memorial complex, I was particularly impressed by the scene of destroyed buildings with teddy bears on them.
And the realization that children have suffered here, including the six children who died as a result of terrorist attacks, is one of the most moving moments for me as a father. We all look forward, hoping to build a better future for our children and families. Unfortunately, what I saw left a very deep and personal emotional impression on me,” said the Jewish diplomat in an interview with the Azerbaijani “APA” agency.
An interesting thing turns out. Hikmet Hajiyev, born in Ganja, calls the Prime Minister of Israel to prevent the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, shortly after the Israeli ambassador visits Azerbaijan.m: is the memorial complex of Ganja and tries to accuse Armenia of carrying out a “terrorist act”.՝ asserting that the “Ganja incidents” should not be forgotten, the pit’s behind to the international community. And in all of this, the focus is on the children in a subtle way.
And during the Armenian Genocide of 1915, the children killed in their mothers’ wombs are not taken into account, or the orphans, those who saw the brutal death of their own parents, or the US-Israel strikes on the girls’ school in the Iranian city of Minaba, as a result of which more than a hundred children were killed, why not also the innocent children killed by the Israeli strikes in Gaza? Isn’t this genocide? Let’s not forget what happened in the 44-day war in Artsakh by Azerbaijan with the military and military-technical support of Israel.
But the saddest thing in this whole story is that there will be no response from the Armenian authorities, as in other similar cases.
Moreover, the RA authorities themselves are trying to forget the fact of the Armenian Genocide, the war crimes of Azerbaijan, but, as we have written many times, there was no mirror step from Baku, and the organization of the visit of the Israeli ambassador and what he said on his lips is another proof that Aliyev will not give up the “historical memory” and demands related to the “Khojalu Genocide” or the “Ganja incidents”.
—
RFE/RL – Another Charge Brought Against Tsarukian
- Susan Badalian
Armenian authorities have filed fresh criminal charges against Gagik Tsarukian, a jailed businessman whose party was one of the main opposition contenders in the June 7 parliamentary elections.
The Investigative Committee claimed on Thursday that Tsarukian had used threats to force a Lebanese-Armenian business partner, Kevork Toramanian, to give up his 50 percent stake in their joint venture in 2010. It said the stake was worth $2.5 million.
The law-enforcement agency charged Tsarukian as well as the former chairman of his Multi Group holding company, Sedrak Arustamian, with extortion and money laundering. Lawyers representing the two arrested men flatly denied the accusations.
“This is an absolutely false accusation that has no basis in reality,” Tsarukian’s lawyer, Emin Khachatrian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Khachatrian said the charges are based on Toramanian’s claims “not substantiated by any documents.” He noted that Toramanian waited for more than 15 years before alleging the extortion during the Armenian authorities’ crackdown on Tsarukian and his businesses.
The lawyer claimed to have documentary proof that his client himself was defrauded by the Lebanese businessman. According to the Investigative Committee, the latter failed to fully honor his contractual obligations on time “due to the inaction of a supplier company.”
Tsarukian was arrested on July 6 after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s repeated pledges to jail him and the top leaders of other major opposition groups that challenged the ruling Civil Contract party in the disputed elections. He was first charged with defrauding Iranian business partners. Arustamian was arrested on this charge earlier this week.
In late July, Tsarukian was also charged with evading taxes that were due to be paid by a brandy distillery owned by him. The tycoon rejects the accusations as politically motivated.
—
Pashinian Again Rejects Russian Calls For Armenian Vote On EU Entry
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Friday again rejected Russia’s calls to hold soon a referendum on Armenia’s accession to the European Union and said his country wants to remain part of a Russian-led economic bloc for now.
Pashinian also toned down his criticism of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) as he attended a meeting of the prime ministers of EEU member states held in Kyrgyzstan.
“As you know, Armenia adopted in 2025 the Law on the Commencement of the Accession Process of the Republic of Armenia to the European Union,” he said in a speech. “The strategic goal of adopting this law is to create an alternative for our country.
“We understand that simultaneous membership in the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union is impossible. However, the mere fact of adopting this law does not mean that Armenia has a chance to become an EU member today.”
Yerevan, he went on, must first formally apply for EU membership and then receive a candidate status from the 27-nation bloc.
“Without completing most of these steps, holding a referendum on this issue would be meaningless and would mean expecting our citizens to answer a question that simply doesn’t exist at this point,” added Pashinian.
He further insisted that his European integration drive does not contradict Armenia’s obligations to Russia and the three other ex-Soviet states making up the EEU. Russian officials have claimed the opposite ever since the Armenian parliament passed the law in question in April 2025.
As Russian-Armenian tensions rose further this spring, they declared that Yerevan can no longer combine its pro-Western foreign policy with EEU membership essential for the Armenian economy. Moscow went on to essentially ban multimillion-dollar imports of Armenian agricultural products. In a July 27 phone call, Russian President Vladimir Putin again told Pashinian to hold the referendum “as soon as possible.”
Putin first voiced the demand following two European summits held in Yerevan in early May. The presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan backed it in a joint statement with Putin adopted at a May 29 summit boycotted by Pashinian.
The Armenian premier reacted scathingly to that statement in late June. But he said on Friday that he is “grateful to my EEU counterparts for recognizing Armenia’s legitimate right … to create economic alternatives for itself.”
Two days after his call with Putin, Pashinian declared that the Russian sanctions against Yerevan mean the EEU is “paralyzed” and herald “the beginning of the EEU’s end.” He was more cautious in his speech in the Kyrgyz town of Cholpon-Ata, criticizing the “restrictions” but not mentioning Russia by name.
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday accused Yerevan of trying to “blackmail” Moscow and misleading Armenians about economic consequences of its drift towards the EU.
—
RFE/RL – Judge Refuses To Try Armenian Church Head
An Armenian judge unexpectedly recused himself from the trial of Catholicos Garegin II moments after it began on Friday amid Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s continuing efforts to depose the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Garegin and six archbishops and bishops were indicted and banned from leaving Armenia in February one day after Pashinian pledged to prevent an Armenian episcopal conference in Austria organized by the church. The accusations levelled against Garegin stem from his January 27 decision to defrock a pro-government bishop involved in Pashinian’s controversial campaign to oust the Catholicos. The bishop, Gevorg Saroyan, was dismissed earlier in January as head of a church diocese.
With Pashinian’s encouragement, Saroyan refused to obey the decision and went on to challenge it in court. In an unprecedented injunction, a district court ruled on January 16 that Saroyan must be reinstated pending its verdict on the lawsuit.
Garegin and the six other clergymen are accused of obstructing the execution of that court order. Their lawyers maintain that Armenian courts have no jurisdiction over internal church affairs. They as well as Armenian opposition figures and other critics of the government say the case is part of Pashinian’s yearlong campaign against the top clergy.
Garegin received a hero’s welcome from hundreds of supporters who gathered outside a court in the town of Vagharshapat when he arrived for the opening session of the trial. The crowd chanting “His Holiness!” and signing a church hymn in his honor included opposition lawmakers who walked out of the Armenian parliament to show support for the Catholicos.
“Today is a day of shame,” one of the lawmakers, Marianna Ghahramanian said on the parliament floor. “Today they are trying the Catholicos of All Armenians, our spiritual father, the leader of our church. This is a disgrace and something unheard of.”
The opening court hearing was held behind the closed doors and lasted for only several minutes because the presiding judge, Hakob Manukian, recused himself from the case. According to Garegin’s chief lawyer, Ara Zohrabian, Manukian cited a conflict of interest, arguing that he received his lawyer’s license at a time when Armenia’s national bar association was headed by Zohrabian.
“I welcome his move because in essence, he refused to be part of this shameful process,” Zohrabian told journalists.
The case is now due to be assigned to another Vagharshapat judge, who will then set the date of the next hearing.
Following the hearing, Garegin led the angry supporters to the nearby Echmiadzin cathedral of the Armenian Church where he led a prayer service on the occasion. In a sermon read out there, he thanked them for the support, condemned the “illegal and trumped-up charges” brought against him and the bishops and accused the authorities of trying to “subjugate” the ancient church.
“We are full of faith and determination to defend our just rights guaranteed by our country’s constitution and fundamental principles of international law,” he said.
Garegin is the first supreme head of the church prosecuted in Armenia’s post-Soviet history. Even Soviet authorities had never formally prosecuted his predecessors.
The unprecedented trial has also been denounced by key Armenian Diaspora organizations. The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), the largest Diaspora charity, said it “raises serious questions about religious freedom and respect for the rule of law” in Armenia. The charges levelled against Garegin have “no basis in law or in our historical traditions,” it added in a statement.
For its part, the Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF) condemned the trial “in the strongest possible terms” and reaffirmed its “total support” for the Catholicos, saying that he is prosecuted for a “decision that falls exclusively under the internal governance of the Church.”
“Even during the decades of Soviet domination, when the Church was deprived of its property, placed under constant surveillance and subjected to relentless persecution, the authorities did not go so far as to indict the Catholicos of All Armenians,” read a CCAF statement.
Pashinian began pressuring Garegin to resign in June 2025 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 Armenian archbishops and one bishop were arrested in the following months on different charges strongly denied by them. They all were moved to house arrest this year.
Pashinian has used different lines of attack on the church during his campaign praised by Azerbaijani officials. 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. He did not offer any proof of the allegation dismissed by Moscow.
The day before Garegin’s indictment, Pashinian turned on eight prominent Diaspora figures 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.
Pashinian’s detractors say he simply wants to please Azerbaijan or neutralize a key source of opposition to his unilateral concessions to Armenia’s arch-foe.
—
Verelq: The 6th international “Kite” festival was held in Odzun
The 6th international festival “Chakhruk” was held on August 2 in the village of Odzun, Lori region, in cooperation with the National Chamber Music Center.
Musicians, now clinical psychologists, Anna and Anahit Mkhitaryan, created the “Chakhruk” cultural center as volunteers at the specialized orphanage in Kharberd in 2019 and to this day teach the children of the orphanage national brass and percussion instruments, national, spiritual, folk, lullaby music.
They are the founders of the annual international inclusive festival of national music “Chakhruk”, which has been held since 2021, each time in different regions of the Republic of Armenia, aiming not only to present the creative abilities of the participants, but also to give the children and residents of the communities an opportunity to directly recognize people with special needs, to see their talent and human potential.
The goal of the festival is to create such an environment where everyone will be able to see the limitlessness of their abilities.
The ideology of “Zakhruk” is:
“Physical abilities are nothing if you don’t have the flight of the soul”
“Chakhruk” unites all the participants and the audience around its idea. Students of various RA specialized orphanages, round-the-clock care institutions, child support centers, special educational complexes, general education, art schools, as well as artists, presenting national, spiritual music, participate in the festival.
Participating groups performed with the Yerevan State Chamber Choir and the “Tagharan” ensemble of ancient music, which is part of the National Chamber Music Center.
Handicrafts of children of participating institutions were presented at the exhibition organized during the festival.
Honored artist of RA Arsen Grigoryan also performed with the crickets, and “Vanak” traditional dance group performed the national dance.
This time, the Republic of Kazakhstan and Morocco also participated in the festival.
—
Matvienko’s statement is a very important alarm
Russians may be called upon to refrain from visiting Armenia, if they continue to arrest Russian citizens there based on requests from third countries, the Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Matvienko, said in a telephone conversation with the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ruben Rubinain. The telephone conversation with Matvienko took place on August 6.
This is a very important warning, because it actually means that the tourism sector may come under attack. Russians are the main driving force of tourism in Armenia.
According to the data of 2025, 40.7 percent of the tourists who visited Armenia were from Russia. In absolute terms, almost a million. Now imagine what the decline will be in the tourist market of Armenia, if the Russian segment, which reaches almost 1 million people, leaves it.
Moreover, I should mention that the next two major destinations are Georgia and Iran, which are several times inferior to the Russian one.
Of course, if the political adventure continues, then in the case of Russian tourist resources, as well as agricultural products, they will start feeding the public with the fact that they will come from the EU. In fact, this will be as much a mockery of common sense as it is with agricultural products. For comparison, France provided the largest volume of tourism from EU countries to Armenia in 2025, and do you know how much? A little more than 35 thousand people.
Again, when this is talked about, some fools will start talking about “Rsastrk”. Actually, my “slavery” is the economy of Armenia, the people living with that economy, the system that is the basis of any viable state. An economy that is a chain of harmonious combination of different sectors, not for example only a stubborn focus on the “sanctification” of the IT sector.
Analyst Hakob Badalyan
—
EAEU should not be considered as an area of restrictions. Pashinyan
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan took part in the extended session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Cholpon-Ata. In addition to the prime ministers of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union, the representatives of Iran, Uzbekistan and Cuba also participated in the latter.
Before the session, the joint video shooting ceremony of the Prime Ministers took place.
Prime Minister Pashinyan delivered a speech, in which he specifically stated:
“Dear heads of governments,
Dear participants of the session,
First of all, let me sincerely thank the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, Adilbek Kasimaliev, for the traditional warm welcome and the high level of organization of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council session.
I would like to welcome the distinguished representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Cuba.
For the Republic of Armenia, strengthening cooperation with the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union continues to be one of the priorities of foreign policy and foreign economic policy.
This approach will also be reflected in the program of the new Government, which I have been entrusted with leading.
At the same time, I would like to emphasize that Armenia consistently advocates adherence to the principles underlying the Eurasian Economic Union.
One of the fundamental principles of the Eurasian Economic Union is the provision of free movement of goods, services, capital and labor.
Unfortunately, these principles are not fully implemented in practice.
Certain restrictions and administrative measures continue to hinder the full functioning of the common market, reducing the predictability of business conditions and the efficiency of integration processes.
The Republic of Armenia consistently provides the most favorable, equal and non-discriminatory conditions for the activities of businessmen of all EAEU member states. We consistently proceed from the principle that a similar approach should be applied throughout the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union.
For this very reason, we consider it fundamentally important that any measures that may affect the access of goods and services of member states to the common market are adopted exclusively in accordance with EAEU law, on the basis of agreed procedures and within the framework of constructive interaction between competent authorities.
Ignoring such issues can not only inhibit the further development of the Eurasian Economic Union, but also negatively affect the attitude of the citizens of our countries and the business community towards it.
After all, such problems cease to be the problems of an individual member state. They become the common problem of the whole union.
It is for this reason that we need to eliminate emerging obstacles in time, prevent the decline of trade and economic relations within the EAEU, minimize business risks related to reputation, as well as consistently strengthen mutual trust.
It should also be acknowledged that the strategic goals set by EAEU in a number of directions have not yet been fully realized. This means that today we need to focus not only on the discussion of new initiatives, but also on the practical implementation of already adopted decisions, speeding up the coordination procedures and increasing the efficiency of the work of EAEU institutions.
Dear colleagues,
I would also like to refer to the objective economic indicators that convincingly testify that the participation of the Republic of Armenia in the Eurasian Economic Union is based on the fulfillment of mutual obligations, and not on obtaining unilateral advantages.
In 2025, Armenia transferred about 319 million US dollars to the total budget of EAEU import duties, while the amount of funds distributed in favor of Armenia was about 175 million US dollars.
Thus, Armenia transferred significantly more funds to the general budget of the Union than it received, which is a direct confirmation of our responsible position and conscientious fulfillment of obligations within the EAEU framework.
The dynamics of mutual trade is no less telling.
According to the results of 2025, imports from EAEU member states amounted to about 5 billion US dollars, while during the same period, the export of Armenian products to the Union market amounted to about 3.2 billion US dollars.
These figures show that the Republic of Armenia is not only a participant of the EAEU common market, but also an important consumer of goods produced and services provided in the member states of the Union.
Dear colleagues,
The Republic of Armenia has taken note of the May 29, 2026 statement of the leaders of the four EAEU member states, in which support was found for the idea of holding a referendum on Armenia’s accession to the European Union.
As you know, in 2025, Armenia adopted the law “On the initiation of the process of accession of the Republic of Armenia to the European Union”. The strategic goal of adopting such a law is to create an alternative for our country.
We understand that simultaneous membership of the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union is impossible.
However, the fact of the adoption of the mentioned law does not mean that Armenia has the opportunity to become a member of the EU today. When Armenia is qualitatively ready for EU membership in the future, it will not mean that our country will automatically become a member of the EU. For this, the agreement of the EU member states and the approval of the citizens of Armenia will still be necessary.
On the other hand, it is obvious that it is impossible to submit this issue to the decision of the citizens of Armenia without carrying out preliminary institutional preparations. And even after that, it will be necessary to apply to the EU with an official application for membership in the European Union.
After that, it will also be necessary to obtain the status of a candidate country for EU membership.
Without going through at least most of the listed stages, holding a referendum on the mentioned issue will be meaningless and will mean that we expect an answer from our citizens to a question that simply does not exist at the moment.
That would mean that we expect the citizens of Armenia to make a choice between two alternatives, one of which does not exist.
It would be disrespectful to our people and practically illegitimate. I thank my EAEU partners for recognizing the legitimate right of Armenia, like any other EAEU country, to develop relations with various partners and to create trade and economic alternatives for their own country.
Moreover, I consider such an approach useful for the EAEU, because the existence of possible alternatives is the factor that will contribute to increasing the competitiveness and attractiveness of the EAEU.
And I think no one will deny that in this regard we have work to do within EAEU. We are ready and offer to work in that direction.
On the other hand, I must note that in the current relationship between Armenia and the European Union, there is no legal, economic or political obligation that contradicts the status of our relationship within and within the EAEU.
Dear colleagues,
The Republic of Armenia is based on the principle that the Eurasian Economic Union should not be considered as an area of restrictions. We are convinced that the cooperation of EAEU member states with third partners should not be perceived as a zero-sum game.
The Republic of Armenia consistently advocates for the preservation of the fundamental principles of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union, the equality of rights of the member states and the further development of practical, mutually beneficial cooperation.
EAEU will be more attractive the more consistently we keep our own agreements and respect each other’s sovereign rights.
It is in this that we see the basis of trust, stability and long-term success.
Thank you for your attention.”
Minutes of discussed and accepted issues were signed during the session. They refer to cooperation and regulations in the fields of transport, e-commerce, education.
Members of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council also had a meeting with the President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadir Zhaparov.
—
Pashinyan and Mishustin had a conversation “on foot”.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin had a short conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan within the framework of the session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan, RIA Novosti reports.
Mishustin, Pashinyan and other participants of the extended session arrived at the meeting place. They were in the same car. The Prime Ministers of Russia and Armenia had a short conversation while approaching the photo-taking place.
—