- Shoghik Galstian
Law-enforcement officers searched the Yerevan home of the main opposition Strong Armenia alliance’s incoming parliamentary leader on Friday two days before the inaugural session of the country’s new parliament.
The Investigative Committee told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that the raid resulted from criminal charges leveled against Narek Karapetian more than a week ago. It gave no other details.
Karapetian condemned the search as politically motivated and said that investigators did not confiscate anything from his mansion.
“The reason for all this is our engagement in politics, there is no other reason,” he told reporters. “We have to engage in politics in our country because it is on the wrong track.”
Karapetian’s home was already searched last year following the arrest of his uncle and billionaire businessman Samvel Karapetian, who set up the opposition force later in the 2025. Strong Armenia finished second in the June 7 parliamentary elections, according to official vote results rejected by it and other opposition groups as fraudulent.
Despite the fraud allegations, it decided to take up its 29 seats in the 105-member National Assembly that will hold its inaugural session on Sunday. Narek Karapetian topped the list of the bloc’s election candidates and is also expected to lead its parliamentary group.
The 36-year-old is accused of laundering money and paying people to attend Strong Armenia rallies. The Investigative Committee has still not shed light on the accusations denied by him. The law-enforcement agency has said only that they are part of a criminal case against Aleksan Aleksanian, another prominent member of Samvel Karapetian’s political team who was arrested ahead of the June 7 elections.
Armenia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) allowed prosecutors to indict but not arrest Narek Karapetian on July 22. The CEC said he already enjoys parliamentary immunity from arrest.
It is not clear whether the prosecutors will ask the incoming parliament controlled by the ruling Civil Contract party to lift that immunity. Karapetian said on Friday that he is not worried about such a possibility.
“Let them do what they want,” he said. “It will not influence [Strong Armenia.] It will have opposite effects.”
Hundreds of other opposition members and supporters have been detained on election-related charges in recent months. At least 50 of them remain in custody and 48 others under house arrest.
Two of them, Davit Ghazinian and Hayk Sukiasian, were also elected to the parliament on the Strong Armenia ticket. They were released from custody last week because of that.
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RFE/RL – Another Tsarukian Company Officially Seized By Government
The Armenian authorities have officially seized another of the several dozen companies belonging to Gagik Tsarukian that were effectively closed by them on July 6 during the opposition leader’s arrest promised by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
The Office of the Prosecutor-General said on Friday that an Armenian court in has agreed to place the shares in the Yerevan-based Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory under the government’s “management and maintenance” pending a verdict on prosecutors’ demand to confiscate Tsarukian’s assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The prosecutors had moved to seize them in 2023, invoking a controversial law that allows the nationalization of assets deemed to have been acquired illegally.
The court similarly allowed the government two weeks ago to take at least temporary control of Armenia’s main cement plant owned by Tsarukian. Pashinian pledged to nationalize the plant when he campaigned for the June 7 parliamentary elections in which Tsarukian’s Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) was one of the main opposition contenders. He has since repeatedly pledged to imprison and “dispossess” Tsarukian as well as the leaders of two other key opposition groups.
Tsarukian was arrested on charges of defrauding Iranian business partners strongly denied by him. Later in July, he was also charged with evading taxes paid by the brandy distillery.
His legal team has denounced the shutdowns of his companies as illegal and politically motivated. It did not immediately react to the distillery’s seizure.
Tsarukian did not comment on the crackdown in another statement from prison issued earlier on Friday. He instead expressed serious concern at a continuing deterioration of Russian-Armenian relations and its consequences for Armenia’s economy.
“I can see that Armenia faces a high probability of shocks,” said the tycoon who has long stood for close ties with Russia.
On Thursday, it emerged that a Russian-Belarusian business partner of Tsarukian, who owns minority stakes in his key companies, has accused the Armenian government of “unlawfully expropriating” his business interests and demanded that it “restore the status quo ante by, among other things, returning the management and control of the enterprises to their lawful shareholders and management bodies.” In a statement, the investor, Nikalai Vinitski, said he will take the government to international court “if the dispute cannot be resolved amicably through negotiations.”
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The straits are becoming a new geopolitical front
According to the Reuters agency, the Yemeni group “Ansar Allah” intends to set a fee for commercial ships in exchange for passage through the Bab el-Mandeb strait. Essentially, this meant creating its own system of “sea duties” on one of the world’s most important trade routes.
According to the agency, the Yemeni Houthis came up with this idea after they announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia and began attacking the kingdom’s ships and oil infrastructure.
As “Reuters” notes, the initiative to set a fee for crossing the Bab el-Mandeb strait was discussed during the visit of the Houthi delegation to Tehran. It should be noted that only in the case of global oil trade, 10-12% of supplies are carried out through the Bab el Mandeb Strait. The strait is considered the most important sea trade route connecting Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Concerns have arisen in a number of US and European political centers that the situation in the Straits of Hormuz and Bab el Mandem could become a “Pandora’s box” for other sea routes in the world.
It is believed that in the coming months, it will be vital for Trump and the United States to take decisive actions to overcome the deepening crisis in the Middle East. Otherwise, using the straits as a tool for political pressure and bargaining could become a new global trend. In addition, regional countries are already beginning to be suspicious of the effectiveness of US actions, being concerned about their possible consequences.
It is noteworthy that the Ministry of Defense of Saudi Arabia has already announced the holding of a meeting on the creation of a “Multinational Coalition for Maritime Security” yesterday. The goal of the coalition should be to strengthen security and defense in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. According to the ministry, thirteen Middle Eastern states have expressed support for the idea of creating a “Multinational Coalition for Maritime Security” and welcomed the goal of creating maritime defense structures.
We are talking about the following countries. Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Maldives, Pakistan, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey and Yemen Presidential Council Government.
It is obvious that, if this “coalition” is formed, it will also be directed against Iran’s actions (and not only). So far, it is hard to say what role the US has in this idea.
Now it is important to understand whether it means a decrease in confidence in US actions. Maybe it is an attempt to avoid future major military disasters, to unite the efforts of regional countries and to jointly solve a common problem? Or is it another alliance initiative of the USA, the goal of which will be the counterbalancing of interests in the Middle East and the formation of long-term confrontation mechanisms?
Former RA Deputy Defense Minister Artak Zakaryan
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“Strong Armenia” will announce its candidates for the positions of the National Assembly hours before the session
The “Strong Armenia” party will announce the NA vice-president and the chairpersons of the NA committees a few hours before the session of the National Assembly.
“We will come to the conference with a statement,” Narek Karapetyan told reporters.
He did not say which commissions they give priority to, they think that if they say, CP will take over that commission.
“There should be such committees that control their actions,” added Karapetyan.
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Baku’s information invasion continues
The state television company of Azerbaijan is promoting aggression and war against the Republic of Armenia.
Yesterday, the state television company “AZ TV” of Azerbaijan once again appeared with a video containing the name “West Azerbaijan” which is aggressive against the Republic of Armenia. In the video, they show that in Prague, on the street, they are holding some kind of event on the theme of “Exhibition of the historical and cultural heritage of Western Azerbaijan and Karabakh”.
In this article, they talk about their rich imagination, as a result of which they once again demonstrate their aggressive goals against Armenia.
The preparation of a report on the subject by the state TV company once again indicates that Azerbaijan is advancing invasion plans against Armenia at the state level, which is not only deliberately covered up by the current leadership, but also, one more thing, it is dangerously compared to the subject of Artsakh, which is a direct advocacy in favor of Aliyev’s invasion ambitions.
Azerbaijanologist Tatev Hayrapetyan
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SRC revealed a case of tax violation of 78.4 million drams in Tsaghkadzor
SRC Investigation and Operational Intelligence Department received operational information that the company providing hotel services and public catering in Tsaghkadzor city is hiding the true amounts of taxes to be paid. In order to avoid paying taxes, in the monthly calculations of income tax and social contribution, as well as value added tax and excise tax submitted to the SRC, the company includes distorted data on the real amounts of funds directed to the remuneration of employees, as well as the real sales turnover.
“In the course of extensive operational and investigative measures, it was found that the company did not calculate and did not pay a total of 78.4 million AMD in taxes and fees by entering apparently distorted data on the funds directed to the remuneration of employees and sales turnover in the calculations that are the basis for taxation submitted to the tax authority during the years 2023-2026. In particular, in the monthly calculations of income tax and social contribution submitted by the company to the tax authority during the years 2023-2026, the funds directed to the remuneration of employees were indicated as around 190.2 million AMD, while according to the information received, it amounted to more than 340.4 million AMD in the same period.
In addition, it was found that the actual turnover of public catering services by the company in the period from January 1, 2026 to June 15, 2026 was about 237.5 million AMD, while the company’s fiscal income during the same period was about 136.5 million AMD.
As a result of operative-investigative measures, a report was submitted to the main department of economic crimes and smuggling investigation of RA Investigative Committee, where criminal proceedings were initiated.
The State Revenue Committee urges all taxpayers to refrain from cases of non-documentation of economic transactions in the prescribed manner, and for this purpose, the SRC investigation and operational intelligence department will be consistent in finding out the true circumstances of the data reflected in the settlement documents on economic activity,” the message says.
Notice: the person accused of a crime is considered innocent until his guilt is proven in accordance with the procedure established by the RA Criminal Procedure Code, by a legally binding court verdict.
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Shengavit Medical Center to a new international level of medical care and service quality
Shengavit Medical Center has recorded another important achievement by receiving ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 7101:2023 international certificates. These international standards document that the activities of the medical center are organized and managed in accordance with the best international standards, ensuring continuous quality development, effective management and a patient-centered approach.
ISO 9001:2015 confirms that the center has implemented an effective quality management system, and ISO 7101:2023, the first international standard developed for healthcare organizations, defines new approaches to quality management of medical services, prioritizing patient safety, effective management of clinical and administrative processes, well-being of medical staff and sustainable development of healthcare services.
As the general director of Shengavit Medical Center, Alexander Urumyan, noted, this achievement is much more important for the medical center than receiving international certificates.
“For us, this is not just two international certificates. This is the international assessment of our work philosophy, responsibility and daily activities. Today, we can confidently say that quality control at Shengavit Medical Center has become an integral part of the organization’s culture. We have created such an environment where every process, every decision and every step is aimed at ensuring the patient’s safety, trust and high-quality medical care”, – emphasized Alexander Urumyan.
According to him, these international certificates are at the same time a new responsibility for the medical center.
“This important achievement obliges us to continuously improve the quality of management and medical services, implement international best practices and develop a healthcare environment that will meet the highest international standards. Our main goal remains unchanged: to provide safe, modern and high-quality medical care for every patient,” the general director said.
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The “Trojan Horse” policy
The authorities continue political repression and imprisonment of prominent and influential opponents.
Among the many previous cases, the illegal imprisonment of Avetik Chalabyan, the criminal case against Narek Karapetyan and the ordered prosecution against Liparit Drmeyan are among the most recent episodes. Well, the staged arrest of Gagik Tsarukyan crossed not only legal and political, but also additional moral boundaries.
Pashinyan consistently destroys the political and public sphere and silences opposition voices, daily rolling Armenia into the abyss of authoritarianism, contrary to his “democratic vows”.
All political persecution must stop, and public pressure is essential for this.
Former Minister of State of Artsakh Artak Beglaryan
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Trump ‘not sure’ he will let Ukraine build Patriot missiles
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he has not decided whether he will allow Ukraine to produce Patriot surface-to-air interceptor missiles, casting doubt on whether Washington will agree to one of Kyiv’s top priorities, FT reported.
The US president said in a phone interview with the FT that he was “not sure” whether Washington would grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missiles, adding that “we’re looking at it”. “It’s a very extraordinary weapon, and . . . we have to be a little bit careful of who we license to. We don’t really license equipment.”
Trump’s comments came just two days after he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House.
Zelenskyy had described the meeting as “good” and said the two leaders had discussed “Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas”. The US president had said in early July at the Nato summit in Türkiye that Washington would grant Kyiv a license to produce Patriot missiles.
Trump told the FT that his attention was focused on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, adding that his two envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, would visit Ukraine for the first time in the coming days.
Published by Armenpress, original at
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DR Congo Ebola cases surge beyond 3,500
The number of Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has exceeded 3,500, local authorities reported.
A total of 3,532 confirmed cases have been recorded, with 626 people having recovered and 1,556 having died. The mortality rate stands at 44.1%, according to the country’s Ministry of Communication and Media.
On May 17, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda an emergency and a threat to other countries. The WHO assesses the regional risk of the virus spreading as high.
Published by Armenpress, original at
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