Category: News

There was a principled conversation between Pashinyan and Mishustin. senator

Liana Toganian

The politician believes that in the conditions of global instability, the only chance of survival for Armenia is friendship with Russia and EAEU membership.


Recently, there was a principled conversation between the Prime Ministers of Armenia and Russia Nikol Pashinyan and Mikhail Mishustin in Yekaterinburg. Russian Senator Vladimir Jabarov said this during the press conference held on the Sputnik Armenia multimedia platform, answering the question about the current state of bilateral relations in the background of the RA National Assembly elections.


“The situation in Armenia is difficult. You know that recently a meeting of prime ministers took place in Yekaterinburg. There was a principled conversation, and it was clearly said that Armenia should take a stand,” said the Russian senator.


He is convinced that the only chance for Armenia to survive in the conditions of global instability is to maintain friendship with Russia and membership of the Eurasian Economic Union.


“We will follow concrete steps. The villagers, who are unable to sell their products, are already expressing dissatisfaction. We do not intend to take revenge on the people, but we must understand that we have our own interests,” Jabarov said.


The meeting of the Prime Ministers of Armenia and Russia Nikol Pashinyan and Mikhail Mishustin took place on July 6 in Yekaterinburg. During the negotiations, Pashinyan expressed hope that the existing problematic issues will be resolved.


Earlier, the Kremlin announced that the desire to integrate into the European Union is Armenia’s sovereign right, but Yerevan cannot and should not implement this policy at the expense of EAEU countries. This was followed by restrictions on the export of Armenian products to Russia.


On May 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference that he believes that it would be right for both the citizens of Armenia and Moscow, the main economic partner, for official Yerevan to take a decision on EU membership as soon as possible. He also emphasized that although it is not Russia’s business, it is possible to hold a referendum and find out the opinion of RA citizens regarding membership. According to him, depending on its results, Moscow would also take action, he did not rule out that there could be a soft, civilized separation. Putin noted that Russia will support any decision of Armenia that will benefit the country.


Nikol Pashinyan told journalists on May 11 that Armenia remains a full member of EAEU, and the referendum will be held when there is an objective need.


After that, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk announced that some work is being done in Armenia towards the transition to EU standards, and if Armenia starts making changes in technical regulations, it will already create certain threats for EAEU.


On May 29, at the EAEU summit held in Astana, the leaders of the member states of the association issued a joint statement, in which, in particular, they emphasized the need to decide on the further integration of Armenia as soon as possible. After the summit, Putin announced that leaving the EAEU could result in a loss of about 14% of GDP.


According to statistical data, if Armenia leaves the Eurasian Economic Union, it will lose almost 40% of its trade turnover.

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Verelq: The Armenia-Iran conference has started in Syunik

Bedik Zaminian

The Armenia-Iran forum has started in Syunik, in which representatives and experts of leading Armenian and Iranian analytical centers are participating. This was reported by the RA Syunik Marz Governor’s Office.

Syunik Marz Governor Robert Ghukasyan took part in the official opening of the event and gave a speech of welcome. In his speech, the governor highly appreciated the Armenian-Iranian friendly relations and their significance for Armenia, particularly for Syunik. He welcomed the participants of the meeting and wished the discussions an effective and successful working process.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Iran to Armenia Khalil Shirgholami also welcomed the attendees and thanked them for their participation. He expressed his belief that the work done by expert groups can further develop cooperation between friendly countries.

The purpose of the conference is to facilitate the harmonization of the approaches of Yerevan and Tehran, to identify new directions of cooperation between the two countries, as well as to develop practical recommendations for decision-making bodies.

During the workshop, expert discussions will refer to political, economic, regional developments and other issues.

As a result of the conference, it is planned to develop proposals and form future programs of Armenian-Iranian expert institutional cooperation.

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Homenetmen Kicks Off First PR Conference in Yerevan

Hagop Kamalian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 July 21, 2026

 

in Armenia, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

The opening ceremony of the pan-Homenetmen PR Conference in Yerevan on Jul. 20


The first pan-Homenetmen public relations conference kicked off its three-day activities on Monday at the Armavir hall in Yerevan’s Holiday Inn hotel.

Among the 30 participants were Homenetmen regional public relations officials, representatives of the organization’s Central Executive PR committee, as well as six members of the Central Executive.

For some time now, Armenia has become a hub for all-Homenetman events. In conjunction with the conference, the Homenetmen kicked of its “Arartian” Order scouting jamboree in Aghveran on Tuesday. The Armenian Athlete Day will also be celebrated on Friday and will coincide with the start of the Homenetmen General Assembly.

Conference Opening Day
The opening of the pan-Homenetmen PR Conference began with the singing of the Aremnia, Artsakh, and Homenetmen anthems. Attending the official opening ceremony were Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau member Lilit Galstyan; Hamazkayin Central Executive Chairman Zakar Keshishian and Central Executive member Dickran Babikian; former Homenetmen Central Executive member and Co-Chairman of the Central Executive of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia Stepan Der Bedrosian.

Homenetmen Central Executive member and PR committee chair Viken Avakian welcomed the attendees. In his remarks, Avakian noted that the congress is the first of its kind in the history of the organization and is tasked with answering three main issues—the future direction of the organizations public relations efforts; who will lead those efforts; and how to harness Homenetmen’s international status for the success and development of its PR efforts.

Then, the conference began its work with a roundtable, the topic of which was “Youth, Values, Accessibility and Publicity of Homenetmen’s Activities in Armenia.” The roundtable was chaired by Artur Mgrdichian, a member of the Homenetmen Central Executive’s PR Committee. The panel included journalist, public figure and public relations specialist Astghik Avetisyan, the Chairman of the Homenetmen Central Executive’s PR committee Dr. Kevork Hakobjian, and Homenetmen-HASK member Anoushik Panossyan.

First Day Sessions
The session included panel discussions on the following topics:

  • “Homenetmen’s Advocacy Yesterday and Today,” with a presentation by Viken Avakian. The session was moderated by Astghik Achekian, a member of the PR committee.
  • “Homenetmen’s Involvement in the World of Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity,” with a presentation by Jirair Beojekian. The session was moderated by Kevork Hakobjian.

The Congress also heard, in a separate session, a status report on the current PR efforts by the organization’s various regions, based on a previously sent questionnaire, with relevant evaluations, and proposals and ideas for the future. The report was presented by Kevork Hakobjian.

Visit to the National Library
That afternoon, the participants of the conference, visited the Armenian National Library, where they were introduced to its 107-year history. They visited its various departments and had a meeting-discussion with the Director of the National Library, Anna Julyan.

On this occasion, copies of Homenetmen literature were donated to the library in the names of the participants of the conference. Homenetmen Central Executive member and editor of its official newspaper the Marzig, Viken Avakian presented to the library’s management the digitized copies of the complete collection of the publication, spanning more than 46 years and including 441 issues.

Then, the Chairman of the Homenetmen Central Executive, Hagop Khacherian, presented the Homenetmen emblem as a memento to the library management. He said that the National Library and Homenetmen are doing a great job of preserving the Armenian identity and that the two can develop cooperation that can be of great benefit to the younger generation in general and Homenetmen in particular.

On Tuesday, conference partipants visited the Yerablur national cemetery and met with the participants of the scouting program. During the day, the participants also visited the National Archives of Armenia and “Yerkir Media” broadcast offices.

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Asbarez: Element Band to Showcase New Album in Los Angeles Concert

Manouk Vasilian
by Contributor

 

 July 22, 2026

 

in Arts & Culture, Latest, Music, News, Top Stories

Element Band will showcase its about-to-be-released album “Pyur” with a concert Sunday, August 30 at 7:30 p.m. at The Ford amphitheater in Los Angeles.

This special performance features a remarkable ensemble of 12 musicians along with several vocalists, including Soseh Aramouni Keshishyan, whose distinctive voice has played a key role in the band’s evolution, and Natalie Avunjian, whose unique vocal style has added depth and beauty to the group’s sound.

Established in 2005 by Ara Dabandjian, Element Band has become a leading force in bringing Armenian music to audiences around the world. Through thoughtful arrangements and rich instrumentation, Dabandjian has created a sound that resonates across generations, reviving and preserving songs that might otherwise have faded away.

The evening’s program includes a mix of new works from “Pyur” and beloved classics, along with a few surprises arranged by Dabandjian, as part of a celebration of heritage, creativity, and the power of live music.

To purchase tickets, visit The Ford website.

Programs, artists, dates, prices, and availability subject to change. Ticket limits may apply. All sales are final.

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168: They removed me from the proceedings out of fear. the investigators directed the Iranians. as

Hambardsumian Paul

July 22, 2026


Yerem Sargsyan, the defense attorney of PAP leader Gagik Tsarukyan, was removed from the proceedings today, preventing him from continuing to defend the interests of Gagik Tsarukyan.

“Before the confrontation began, they decided that I, as Gagik Tsarukyan’s defender, would be removed from the proceedings. Because the Iranian citizen testified that I was also present during their general meetings, and they considered that I could have information about the case and be questioned as a witness. This is the peak of illegality,” said Yerem Sargsyan in a conversation with journalists near the Central Committee.

According to him, yesterday they were already trying to create grounds to remove him from the proceedings.

“It is certain that the CC took that step out of fear, because yesterday Tsarukyan’s defense team defeated the prosecution. I directly asked the Iranian involved in the case, if he remembers that I was present at the meeting with Gagik Tsarukyan, can he indicate in what capacity I participated in those meetings?

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  • The sculptor in the cage of the authorities. Tsarukyan’s defenders will still reflect on the statements of Vigen Avetis

He directly stated that he recognized him as Gagik Tsarukyan’s lawyer. The Code of Criminal Procedure states: “A lawyer may not be examined as a witness in connection with the services rendered by him as a lawyer. They didn’t learn that much, they didn’t manage to teach me, I prevented it, I asked that question during the confrontation, because I saw that they want to prepare grounds for removing me from the proceedings, because I am disturbing a lot by exposing their illegalities,” added the lawyer.
It should be noted that today at 15:00 Yerem Sargsyan was invited to the RA Investigative Committee for questioning as a witness.

Details in the video of 168.am

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CEC allowed Narek Karapetyan to be charged. Aram Vardevanyan

Manouk Vasilian

July 22, 2026


The RA Central Electoral Commission satisfied the petition of the prosecutor’s office, and Narek Karapetyan, a member of the “Strong Armenia” party, will be deprived of parliamentary immunity.

On July 21, it became known that the RA Prosecutor’s Office submitted a petition to the CEC to deprive Karapetyan of his immunity, based on the accusations attributed to party member Alik Aleksanyan (incentivizing people to participate in pre-election gatherings and money laundering). The CEC had already sent back the petition of the RA Prosecutor’s Office once, but on July 13, the Prosecutor’s Office again submitted the same petition to the commission for consideration.

“The CEC, having examined the issue of indicting Narek Karapetyan, has satisfied the circumstance of giving consent. This is not a waiver of immunity, it is a consent to prosecution. In order to deprive of freedom, the CEC must give its consent again.

We presented our counterarguments”, said lawyer, member of “Strong Armenia” party Aram Vardevanyan in a conversation with journalists after the session.

Before that, he said that it is clear from the petition submitted by the CEC on July 13 that the prosecutor’s office seems to have confused the status of the CEC with an administrative court or an appellate administrative court in a certain sense.

“Having submitted the same petition to the CEC, the prosecutor’s office expected that the CEC should simply change its position. That’s how it happened, because the CEC did not just return the petition without substantive examination at that very moment, but began to conduct an investigation,” Vardevanyan emphasized.

Narek Karapetyan was not present at the closed session of the CEC.

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“It’s not like that: in May they make a noise about aid to Armenia, in June to Europe

Vanyan Gary

July 22, 2026

For the third month now, Armenian producers are unable to export their products to the Russian market. Russia has imposed restrictions on the export of goods from Armenia. According to the Russian side, the reason is the quality of goods exported from Armenia.

As a result of this decision, the Armenian producers faced a problem, from time to time they carry out protest actions, they demand the Government to solve the problem, because the product is just dumped, but there is no solution.

The government is talking about exporting to the EU market, but the producers are countering that very little is exported to the EU market, which means that they have to negotiate with the Russian side to enter the Russian market.

Today, how open is the EU market for Armenian products, does Europe have a demand for Armenian products, and in general, can Armenia replace the Russian market with the European market in terms of export volumes?

Read also

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  • Pashinyan will lose power very quickly if he refuses to fulfill the demands of the West. they follow him. Hrant Mikayelyan

Chairman of the Republican Union of Employers, economist Gagik Makaryan answering these questions explained that, firstly, the European market does not have a particular demand or prominence for any product.

In other words, what Armenia offers to the EU market and that market is trying to meet that offer, it is simply doing it to help balance the demand of the EAEU market to a certain extent.

“Thus, in order to further weaken the Russian factor and further reduce the role of Russia.

The EU market is so diverse, and so many countries are trying to enter that market, including Turkey itself, which is enough to provide everything in the field of agriculture, not counting African and European countries. Let’s not forget that there are countries with a fairly high level of agriculture in Europe, including France, Germany, and Spain, which are able to provide large agricultural products.

Now about Armenia, when we talk, for example, about our apricots, the latest exports and professional analyzes have already shown that there is no significant demand, and it’s not like in the EU they say, well, if it’s an Armenian apricot, then it’s the best, we should take it, etc. of 168.am Gagik Makaryan said in a conversation with

According to him, the Armenians living in Europe, the Diaspora Armenians, can play an important role in the export of Armenian products to the European market. They can present Armenian products well with their speeches in different places, they can also become buyers. However, there is no activity on their part due to the fact that Armenia’s ties with the diaspora have weakened quite a bit, as a result of which the cohesion of the diaspora has weakened quite a bit. Diplomats can also play an important role.

“The same can be said about the Armenian Apostolic Church: the churches in the Diaspora, which could have done a great job, are not active or have become more cautious after the recent events.

When the EU announced that it allows 80 percent of Armenian products without customs duties, the Deputy Minister of Economy clarified that these are also the products included in the “GSP” list and agricultural products, there are 6200 types of products in the “GSP” list. These are various products, starting from clothing, mining materials, and other things.

Now Armenia can take advantage of this opportunity, if, of course, it can meet several requirements. First of all, we must have these requirements in order to be able to sell them, if they are not produced in Armenia, therefore, we cannot export them. Even if we have it, the quantity of most of it is so small that it may not provide large volumes,” added our interlocutor.

According to Gagik Makaryan, in terms of agricultural products, Armenia should ensure the existence of food safety management, ISO-2020, “BI AR SI” packaging standard, etc. The third factor also refers to transport logistics, which are longer and more expensive, which are not adapted and tested for all products. In other words, is the product, which has to travel for 7-8 days, able to maintain the appearance of the product, in particular, it refers to agricultural products?

“The fourth problem is that we don’t have contracts, no matter how much European countries want to help. Europe is not in the habit of making changes or planning anything in the middle of the year, they did it last year. For example, in France they plan 6 months in advance. Therefore, it is not the case that in May they raise noise for help in Armenia, and in June Europe says: we will help you.

The next problem concerns the entrepreneurs, they must have that knowledge, the will to read and study the laws in order to familiarize themselves with the international arbitration laws, the requirements of the conventions, the main EU directives, trademarks, their requirements, etc.

We have exported few products, they should at least study this experience. Unfortunately, state bodies do not draw appropriate conclusions from this. The culture of working with outsiders should be improved. We also have problems with working with the United States, because the requirements are different there too,” emphasized Gagik Makaryan.

Speaking about the Russian market, the economist stated that the Russian market is very large, the population is large, which is almost more than 30 percent of all the countries next to the EU.

In addition, Russians like to spend, especially until recently, when there was no inflation, they have funds, they made money in various ways, etc.

“Under such conditions, our volumes will never compete with Russian volumes, if we export 53,000 tons of apricots, and in the best case, we did not export 5,000 tons to Europe, as for other products, 1-2 percent is already exported.

The government should carry out very intensive works, but look at what it is doing, it says: I will subsidize, and you take it away. In principle, it seems that everything is fine, but there is no driver, or the product is not available. The government should go down further, it seems to be market relations, it should not interfere, but it should intervene, count the number of products more accurately, regulate the requirements for drivers, technical requirements for cars, etc.

Let me give a simple example: for example, the onion harvest is suffering in France due to the heat, our diplomacy should have run and said to export onions from Armenia, they should have tried to determine the price and other possibilities. For the third year, I say: develop the institute of air cargo transportation, it is enough to stick only to cars, because they can deliver a large amount of goods in a few hours by plane. We are talking about cargo planes,” emphasized Gagik Makaryan.

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“Narek Torosyan was my student. he was a good man with a gentle character. i don’t want

Antranik Varosian

July 22, 2026


Tigran Abrahamyan writes: “The soldier Narek Torosyan, who died as a result of the incident in the military unit of Champarak, was my student.

During my work, unfortunately, I was involved in a large number of such incidents, and the death of each serviceman caused me deep pain.

Narek was a good person, a boy with a gentle character and high human qualities, who enjoyed the love and respect of the students and faculty.

Based on the delicacy and specifics of the case, I do not want to talk about hypotheses or the circumstances known to me.

However, one thing is clear. the state does not take a proper approach to disciplinary problems, the morale and psychological state of the troops and ensuring control, which, as a serious consequence, leads to similar incidents.

The requirement is an objective, multifaceted investigation and, as a result, prevention of similar cases.

My condolences to Narek’s family, relatives and friends.”

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“KP’s goal is to have few opposition members in the National Assembly. methods that to date

Christine Harutyunian

July 22, 2026


The RA Central Electoral Commission has accepted the petition of the prosecutor’s office, and Narek Karapetyan, a member of the “Strong Armenia” party, will be deprived of parliamentary immunity.

“The CEC, having examined the issue of charging Narek Karapetyan, has satisfied the circumstance of giving consent. This is not a waiver of immunity, it is a consent to prosecution. In order to deprive of freedom, the CEC must give its consent again,” in a conversation with journalists after the CEC session said lawyer Aram Vardevanyan.

Larisa Alaverdyan, the first human rights defender of RA According to the assessment, Nikol Pashinyan is making these steps so that there will be very few opposition MPs in the upcoming parliament.

“KP does not have a constitutional majority in the parliament, so their goal is to have few opposition parties in the NA.

Read also

  • “It’s not like that: in May, they raise noise for help in Armenia, in June, Europe says: we will help you.” Gagik Makaryan
  • New diplomatic activity around “3 3”. Why isn’t the platform up and running yet, and what could change?
  • Pashinyan will lose power very quickly if he refuses to fulfill the demands of the West. they follow him. Hrant Mikayelyan

This is the continuation of the political persecutions that started in Armenia and the direct destruction of dissidents, be it the media, by the way, I do not rule out that soon the same will begin with the media, be it a direct citizen or an opposition figure.

There is no change, because the methods that have not been used until now will be used. If there are no such methods, then they will be invented by the CP.

All the promises, which we are not aware of, must be fulfilled by the ruling committee, everything will be done for that.” of 168.am said Larisa Alaverdyan in a conversation with

According to him, one should never think that these steps by the authorities have a limit, just as goodness is unlimited, so these political persecutions are unlimited as evil deeds.

“I have said several times that these challenges we are dealing with are completely new. Many times not only for RA society, but for everyone in general.

I confess, I have said several times that we do not find adequate answers to these evil challenges, this should be accepted as a sad fact,” stressed Larisa Alaverdyan.

He emphasized that it is necessary to apply to the courts and the number of applications should be very large, the same opposition should be able to secure thousands of applications, because the rights of thousands of people are being violated.

“We know 2-3 bodies to which we appeal, that is, the UN, the European Union and the EU Council, which openly interferes in these processes, there are other bodies as well. There are various rights related to disability, children’s rights that are being violated, today 60 thousand Artsakh citizens are left out of these many processes.

It is necessary to appeal to everyone, everyone,” emphasized Larisa Alaverdyan.

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