A Yerevan-based lawyer representing Ruben Vardanyan, a prominent Armenian businessman jailed in Azerbaijan, said on Wednesday that she has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against a 20-year prison sentence given to him early this year.
The lawyer, Siranush Sahakian, accused Azerbaijani judicial and law-enforcement authorities of violating eight articles of the European Convention on Human Rights signed and ratified by Baku.
“Vardanyan’s individual guilt was not substantiated by facts or evidence in the verdict,” she said in a statement.
Vardanyan, who held the second-highest post in Nagorno-Karabakh’s leadership from November 2022 to February 2023, was arrested at an Azerbaijani checkpoint in the Lachin corridor in September 2023 as he fled the region along with its practically entire ethnic Armenian population. Seven other former Karabakh Armenian leaders were also arrested during the exodus that followed an Azerbaijani military offensive.
Five of them were sentenced to life imprisonment while the two others as well as Vardanyan received 20-year jail sentences in February at the end of yearlong trials denounced by Amnesty International as a “travesty.” They all denied a long list of accusations brought against them.
Unlike them, Vardanyan decided not to appeal against his sentence, saying that he does not want to legitimize the “politically motivated and unlawful” case. Sahakian said he cannot defend his rights “within a system that inherently denies the right to a fair trial.”
The lawyer announced the impending appeal to the Strasbourg court when she spoke to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on July 10. She said Azerbaijani authorities have made it possible by finally providing Vardanyan’s legal team with the full text of the guilty verdict against him. In her words, they remain reluctant to do so with regard to the seven other former Karabakh leaders.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and other Armenian officials insist that Yerevan has been doing its best to try to secure the release of the Armenian prisoners. Their critics dismiss these assurances.
Vardanyan has likewise repeatedly accused the Armenian government of being indifferent to the prisoners’ fate. He has repeatedly lambasted Pashinian in statements from an Azerbaijani prison released through his family. Davit Ishkhanian, another former Karabakh leader held in Azerbaijan, has gone farther, saying that Pashinian’s administration does not want Baku to free them.
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RFE/RL – Germany’s Merz Phones Pashinian After Talks With Aliyev
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for “further steps” to end the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan when he telephoned Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Wednesday the day after holding talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
According to an official German readout of the call, Merz and Pashinian discussed “the current situation in the Middle East, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and its impact on the South Caucasus.”
“The Chancellor encouraged further steps in the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan and emphasized its importance for regional stability,” it said without elaborating.
Pashinian’s office reported, for its part, that the two men spoke about “peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan” and agreed on its importance for “stable and lasting peace in the region.” It also gave no details.
Merz hailed the “historic” Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty initialed last August during a joint news conference with Aliyev that followed after their talks in Berlin on Tuesday. He described it as an “opportunity to resolve a conflict that has lasted for decades.”
“Whatever we can do to contribute to this from a German and European perspective, we will do,” added the German leader.
Azerbaijan makes the signing of the peace treaty conditional on a change of Armenia’s constitution which it says lays claim to Nagorno-Karabakh recaptured by Baku in 2023. While rejecting the Azerbaijani precondition in public, Pashinian has repeatedly called for the kind of constitutional change that is demanded by Aliyev.
The Armenian government drafted a new constitution earlier this year. In parliamentary elections held last month, Pashinian’s Civil Contract party fell short of a two-thirds majority in the new National Assembly required for putting the draft on a referendum. The Armenian opposition has vowed to prevent such a vote. Pashinian has yet to clarify how he is planning to overcome this hurdle.
Baku also wants Yerevan to open a land corridor connecting Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave and Turkey. Pashinian’s government has agreed to let the United States open and manage such a corridor that would run along Armenia’s border with Iran. Tehran remains opposed to the transit arrangement.
“The South Caucasus is also gaining importance as a link between Europe and Asia,” Merz said on Tuesday. “New transport and trade corridors are creating economic potential that we want to unlock together.”
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The people are waiting for the proposal of the opposition
July 22, 2026
The opposition field should be able to formulate such a proposal that will be consistent with the new geopolitical realities and at the same time serve the interests of Armenia.
In other words, Armenia should present itself to the outside world with a new approach.
When we say “outside world”, we do not mean only Russia, the United States, China or Iran individually.
We are talking about the entire international environment.
Details in the video
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The case of Gagik Tsarukyan takes on new shades, and that of his brother-in-law Khachatur Sukiasyan
July 22, 2026
While the legal process surrounding Gagik Tsarukyan is taking on new shades, his brother-in-law, member of the CP faction of the 8th convocation of the National Assembly, Khachatur Sukiasyan, continues to be on vacation.
“He is not in Armenia, he has not returned from vacation yet.” 168․amKhachatur Sukiasyan’s spokesperson conveyed to
To our question whether he may have heard the news and contacted us, the speaker replied: “He did not contact us.”
Still a week ago 168․aminformed and informed that Khachatur Sukiasyan is not in the country, he is on vacation, and surprisingly record also the unbroken silence of Khachatur Sukiasyan.
We reminded that Khachatur Sukiasyan made a reference to the law about Nikol Pashinyan’s idea of turning Tsarukyan’s house into a nursing home. “…if there is a requirement of the law, I think we should act according to the law.”
Also in 2020, when the National Assembly voted with 87 votes in favor of depriving Tsarukyan of his immunity and depriving him of his freedom at the request of the Prosecutor General, when the National Security Service conducted a search of Tsarukyan’s mansion, Khachatur Sukiasyan stated that although he is sorry for what happened, he does not know what legal platform he is on, what he is talking about.
“I have no legal education, I am not familiar with the materials, I have no right to express myself,” he said.
And Sukiasyan and Tsarukyan established in-law ties in 2019. Nikol Pashinyan was also present with the girls at the wedding of Gagik Tsarukyan’s daughter and Khachatur Sukiasyan’s son.
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Russia does not intend to take revenge on the people of Armenia. Russian senator
July 22, 2026
Recently, Nikol Pashinyan and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin had a principled conversation 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. Russia does not intend to take revenge on the people of Armenia, but it should be understood that we also have our own interests,” Jabarov said.
Nikol Pashinyan and Mikhail Mishustin met on July 6 in Yekaterinburg. During the negotiations, Pashinyan expressed hope that the existing problematic issues will be resolved.
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Dear Armenians, don’t be silent, don’t be afraid, don’t put up with it. Dear Tsarukyan, stay strong. how much
July 22, 2026
Political prisoner Khachik Galstyan’s message from house arrest:
“Dear compatriots,
I have been in prison for about seven months. Unfortunately, during that period of time, political persecutions and persecutions in our country have reached alarming proportions.
My solidarity and the assurance of my respects to Gagik Tsarukyan, Andranik Tevanyan, Aregnaz Manukyan, Armen Ashotyan, Avetik Chalabyan, Davit Ghazinyan, Ashot Yeghiazaryan and the rest of the friends imprisoned for their political activities.
In the mire of tyranny, which is deepening day by day, the ruling class is trying to silence, by instilling widespread fear, to suffocate every word of dissent, dissent, every hearth of resistance.
Dear Armenians,
Do not be silent, do not be afraid, do not put up with the whims of the dictator’s palate.
Speak, protect and support.
Silence and indifference is equivalent to drowning in the fetid swamp of dictatorship.
And finally, the window of my prison-turned-apartment looks directly at Mount Hatis. Every night, when my homeland is buried in widespread darkness, a light is lit on the top of the mountain. In the dark nightmare of the night, it seems to be a ray of hope, faith and victory, flooded with God, Faith and Motherland.
Dear Tsarukyan, stay strong.
Prisoner of homeland and conscience
Professor Khachik Galstyan.”
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The leader of the Diocese of Artsakh has isolated himself. The diocese has not had any meetings for a year
July 22, 2026
Last year, Nikol Pashinyan tried to remove the Catholicos of All Armenians from the throne with a group of church bishops under the name of “improving the church”.
For months, various representatives of the government, led by Nikol Pashinyan, were insulting the Catholicos, saying that the Catholicos “has a child” and should leave.
In November 2025, Nikol Pashinyan received the bishops who joined him in the Government, who were publicly named “Tiradavner”. Among those bishops were: Archbishop Abraham Mkrtchyan, Archbishop Arakel Karamyan, Bishop Anushavan Zhamkochian, Archbishop Kchoyan of Navasard, Bishop Tigranyan of Artak, Bishop Gevorg Saroyan and, surprisingly, Leader of the Diocese of Artsakh Vrtanes bishop Abrahamyan.
That move of the bishops caused great anger among the public, and the Armenians of Artsakh expressed their concerns about the step taken by Bishop Vrtanes, saying that it is unacceptable for them that the person representing the Diocese of Artsakh meets and shakes the hand of Nikol Pashinyan, who surrendered Artsakh.
Moreover, a day later, the Armenians of Artsakh gathered near the residence of the bishop of the diocese, trying to understand why His Holiness Vrtanes took that step, but the bishop did not receive any of the gathered. The Armenians of Artsakh even appealed to the Bishop, asking to discuss the issue of changing the head of the diocese.
For a long time now, Bishop Vrtanes does not appear in public places, does not participate in liturgies, does not speak about the problems of Artsakh Armenians in any way.
168.am Chairman of the Diocesan Council of Artsakh From Lernik Hovhannisyan I wondered if they had any meeting with Bishop Vrtanes, does he participate in any way in the complex events taking place in the life of Artsakh Armenians?
“I have nothing to do with him, I haven’t seen him since December 8, I only have contact with members of the diocesan council, and that’s it.” I repeat, I have nothing to do with him, we have not even met by chance during this time.
According to my information, during this entire period, he did not meet with the members of the diocesan council, in any case, he did not see any of those in Yerevan.” 168.am–Lernik Hovhannisyan said in a conversation with
To the question: do the members of the diocesan council have no desire to meet with the leader of the diocese, our interlocutor answered that they have applied to the Mother See, the Mother See handles the administration.
“We keep in touch with the Mother See, we have applied with a corresponding letter and we are waiting for the Mother See to take over,” emphasized Lernik Hovhannisyan.
Let’s remind that last year, on May 26, Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, went to Bern, Switzerland, and participated in the “Religious Freedom” organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Swiss Protestant Church. at the international forum entitled “Preservation of the Armenian spiritual, cultural and historical heritage in Artsakh/Nagar Karabakh”. During the conference, His Holiness addressed not only the issues of preservation of the spiritual and cultural heritage in Artsakh, but also the return of prisoners and Armenians of Artsakh held illegally in Baku.
After that, the attacks on His Holiness and the church began, first, the spiritual leader of Azerbaijan accused the Apostolic Church of “inciting war”, then the RA government, led by Nikol Pashinyan, started the attacks, demanding the removal of the Catholicos.
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Vahagn Hovakimyan’s income in 2025 is about 21.5 million drams (58,000 dollars)
July 22, 2026
“KP photographer”, a person who worked for Nikol Pashinyan, “mandate thief”, etc. In the post-election period, many citizens remembered CEC President Vahagn Hovakimyan with these qualities, but Hovakimyan has a better opinion of himself.
“I can say with a simple front that the elections of June 7, 2026 were free and transparent compared to all previous elections. There were very few deficiencies,” he said during the last press conference.
By the way, back in 2022, when Pashinyan was praising his one-time colleague and party member on the occasion of his nomination, he adopted another similar high-style speech. He said: “Vahagn Hovakimya has fought for the justice of elections throughout his career, and he is a representative of a political team under whose leadership all the elections held in Armenia were qualified by the international community as free, democratic and competitive.”
We witnessed “democratic”, “competitive” elections especially a month ago, when Pashinyan’s main opponent in the parliamentary elections was under house arrest, and various legal processes were started against others.
Along with these and other records: 168․amwith the regular publication of the series of declarations, refers to the 2025 declaration of property, income, expenses and interests of Vahagn Hovakimyan, who was elected as the chairman of the CEC by voting for himself.
in 2022 On October 7, at the extraordinary session of the National Assembly, Vahagn Hovakimyan was elected the chairman of the Central Electoral Commission exclusively by the votes of the CP. By the way, his own voice was decisive for him in that choice. Four days before the election, the ruling MP withdrew from the “Civil Contract” in order to comply with the law’s requirement to be non-partisan, and then to be nominated for the post of CEC president from the same faction, CP.
In his declaration, the Chairman of the CEC mentioned 2 immovable properties, a residential house and a plot of land in the Ajapnyak community, which he received as a donation in 2023 and manages alone.
We are also informed that in the reporting year, Hovakimyan sold the “Nissan” car he bought in 2021 for 1 million 400 thousand drams.
About the official’s funds․
Instead of 405 thousand 380 drams and 6000 dollars at the beginning of the year, the balances of the former CP’s bank accounts increased to 1 million 424 thousand 797 drams and 6000 dollars at the end of the year. During the year, his cash resources also increased, from 1.5 million drams to 2 million drams at the end of the year.
Vahagn Hovakimyan’s income of 21 million 483,900 drams for the reporting year, 2025, according to the declaration, was generated from 2,978,699 drams of income tax refund received from Finnakh, 155,887 drams of income received from CEC and other civil law contracts and 18,349,314 drams from labor remuneration and other payments equal to it.
As of December 31 of the reporting year, the balance of the principal amount of loans and borrowings of the official amounted to AMD 34,890,659. the subject of the mortgage was the construction of the house. During the year, he directed 5,446,000 drams to repay the loan.
He also declared a 100 percent share in “Hovakimyanner N.M.” in a commercial organization.
Reminder: 2022 item presented in 2023 of the declaration According to the agreement, Vahagn Hovakimyan was in sole ownership in the Ajapnyak community of Yerevan in 2020. the structure received as a donation on December 7 (according to the declaration, the characteristics of the structure are: newly built, acquired and registered and evaluated by the authorized body managing the real estate cadastre, those buildings that have not yet received state registration of rights, as well as buildings and structures voluntarily built on that plot of land by persons with ownership or land use rights, including voluntary structures in apartment buildings or adjacent to buildings).
Again in the same year, another immovable property and two parcels attached to the privately owned land acquired by donation again in the same community.
According to the same declaration, in August 2021, Hovakimyan bought a Nissan car. At the beginning of the year, his bank funds were 6010 USD and 431 thousand AMD, at the end of the year – 6000 USD and 335 thousand AMD. The available cash was 500 thousand drams at the beginning of the year, and 2 million drams at the end of the year.
The income of the reporting year was about 9 million 181 thousand drams, which Vahagn Hovakimyan received from the National Assembly, before being elected as the chairman of the CEC, in the amount of 6 million 142 thousand drams, and from the CEC in the amount of 3 million 39 thousand drams.
The declaring official also declared a 100 percent share: “Hovakimyanner N.M.” in a commercial organization whose activity, according to the SRC, is temporarily suspended.
Vahagn Hovakimyan’s wife, individual entrepreneur Lusine Movsisyan, did not disclose any information in the declaration.
Let’s note that the figure who left the “Civil Agreement” party on an opportune occasion was one of the founders of that party and also a member of the board. In general, Vahagn Hovakimyan’s work is directly related to Nikol Pashinyan. The Chairman of the CEC was a journalist of the “Haykakan Zhamanak” newspaper, then an assistant to MP Nikol Pashinyan, and later a deputy of the ruling power.
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Armenian wrestlers to compete at Baku youth championship
Armenian wrestlers will compete in the U17 World Championship in Baku, marking the first time Armenian athletes have participated in events in Azerbaijan since the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020. The move comes as the two countries have taken unprecedented steps towards finalising a peace treaty to end decades of conflict.
According to the Armenian Wrestling Federation, almost 20 athletes will take part in the event, set to run from 27 July to 2 August.
Sarkhan Musayev, a spokesperson of the Azerbaijani Wrestling Federation, told OC Media that the Armenian national team reserved its earlier decision not to participate in the championship at the last minute.
‘Initially, the Armenian team was not planning to participate — this was widely reported in the Armenian press as well — but they changed their minds, and we will ensure their complete safety’, Musayev stated. There was no explanation provided for why the Armenian team originally opted not to participate, or why the decision was reversed.
In 2023, during the World Shooting Championships, the Armenia team registered to participate in the competition held in Baku, but later canceled, citing security concerns.
Previously, Armenian athletes competed in the Senior World Championships in Baku in 2007 and in events during the 2015 European Games.
Referring to those tournaments, Musayev said, ‘We did not encounter any problems in that regard such as security or any other incident’.
Over the decades of conflict, people with Armenian surnames — or even those that sound Armenian — can be denied entry into Azerbaijan, a practice that Baku has denied it enforces.
In 2014, Turkish athlete Zafer Noyan was denied entry to Azerbaijan, reportedly because his surname sounded Armenian.
The US State Department’s travel advisory for Armenia still reads, ‘law enforcement officials have at times detained individuals from Armenia or with Armenian surnames for questioning or denied them entry into the country’.
Nonetheless, Musayev assured OC Media there would be no issues at the border.
‘As for the Armenian athletes, all necessary measures are being taken to ensure there are no complications regarding their entry into or exit from the country’, Musayev said, adding that ‘all state agencies and security services have been informed about this world championship; they are acting in unison and providing us with support on this matter’.
The Armenian athletes will be accommodated in the Baku Athletes’ Village, designated for participants in competitions held in Azerbaijan.
Addressing the possibility of incidents between athletes, Musayev emphasised that the federation regularly holds discussions with Azerbaijani wrestlers on this subject:
‘We require our local athletes — both generally and immediately before competitions — to refrain from aggressive behaviour toward any opponent, whether Armenian, from another country, or of a different nationality, and to avoid accompanying victory celebrations with political statements’.
Musayev also reported that Russian athletes of Armenian descent would be participating in the competition.
However, US wrestler Galust Torosian, who is also of Armenian descent, declined to participate in the U17 World Championship in Baku, citing safety concerns.
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Germany looks to Azerbaijan as Armenia ties shift regional relationships
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev have signed a series of economic agreements aimed at deepening Berlin’s access to Baku’s gas reserves and transit routes. The deal comes as Germany works to diversify its energy supply, and as Azerbaijan balances a Europe-leaning Armenia against a recently repaired relationship with Moscow.
Issued on: 22/07/2026 – 07:08
Aliyev’s visit to Berlin produced a Joint Declaration on the Strategic Agenda for Bilateral Partners and established an Azerbaijan-Germany Business Council.
“I am confident that the documents signed today will elevate our relations to a new level,” Aliyev told a joint press conference on Tuesday, saying a strategic dialogue had been launched and that Germany, “as the leading country of the European Union”, was increasing its influence in the South Caucasus.
Berlin’s interest is largely economic. Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan began supplying gas to Germany this year, as the EU moves away from Russian energy imports. Merz described the South Caucasus as “a key connectivity hub linking Europe and Asia” – a nod to the Middle Corridor, the trade route connecting the Caspian and Black Seas that bypasses Russia.
Reconciliation
Relations with Armenia, with which Azerbaijan is in a slow process of reconciliation after decades of brutal hostilities and war, also featured in the talks.
Merz congratulated Aliyev on the initialling of the peace agreement with Armenia, calling it a “historic agreement” offering “a new opportunity to permanently overcome the long-standing conflict”.
But the text, initialled at a White House ceremony last August, still awaits changes to Armenia’s constitution demanded by Baku before a final signature.
“Azerbaijan offered peace to Armenia and received a positive response,” Aliyev said, crediting the German government’s role as intermediary and noting that more than 40,000 tonnes of transit cargo had crossed Azerbaijan to Armenia, with Azerbaijani petrol and diesel “benefitting Armenian energy security”.
Berlin appears keen to avoid taking sides. Last March, Steinmeier’s trip to Baku followed a two-day visit to Armenia, where he urged both sides to summon “the courage to compromise”.
France, meanwhile, has tilted openly towards Yerevan, selling the country 36 Caesar howitzers for the Armenian army, alongside radars and armoured vehicles.
Could the war in Iran lay a path for peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan?
Armenia, meanwhile, has kept its membership of the Russian-led CSTO alliance – Russia’s “NATO” – frozen, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ruling out any return to active participation. Its parliament voted in February 2025 to launch the country’s EU accession process.
Azerbaijan Airlines jet
Baku is moving the other way. Relations with Moscow collapsed after Russian air defences struck an Azerbaijan Airlines jet on 25 December, 2024, killing 38 people when it crashed in Kazakhstan.
But on 17 July, foreign ministers Jeyhun Bayramov and Sergey Lavrov declared relations “fully normalised” after talks in Moscow, with direct flights set to resume and bilateral trade reaching $4.9 billion in 2025 – leaving the region’s map more fluid, and more contested, than at any point since the war.
(with newswires)
https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20260722-germany-looks-to-azerbaijan-as-armenia-ties-shift-the-regional-map
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