Category: News

The former Prime Minister of Ukraine (2010-2014) Mykola Azarov stated that the state debt accumulated by the Kyiv regime cannot be paid either practically or theoretically.

According to him, Zelensky’s further accumulation of public debts is similar to the behavior of a drug addict or a gambler, who cannot control himself and understands that everything has already been sold, anyway, he will not return anything, so taking one loan more or less does not play a role.

“This is absolutely irresponsible behavior. And all those Western countries that decide to provide loans to the Kiev regime are either stupid or they understand that this is not a loan, but an irreversible grant. And despite the fact that it is formalized by certain documents, no one will fulfill them. Simply because they are impossible to fulfill. I mean the return of the loan.”he said.

He also said that it is time to give Zelensky the nickname “Vladimir 30 percent”. they steal so much from the budget of Ukraine.

“The basis of the Kyiv regime, the system of bribes, which is managed by the president, is not broken. Money circulates through offshore and buying real estate in the West. And the Europeans close their eyes to all this, because Zelensky is in their favor.”

Regarding the statement of the Kyiv regime about a possible attack on Belarus, the former Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov called it An adventure like the Kursk operation.

“But when the Kursk adventure was being carried out, the Kiev regime had at least some inflow in the ranks of the armed forces of Ukraine, and now there is an outflow. I don’t think that the General Staff of the Kyiv regime is planning to start military operations against Belarus. Most likely, these are statements at the level of gangster elements who circle around Zelensky and spew all kinds of nonsense. I think that the General Staff understands that opening a northern front means exposing the capital to serious danger, after all, the distance from the border to Kyiv is not great.

This is a farcical scenario, but I have no doubt that the Kyiv regime would like to carry out such a provocation.

It is a different matter that Alexander Lukashenko recently warned the Kiev regime that the answer will be very serious. I think that he will not limit himself only to protest notes and so on, but will implement his warning to the full extent.

Prepared for publication 168.amthe

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Each of the options of the opposition forces that passed the parliament to take the mandates or give them up has its advantages and disadvantages, but the problem is not to choose the form, but to have a clear strategy. About this today, after the court session, 168.amin response to the question, he said Serzh Sargsyan, the third president of RA, chairman of RPAtalking about the results of the NA elections.

According to the third president, success can be achieved in both ways.

“Now the political forces that have passed to the parliament will have to make a decision, and we all have to obey that decision, we all have to implement those decisions,” said Serzh Sargsyan.

The third president of the Republic answered the question: is the street struggle agenda realistic today? “The street is always useful.”

“I think it’s no secret for anyone that there were massive violations both in the pre-election phase and on the voting day, and I think that if we, for example, held such elections in 2017, then European observers would definitely record the following sentence that both the pre-election phase and the election day were marked by widespread violations, but I don’t expect that the observers will make such a record now. For obvious reasons, no, because in that pre-election phase their political leaders expressed full support to the current authorities, I think it will constrain those people,” added the Third President.

Serzh Sargsyan also spoke about the recount of votes, noting that the recount can change the situation. The third president expressed confidence that the “Prosperous Armenia” party will receive mandates as a result of the recount, and if not, it will be unclear why.

Serzh Sargsyan answered the journalist’s question: Is the Republican Party ready for a street fight? “The Republican Party is ready to always support the political forces that received the vote of our people in a sufficiently large amount.”

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On June 4, news spread that Military Police officers are issuing notices to Armenian citizens arriving to Armenia from Russia to participate in training sessions at RA border checkpoints.

RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan immediately responded in a conversation with journalists that there is a set procedure for the notification, and it is carried out in accordance with those procedures.

“There is a procedure for notification. Notification usually occurs in that order. It is not physically possible to give notice there. No summons can be issued to anyone directly at the airport. The military police carries out the functions assigned to it, and various state structures can carry out appropriate actions if necessary,” Papikyan said.

The Minister of Defense responded to the counter-argument: can it be ruled out that citizens from Russia can be sent to 25-day training camps?

“How can I rule that out?” A citizen of the Republic of Armenia coming from Russia is a soldier, doesn’t he have any duties towards his homeland? Naturally, I cannot rule it out. Not only from Russia, France, the United States of America, etc., etc.

Papikyan voiced the same idea in a briefing with journalists on the day of the NA elections.

“I think it is legitimate for RA citizens who are in military service to fulfill their responsibilities to the motherland, that is, apart from exercising their rights, they also fulfill their duty to the motherland,” he emphasized, assuring that the notices about participating in training camps were not issued by his and Nikol Pashinyan’s instructions, because they were on vacation, and it is nothing that, being the prime minister on vacation, at least Pashinyan gave instructions to the law enforcement officers during the pre-election period. In general, even today we live in the period of unwritten laws, if not to say, violation of the requirements of the laws.

On June 9, Edward Asryan, head of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, addressed the journalists ասել՝  it is true that all those registered in the reserve force must go to training sessions in order, not agreeing, of course, that there is a selective approach towards those with oppositional views.

Yes, within the limits of the law, RA citizens registered in the reserve army must participate in the training camp, and yes, without discrimination, selectivity and not dictated by the political moment. But the problem is in the last thought range, that is, it is the current authorities that push to consider the army and the training camps as a punitive action.

Should NEWS.am journalist Narek Khachatryan participate in training sessions the very day after the election? notification receipt does not fit into the above-mentioned logic, when on the day of voting, he recorded the gathering of hundreds of servicemen at the polling station in Sotk minutes before the end of the voting, as well as persons in civilian clothes who entered the polling station with the servicemen and did not leave them in any way, who did not have any status that would allow them to be in the polling station at that moment.

It is not excluded that the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia will not see any intention here and will say that employees of other media also receive such notifications, including governmental ones, that Narek Khachatryan, for example, will leave for a training camp on June 23, etc. Maybe, suppose we believed that everything was a coincidence and not intentional.

But next to this, there are also reports that the “sect” of male RA citizens from other countries was closed, although they were not accused of anything, nor did they receive a training camp notice, they were kept to give the notices one by one. Here, of course, the leadership of the defense department will say what we have already mentioned above. And before this we have the notes and appeals of the representatives of the authorities.

In particular, Gevorg Papoyan, RA Minister of Economy, Deputy Chairman of the “Civil Contract” Party Department, answered the question regarding the arrival of “100,000 voters from Russia” days before the elections. answered. 

“I’m very happy because A) most of those people, our polls show, will vote for us, B) we need those people because now we are holding one-month (training) gatherings․․․ yes, and it would be great if it was 100․000 people, let’s say 30-40 thousand will stay here, we will send them to training camps. They will participate in a training camp for a couple of months, then return to Kaluga. What is it, what is the problem?’

It should be noted that Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan did not serve in the army, the question here is not how legal or illegal it is to be released from service, but that a person who has not served can reserve the right to such a call.

Later, Taron Chakhoyan, Deputy Head of the RA Prime Minister’s Office, made a similar statement, stating:

“Those who arrived in Armenia for Samo from Kaluga with election bribes from Russia will participate in 25-day training camps. Some incomprehensible discussions have started since yesterday, whether those people should be involved in the 25-day training sessions or not. Answer: definitely yes, they should be involved. For one simple reason: if these people are citizens of the Republic of Armenia and have the right to vote in Armenia, naturally they also have duties towards the Republic of Armenia and must participate in the 25-day training camps. And all those who avoid the 25-day training sessions will naturally be subject to criminal liability.”

Chakhoyan in the biography nothing about military service either.

Are these people who have not served in the army, are they the defense ministers who decide who will be drafted? By the way, such behavior of government representatives is not new.

During the days of the resistance movement, in 2022, Andranik Kocharyan, a deputy of the “Civil Agreement” faction, called on the RA Police and the National Security Service to collect the data of citizens participating in political events and actions of the opposition and transfer them to the RA Ministry of Defense, which, according to him, “will use these ‘well-trained’ young people capable of following simple instructions to enrich the mobilization resource of our army and protect the security of the borders of Armenia and Artsakh.” in order to attract”.

At the same time, information was spread in the press that summonses to participate in the three-month mobilizations of the Ministry of Defense were sent to the opposition, including Taron Manukyan, the son of MP Gegham Manukyan, who was under arrest at that time.

By the way, at that time, Kocharyan made a similar call to journalists as well to address

In other words, taking the oppositionists to the training sessions would not have been manipulated so much if the authorities themselves had not created such an environment and atmosphere, after all, they go to the sessions in politically passive regions as well. This is the first. Second, notices of training sessions were also sent to the sons of the government representatives. For example, in April of this year, we once again tried the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia պարզել՝ Why was Ashot Pashinyan not called at least once for training camps after completing his mandatory military service, in response to which the department headed by Suren Papikyan informed us.

“In response to the letter dated 18.03.2026 addressed to the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia. In response to your request, we inform you that the training sessions of reservists are carried out in accordance with the procedure and time limits established by the RA government. The selection of reservists is carried out according to the schedule and specialty of military accounting.

At the same time, we inform you that in 2023-2026 During this period, only 4.7 percent of those registered in the reserve force with Ashot Pashinyan’s military accounting specialty participated in the training sessions, and Ashot Pashinyan has not yet participated.”

The Ministry of Defense has kept secret Ashot Pashinyan’s profession or specialization in military accounting in the reserve forces, bypassed our questions to present legal justifications related to participation in training camps.

It seems that the son of Andranik Kocharyan, who served as the chairman of the National Defense and Security Committee, has not been called to the training camp these years either, we will try to get an official clarification from the RA Ministry of Defense regarding his son as well.

168.amthe had written that Kocharyan’s youngest son served in Haykazov, Artsakh, and continued his service in Vanadzor after the 44-day war.

We also have a problem with the training camps, that the participants are correctly allocated according to their military specialization. A problem we also had during the 44-day war.

And in 2026, as RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan previously announced, 20,000 reservists will be conscripted to training camps, instead of 16,000 in 2025.

It should be noted that Article 59 of the RA Law “On Military Service and the Status of Servicemen”. defines that “Military commissariats carry out a preparatory process for the organization of the training camp at least three months before the day of the announcement of the training camp: in order to ensure the citizen’s participation in the announced training camp by clarifying the circumstances and conditions of not being called to the training camp provided by the 5th and this parts of this article and the health condition of the citizen, within the framework of which the citizen in the Republic of Armenia is obliged to appear at his military registration body based on the corresponding notification of the military commissariat”.

In other words, here too we have gaps in the law, which does not specify when the RA citizen should receive the notification and in what time frame he should go to the training camp, otherwise there is room for maneuver. As for who can be called to the training sessions carried out within the framework of reservist training, in detail on one occasion we have presented. 

And Article 29 of the RA Law “On Defense” as well defines:

“1. The conscription of the citizens registered in the reserve force during the conscription is carried out by the military commissariats within the terms stipulated by the conscription plans of the armed forces and other troops.

2. A citizen who:

1) fixed in accordance with the procedure established by the Government of the Republic of Armenia.

2) was declared unfit for military service due to his health condition;

3) has four or more children.

4) He is a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.”

Of course, half-joking-half-serious, we can propose that the legislative privilege be abolished, and MPs and members of the government who have passed the military service counting on their fingers be given the opportunity to participate in training sessions for 25 days and to keep the 29,743 sq km sovereign border of the Republic of Armenia they declared for 2 weeks. They will not take such a step, will they perceive the army as a place of punishment?

Mariam Petrosyan

P.S. In 2017, during the discussion of the draft law “On Military Service and the Status of Military Servicemen” submitted by the Government to the National Assembly, MP Naira Zohrabyan of “Tsarukyan” bloc was a question fix Minister of Defense Vigen Sargsyan: “how to make the army more attractive than a prison.” In other words, a disrespectful attitude towards the army has been expressed at all times, and perhaps the government had its share of the blame. And now Nikol Pashinyan’s government is working very actively.

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Apricot harvest is approaching, but the executive still does not clarify what fate awaits Armenian apricots, and, for example, whether it is planned to include apricots in the package of privileges, considering the perspective of EU liquidity.

For several days, CP members and their close circles have been “announcing” that 20 trucks loaded with Armenian apricots will leave for Poland at the end of June. And although it is not yet clear which company will carry out the export and under what conditions, but? agriculturist Harutyun Mnatsakanyan for it is already clear that 20 truckloads of apricots is not a solution to the problem.

“About 50,000 tons of apricots were exported last year. And if you count those 20 trucks by 20 tons, it will be 400 tons. 400 tons makes a little less than 1 percent of 50,000 tons.” 168․amHarutyun Mnatsakanyan elaborated in a conversation with

Talking about the possibility of subsidies, as the government did for peppers, tomatoes, strawberries and flowers (although, for example, flower producers were note that is not a solution either), the farmer drew attention to the European standards.

“Since the European Union is very attentive to food, those apricots must meet their standards through laboratory analysis. Saying no. Well, let’s assume that Poland entered somehow, but what will the rest do?

I exported 3 tons of apricots one year, and I also paid environmental money to destroy those apricots.

In any case, these subsidies are short-term solutions, but what will happen in the long-term, how will it be so closed? They are exporting billions of dollars, how will they solve the problem with that subsidy or compensation?” he added.

In which case the direction to the EU can be considered as a diversification direction, in response to our question, Harutyun Mnatsakanyan listed the necessary priority conditions.

“We must have appropriate quality laboratories that can do normal sampling, check normal quality characteristics to understand whether the exported product meets the European standard. The state, SATM should work in such a way that any increase in the production of fruits and vegetables has traceability. In other words, any farmer should know what type and quantity of pesticide he uses, what type of pesticide he uses, what fertilizer…, our interlocutor mentioned, reminding that recently one of the media had conducted its own independent study and found banned substances in almost all fruits and vegetables. He wants to make a subsidy, he wants to compensate the cost of transportation, in addition to that, it is necessary to reduce the cost of plants and many other similar factors. When you add it all together, you realize that all this has not been done for 8 years, and it will take another 8 years to do it.”

In the context of Russian restrictions, Harutyun Mnatsakanyan emphasized correct politics and diplomacy in general.

“They say that there is a problem of independence, and with pathetic, vulgar texts, they are constantly telling us that they have banned strawberries, but we have kept our independence. What does independence have to do with selling strawberries? Georgia is a hostile country with Russia to this day, it has territorial problems, but it has not stopped its trade since 2008, it has not stopped its exports with Russia. And when a person tries to package his incompetent, dilettantish state under false theses of patriotism and independence, it’s simply ridiculous,” he concluded.

It should be noted that Russia began to apply restrictions on the import of a group of products from Armenia in May, first banning the sale of sweet potatoes, then restrictions were introduced on the import of flowers, vegetables, strawberries, and later on the import of stone fruits and grapes.

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Parliamentary elections in Armenia have ended. And, perhaps, their main result was the confirmation of the thesis that the Armenian society is divided։

Neither supporters of friendship with Russia nor supporters of European membership could get a convincing majority. The “Civil Agreement” party of the current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan collected only 49.81% of the 50% necessary for the formation of the government alone. Nevertheless, according to the complicated electoral legislation of Armenia, the political force that received the majority of votes increases the mandates of the national minorities of the Republic at its own expense, at the expense of redistributing the votes of the parties that did not overcome the transient threshold, which gives Pashinyan the opportunity to sit in the chair of the head of the government.

In turn, the two largest opposition forces, the “Strong Armenia” bloc, led by Russian businessman Samvel Karapetyan, and the “Armenia” bloc, a supporter of rapprochement with Russia, led by the second president of the Republic, Robert Kocharyan, collected 23.29% and 9.94%, respectively. The “Prosperous Armenia” party of big businessman Gagik Tsarukyan did not reach the threshold of 4%, which gives the opportunity to pass to the parliament. According to the data of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), the other participants in the election campaign were also unable to overcome the electoral barrier.

Thus, from a legal and formal point of view, the winner is decided. However, the fact that the victory “hung by a hair” gives his opponents a reason to cite numerous violations and falsifications.

Thus, according to the RA General Prosecutor’s Office, a total of 425 reports were received regarding apparent election violations during the NA elections, and the RA Investigative Committee has already initiated criminal cases in 59 cases.

As a result all this can become the beginning of a serious political crisis in the country, which will be extremely difficult to overcome.  The conflicting parties have very different views on the future of Armenia. Existentially different, even.

In that sense, the parliamentary elections of the Republic, in which almost two-thirds of the voters participated (according to the data of the CEC of Armenia, the final participation was 58.97 percent), were in many ways a historical choice for the future path.

Traditional relations with Russia and other countries in the post-Soviet territory have appeared on the other side of the scale: stable, strong, mutually beneficial and well predictable.  And on the other hand, something beautifully packaged, which is a kind of fantasy about milky rivers with jelly banks, with little reminder of harsh reality. However, it is necessary to give credit to the European mythmakers. the tales of a rich and well-fed Europe, from which no one will be left out, neglected or oppressed, they are able to invent and then deliver with great skill.

Meanwhile, it has already been said, the reality is very strict and pragmatic. As of today, the accumulated investments in Armenia, 86% of which are of Russian origin, amount to 4.9 billion dollars. As a result, Yerevan’s refusal to cooperate with EAEU, which is inevitable in case of further rapprochement with the European Union, will lead to the loss of at least 14 percent of Armenia’s GDP.

In addition, In the case of leaving the Eurasian Economic Union, the republic will lose the opportunity to receive Russian gas at a preferential price, which is now $177.5 per 1,000 cubic meters, as opposed to $633 in Europe. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Mikhail Galuzin emphasized that Russia does not intend and will not pay for Armenia’s road to the European Union.

Other, but no less important, losses to the republic’s economy, related to its desire to become part of the Western world, cause significant damage to agriculture, of which more than 96% of its output is consumed by Russia, metallurgy, beverage production, tobacco and food. The expected decline will be up to a third of the GDP (at least 5 billion dollars), and inflation will increase by 14.3%. And that with the most modest calculations.

In addition to purely economic problems, rapprochement with Europe will bring significant headaches to Armenia in terms of both domestic and foreign policy, as well as value orientations of Armenian society. And these are not empty words at all.

In the current situation of tough opposition of the West and Russia to the liberalization of legislation in the field of rights and freedoms of various minorities, which is already a serious challenge for conservative Armenia, Brussels and its satellites are guaranteed to insist that Yerevan join the anti-Russian sanctions and break all ties with Russia: political, economic, cultural and human, which will certainly have extremely negative consequences for the republic, the majority of whose citizens live in Russia.

Instead, Armenians are offered the same jelly, and without any clear prospect of receiving it. The point is that No one in Europe is waiting for the Republic striving towards the European Union with the efforts of Pashinyan. According to the Prime Minister’s admission, as of today, Armenia is objectively not even ready for the status of an EU candidate country.  Moreover, what concerns the infamous visa liberalization, on the “hook” of which Europe once managed to catch Ukraine, then here too, nothing is radiating to Armenians. They only promise it, and that too after a few years.

And in such a situation, when the advantage is objectively in favor of friendship with Russia, European political technologists and Armenian authorities had to work seriously to achieve their desired voting results.

Literally everything worked.

• Ursula von der Leyen promised 50 million euros to Armenia՝ as a compensation for the losses suffered from damaged economic contacts with the Russian Federation. chickens laugh too, if we compare it with the Russian investment in the Armenian economy,
• According to Le Journal du Dimanche, during the election campaign, employees of the French intelligence unit VIGINUM, which specializes in cyber security issues, tirelessly cleaned the Internet day and night of any critical remarks against Pashinyan.. Paris-like blatant interference in the Armenian elections was the result of a cooperation agreement between France and Armenia, signed by Pashinyan and Macron, which legalized the practice.
• on the eve of the elections, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia warned that every citizen coming to Armenia from abroad, primarily from Russia, who aims to vote for one or another party, will necessarily be involved in military gatherings. In this way, the authorities hoped to defeat the wave of protest voting.

Well, the icing on the cake of this pre-election bacchanalia was the arrests of the leaders of several precinct election commissions on the very day of the parliamentary elections.

But all this did not bring Pashinyan’s longed-for unconditional victory in the West, which in turn threatens Armenia with serious political turbulence for several more years.

Alexey Belov

vpoanalytics.com

Translation by Zhanna Avetisyan

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