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Toronto: Towers, Seniors Residence, Cultural Facilities Proposed by Scarboroug

July 8, 2026July 8, 2026 Hovhannisian John

URBAN Toronto

July 8 2026

Towers, Seniors Residence, Cultural Facilities Proposed by Scarborough Armenian Church

A new proposal would bring a multi-phase mixed-use redevelopment to central Scarborough adjacent to Centennial College’s Progress Campus. Designed by architects—Alliance for the Holy Trinity Armenian Church, the development would retain the existing church while introducing two 39-storey condominium towers, a 17-storey seniors-oriented mixed-use building with a daycare/pre-school, and a new Armenian community hub.

The proposal applies to a site at 920 and 930 Progress Avenue, a triangular parcel at the northeast corner with Markham Road, and south of its interchange with Highway 401. Holy Trinity Armenian Church which currently occupies the property at 920 Progress Avenue would remain, while a two-storey commercial building at 930 Progress Avenue, which operates as a private post-secondary school, would be demolished.

Goldberg Group has submitted Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications to the City of Toronto on behalf of the developer. The master plan arranges the new buildings along the north side of the two lots, north of the retained church. Heights range from the four-storey, 21m-tall Barev Centre to a 17-storey, 66m seniors-oriented mixed-use building, to a pair of 39-storey condominium towers rising 133m at the east end of the site.

The proposal would deliver 56,804m² of Gross Floor Area, resulting in a Floor Space Index of 3.79 times coverage of the 14,995m² site, comprising 51,437m² of residential space and 5,367m² of institutional uses. Across the 784-unit development, the suite mix consists of 436 one-bedroom units, 260 two-bedroom units, and 88 three-bedroom units, of which the seniors building represents 126 apartment units. Its base would include a third-floor daycare/pre-school, while the Barev Centre would provide approximately 2,201m² of community space. The existing church would be linked to the seniors building by a new enclosed walkway. Two elevators would serve the seniors building, or one for every 61 units, indicating short waits for service.

Looking northwest to 930 Progress Avenue, designed by architects—Alliance for the Holy Trinity Armenian Church

Of the two condominium towers, the west tower would contain 335 units, while the east tower would accommodate 323 units. Slender floor-plates of approximately 625m² begin at the fourth floor. The towers generally maintain 25m separation distances, with one localized 22m separation across a 10.4m portion of the facade.

Residents would have access to 2,144m² of indoor and 1,272m² of outdoor amenity areas. Vertical circulation would be provided by three elevators in each residential tower, equating to roughly one elevator for every 108 units in the west tower and 112 units in the east tower, indicating reasonable response times when all elevators are operating, providing fast enough motors are installed.

Parking would be split between separate underground facilities serving the residential and institutional components. The condominium towers would share a four-level underground garage containing 382 parking spaces, including 331 resident and 51 visitor spots, while the seniors building, Barev Centre, and church would share a three-level underground garage with 265 spaces, including 104 resident and 161 visitor spots. In total, the development would provide 647 vehicular parking spaces. Parking for 610 bicycles is planned, comprising 541 long-term and 69 short-term spots.

Looking north to the podium of the seniors residence, designed by architects—Alliance for the Holy Trinity Armenian Church

TTC bus stops are immediately adjacent at the Progress Avenue and Markham Road intersection and at Centennial Campus. GO Transit Route 41 stops approximately 280m from the site. Cycling access remains comparatively limited, with no dedicated cycling infrastructure directly adjoining the property, although planned cycling routes along Ellesmere Road and Sheppard Avenue East are anticipated according to the application.

The Markham Road corridor to the south features a growing number of proposed and under-construction high-rise communities. Southeast, 42 Tuxedo Court would rise 22 and 28 storeys. To the south, a 29-storey tower is proposed at 1256 Markham Road, and the three-tower Sequence Condos development would range from 20 to 30 storeys. Farther south, ME Living Condos is under construction with seven buildings reaching 34 storeys, with additional proposals at 1050 Markham Road (15 and 37 storeys), 1125 Markham Road (four towers from 8 to 37 storeys), and 1151 Markham Road (44 storeys).

UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you’d like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

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UrbanToronto’s research and data service, UTPro, provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe—from proposal through to completion. Other services include Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.

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Washington and Tehran on the verge of a fragile memorandum and a new war

July 8, 2026July 8, 2026 Garnik Zakarian

July 8, 2026

In the first days of July, the direct and indirect military strikes between Iran and the United States, the outbreak of sharp rhetoric showed that the existing temporary arrangements and the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran could not ensure complete stability. Therefore, the situation in the region can get out of control at any moment.

The parties are actually returning to the logic of a managed crisis, where military pressure and the diplomatic process are applied in parallel. If during the previous weeks the main goal was to preserve the fragile ceasefire formed after the war, then the escalations of the first week of July became a risky period of preparation for the next round of negotiations, during which both sides tried to strengthen their negotiating positions through a show of force, without taking into account the possible irreversible consequences.

US President Donald Trump announced on July 6 that the United States will either make a deal with Tehran or “finish the deal”, referring to the US-Israeli joint attack on Iran launched on February 28. The Iranian side described the US president’s words as “illusory”, calling to speak with the Iranian people with respect, “otherwise we will respond in another language”. This was followed by information from Western periodicals that the Iranian military fired at least two missiles at commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz on the evening of July 6.

According to the AXios publication, Tehran’s strikes threaten to violate the memorandum of understanding signed on June 18, in which Iran agreed to stop attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, the media also predicts that the US is likely to retaliate against Iranian targets.

In turn, the UK Maritime Trade Office (UKMTO) reported that on July 6, a tanker traveling south along the coast of Oman through the Strait of Hormuz was hit by an unknown projectile, which caused a fire. On the evening of July 7, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) carried out airstrikes against the military bases of the IRGC and its allies in the east of Syria, Tehran responded in the early morning of July 8 by shooting down an American reconnaissance ATS in the Strait of Hormuz and shelling the locations of the American contingent in Iraq.

Along with military operations, harsh statements were made. The US Defense Minister emphasized.

“We will not allow the security of our forces to be threatened and we will respond to any aggression by taking all necessary measures,” to which the Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces stated.

“Any miscalculation on the part of the US and disruption of regional stability will receive a disproportionate and crushing blow, directly from our own side.”

US President Donald Trump also announced that the memorandum of understanding signed to end the conflict with Iran is “finished”, adding that he no longer wants to communicate with Tehran.

“For me, I think everything is over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They are vile people,” said Trump.

“They are sick people. They are led by sick people. They are cruel, violent people, and if they had nuclear weapons, they would use them. This issue is over for me,” President Trump said. The US president also noted that negotiations with Iran can continue, but added:

“For me, dealing with them is just a waste of time. They are liars.”

Trump made this statement in Ankara, before the NATO summit being held in the capital of Turkey. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters before the NATO summit that new US attacks on Iran were “absolutely necessary”.

Kaya Kalas, head of EU foreign policy, wrote later in X. “The skirmishes between the US and Iran further complicate the already tense negotiations to end the war. Iran’s attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait are unacceptable.”

Speaker of the Iranian parliament and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also accused the US of violating the ceasefire agreement.

Russian Orientalist Victor Nadein-Raevsky 168.amtold that the peculiarity of the situation is that the military escalation and the diplomatic process are interrelated, and any tactical step taking place in the field immediately reshapes the agenda of the upcoming negotiations in Islamabad. According to him, there are several scenarios for the development of the situation, one of which is a manageable de-escalation, according to which mutual strikes are a re-establishment of the “red lines” of the parties, there is no desire to wage a big war. In another scenario, he said, the escalation could spiral out of control.

“A stalemate, a situation of ‘no war, no peace’ can also develop.” In the case of all these scenarios, the logic of the negotiations scheduled days later changes, putting their effectiveness in doubt.

This crisis showed that diplomacy without military pressure and military pressure without a diplomatic window no longer work in US-Iran relations. Most likely, the region will follow the path of the first scenario. The meeting in Islamabad will become a political platform for “ceasefire”, where the parties will try to capitalize on the military results recorded in the field in recent days. But the lack of guarantees of stability means that any subsequent mistake could start a more dangerous wave of escalation,” said Victor Nadein-Raevsky.

In his opinion, this new escalation of US-Iran relations is directly projected on the environment of the South Caucasus, further increasing the vulnerability of the region, competition, tension in and around the region.

“The deepening of the crisis between Washington and Tehran affects the South Caucasus, any Western presence in the Caucasus is now perceived by Iran as a possible attempt to block the USA. At the same time, the restoration of economic pressures and the issue of regional communications worry Iran and force it to work more actively in the region, trying to neutralize possible risks for itself,” Victor Nadein-Raevsky said.

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168: If Nikol Pashinyan sleeps like Gagik Tsarukyan’s lion one day and does not wake up,

July 8, 2026July 8, 2026 Talar Tumanian

July 8, 2026

In the “Pressing” program Satik Seyranyan the guest civil technologist Narek Malyan is

The main theses of the interview are below.

What is happening in Armenia now is a public warning event. Nothing unexpected happens. Many officials said that going to the elections with Nikol Pashinyan will have this consequence. This is the result of the total inactivity of the former parliamentary opposition.

Daniel Ioannisyan declares that what is happening to Gagik Tsarukyan stems from political expediency, and there is no legal issue here.

The first emotional arrest was of General Manvel Grigoryanin, when a big legal, moral and discrediting campaign took place against him. The “tushonka show” was staged by the political team of the CP, which worked at that time and was used as a tool against Manvel Grigoryan (the “tushonka show” against General Manvel was staged by a member of the CP, the current governor of Lori, Aren Mkrtchyan). Now what happened with Gagik Tsarukyan works in the opposite direction. Everyone was knocked to the ground, including me. Among those who brought me down was a police officer whom I once employed.

There was no expediency in knocking a 70-year-old man, Gagik Tsarukyan, to the ground in his home. Handcuffs are a special measure, they are used in cases provided by law. In the case of Gagik Tsarukyan, there was no need for it, the handcuff was placed on his hand. And what did they take the lions to? I keep a parrot… If they come to arrest me, will they take my parrot too?:

In the second part of the election campaign, it was obvious that Nikol Pashinyan’s main target was Gagik Tsarukyan, I don’t know why. It could have been for a variety of reasons. His devotion to Gagik Tsarukyan was different. And it was obvious that Nikol Pashinyan will do everything to prevent PAP from overcoming the temporary threshold. as a result, the votes were stolen so that it would not enter the referendum. The government falsified votes in its favor, reduced votes from opposition parties and falsified votes in favor of forces that perhaps wanted to see them through. Until the last day, according to various public opinion polls, PAP had about 7% of votes. We will have a picture of what really happened, including how the votes were stolen, after the change of power.

I will present facts that prove that the government falsified votes in favor of the “Armenia” alliance. In the two polling stations where the results of the elections were canceled, the chairman of the commission was from the Communist Party, and the secretary from the “Armenia” bloc. I declare with full responsibility that it is not possible to publish results without the signature of the president and secretary. They both had signatures. I do not completely exclude the fact that the secretaries of the two precincts did it on their own initiative, but in that case the “Armenia” bloc, which dealt with the Gegham Nazaryan phenomenon, should have made a statement.

These elections were interesting in that everyone understood everything. Everyone knew what would happen if they waited 5 years for the elections with the genius plan of the “Armenia” alliance. Applying to the Constitutional Court was definitely the right step, but the public’s expectations also refer to generating some other parallel processes: taking mandates and what to do, not taking them and what to do.:

I am far from advising the opposition, because in any decision the responsibility is theirs, but if my opinion is interesting, I will advise to take those mandates, because they will be important from the point of view of rationality. The “Strong Armenia” bloc now has to answer for the previous 5 years of inactivity of the “Armenia” bloc. By the way, in addition to Nikol Pashinyan and CP, one of the supporters of Robert Kocharyan said that if he passes the Parliament, everyone will elect Robert Kocharyan as Prime Minister.

If Nikol Pashinyan sleeps like Gagik Tsarukyan’s lion one day and does not wake up, who will they nominate as Prime Minister, Ruben Rubinyan, if there is no opposition in the Parliament?: So, mandates should be taken.

Nikol Pashinyan’s behavior is not that of a winner. He has not yet left the logic of the campaign, he is still campaigning. He has something to prove.

After the elections, Pashinyan announced in the National Assembly that if there is an invitation, I will go to Baku. Maybe it was an Azerbaijani demand that there should be such a statement?

The next election is in 5 years, but Nikol Pashinyan changes the “Electoral Code” in an extraordinary session immediately after the elections, and changes other laws quickly. What is the reason? It is obvious that he is up to something because he is unhappy with the results of the election:

There has never been a shortage of murky water fishermen in Armenia. Their motivation is clear. The public should be made a participant in political processes.

I specifically went live to the National Assembly to meet the deputies with whom we were identified. But it turned out that the opposition MPs took the position that: come, bow down, we will sign the impeachment paper. Within 6 months, only 2 opposition MPs met with Edgar Ghazaryan. We contacted the opposition because we considered it taboo to criticize the opposition and ask uncomfortable questions:

A demonstration took place in front of the CC. how many people participated… Very few. So many people came, twice as many people came to the National Assembly during the gathering organized by the “We Are Awake” movement.

We have self-proclaimed oppositionists, who have been used many times by the government, and now they have taken refuge with some wing of the opposition. If I want to know what Robert Kocharyan thinks, I listen to Edmon Marukyan. Edmon Marukyan, by the way, as a joker, entered the impeachment process in order to make the process less serious, at the request of Robert Kocharian.:

The impeachment agenda is a unifying agenda, unlike the election process. Robert Kocharyan’s goal is not to remove Nikol Pashinyan, but to come to power. The only option of the change of power he imagined was to replace Nikol Pashinyan. Davit Hambardzumyan took that yoke on his shoulders because no one wanted to take it. What happened, you saw, persecutions started against Davit, he was arrested, he resigned from his position, he sat down… Davit personally asked Robert Kocharyan to be the unified candidate of the opposition, he refused because the impeachment also meant going to the streets, and Robert Kocharyan’s anti-rating did not allow him to go to the streets generate Before the election, there could have been 3 different impeachment processes with 3 different candidates, but Robert Kocharyan aborted it.:

Yes, I said that I take full responsibility for the impeachment process, because I will not go to the elections, I am not afraid of the loss of rating. But I am not a deputy to negotiate with the CP. In other words, I would have to negotiate with the CP, bring votes, they would sit in their parliamentary seats?

The opposition must take the mandates and honestly admit that it no longer has power on the street. They should let the street happen with other actors and other leaders.

First of all, I doubt that there will be a social riot in Armenia, but even if there is, first those hundreds and thousands of people will wipe out the inactive opposition, and then the new Nikol Pashinyan.:

I criticize Robert Kocharyan not for doing something, but for not doing anything. The opposition leader is not just relaxing in the Aegean Sea, but a responsibility.

As far as I know, a man, if he says something, and several times, he must do what he says. Now we will see whether the people who said that if Nikol stays in power, I will not take a mandate, will take it or not…

Mamiko Aslanyan will confirm. I fought for a long time that the prison employee who opens the door says, “A deputy has come to you, tell me who came.” So, let them not sell their visits to people who have become political prisoners due to their inactivity. There was a case that one of the deputies of the “Armenia” bloc went to the “Armavir” prison to see a political prisoner, the latter said: “I am busy, I cannot accept him.”:

The entire palette of government violence was applied to me. I have been targeted by both the government and the opposition when I started telling people the truth.

If you do nothing and are constantly beaten, then you cannot be called anything other than a “boxing pear”.:

No one has caused my father as much personal pain as Nikol Pashinyan. My father took my sitting very hard. My father was the liturgist in Saint John. My father was already on the stage when Nikol Pashinyan came, without a protocol announcement beforehand. My father gave the name of the Catholicos three times, then gave communion to Nikol Pashinyan. Even if Bagrat was a saint, he could not have given communion, because it is a canonical violation, he would have been excommunicated if he did not give communion. In my father, on the one hand, there was personal pain, standing in front of the person who caused him that pain, and on the other hand, the clergyman:

The public should be left with the government and the opposition. There is nothing to explain to the public.

There will be a new attack against the Church immediately after Tsarukyan’s topic is closed:

Details in the video.

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RFE/RL – Iran’s Concerns Over U.S.-Armenian Corridor Deal Yet To Be Addressed

July 8, 2026July 8, 2026 Khoyetsian Rose

July 08, 2026

Armenia – Iranian Ambassador Khalil Shirgholami speaks during a news conference in Yerevan, July 8, 2026.

The Armenian government has still not addressed Iran’s concerns about its plans to open a U.S.-run transit corridor along Armenia’s border with the Islamic Republic, a senior Iranian diplomat indicated on Wednesday five days after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s visit to Tehran.

The planned Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave through Armenia’s strategic Syunik region. The U.S. government is to gain a 74 percent stake in a joint venture that should build and manage a railway, a road, energy supply lines and other infrastructure there. Iran fears that this transit arrangement could endanger its border with Armenia and lead to U.S. security presence there.

The Iranian ambassador in Yerevan, Khalil Shirgholami, described these concerns as “very legitimate and logical,” pointing to the U.S. and Israeli military campaign against his country and accusing Washington of violating a ceasefire agreement reached last month.

“These concerns must be clearly addressed,” Shirgholami told a news conference. “The Armenian government has assured us that as a result of this project’s implementation and the U.S. presence no threats or challenges to Iran will emerge.”

“I think that we need to work out a mechanism whereby Armenia will be able to realize its full potential for de-blockade but at the same time the potential risks of U.S. presence and threats to Iran must be managed and addressed in a clear manner,” he said.

Iran – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian meet in Tehran, July 3, 2026.

Pashinian met with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian last Friday when he visited Tehran to attend funeral ceremonies for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.-Israeli air strikes in February. In a clear reference to the United States, Pezeshkian told Pashinian that “extra-regional” powers must not be allowed to interfere in Armenian-Iranian relations. Pashinian reportedly assured him that Yerevan “will not participate in any plan, project or action that is against the interests and security of Iran.”

U.S. President Donald Trump pointed to Pashinian’s commitment to the TRIPP when he endorsed the Armenian premier ahead of the parliamentary elections on June 7. Following his party’s victory in the disputed polls, Pashinian said that the project’s implementation will be one of his top policy priorities. Azerbaijani and Turkish leaders have said that the TRIPP amounts to the kind of “extraterritorial corridor” that has been sought by them since the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In Shirgholami’s words, during the meeting with Pashinian, Pezeshkian also stressed the importance of signing an Armenian-Iranian agreement on strategic partnership “as soon as possible.”

“We are currently working on the text of the document,” said the envoy. “It is in the drafting stage now, and we hope to complete this stage and begin work towards signing it as soon as possible.”

Armenian officials have made no public statements on the planned agreement lately.

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Iranian Envoy Warns Of Disunity In Armenia After Tsarukian’s Arrest

July 8, 2026July 8, 2026 Vorskanian Yeghisabet

Ruzanna Stepanian

July 08, 2026

Armenia – Masked National Security Service officers topple opposition leader Gagik Tsarukian to the ground at his home outside Yerevan, July 7, 2026. (A screenshot from an official video of his demonstrative arrest)

The Iranian ambassador in Yerevan, Khalil Shirgholami, warned of a risk of dangerous “division” within Armenia on Wednesday when he commented on the controversial arrest of businessman and opposition leader Gagik Tsarukian.

Shirgholami also expressed hope for a compromise settlement of Tsarukian’s dispute with Iranian entrepreneurs which is at the heart of fraud and money laundering charges levelled against him right after his demonstrative arrest on Monday.

The arrest followed a 12-hour search conducted at his villa by law-enforcement authorities. They also raided dozens of companies owned by Tsarukian and halted their operations in a crackdown widely linked to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s repeated pledges to jail and “dispossess” his political foes.

Armenia’s Investigative Committee claims that Tsarukian led a “criminal group” that misappropriated $22 million worth of fuel, transport equipment and other goods supplied by his Iranian business partners from 2022-2024. His lawyers say he himself was defrauded by the Iranians and alerted the law-enforcement authorities about that.

The accusations stem from a large Iranian shopping center set up in September 2024 by Tsarukian’s Multi Group and Iran’s ParsHilal Caspian Group. The 18,000-square-meter facility located just outside Yerevan was inaugurated during a ceremony attended by Armenian Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan and Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Mohammad Atabak.

It was announced at the time that the Iran Trade Center will consist of over 100 sections selling mostly Iranian-made consumer goods, chemicals and other industrial products. However, those plans never materialized due to what Shirgholami described as “certain economic differences” between the center’s two co-founders.

Armenia – Senior Armenian and Iranian officials inaugurate the Iran Trade Center at Gagik Tsarukian’s Arinj Mall outside Yerevan, September 30, 2024.

“I have personally had many discussions with both parties, willing to act as a mediator in order to try to reach an agreement through compromise,” the envoy told a news conference. “Up until recently, I was in contact with the parties and tried to find a solution that would be acceptable to both parties. Since we are currently dealing with a legal process, we hope that it will be possible to resolve this issue based on the available evidence and testimony.”

Shirgholami went on to stress in the same context that Iran does not meddle in Armenia’s internal political affairs. But citing Iran’s own political experience, he also warned: “When a certain division is created within a country under the influence of a particular event, it can never bring good results.”

“We hope and wish that all the forces of Armenia — both the ruling party, the government and the opposition — can be united around national interests and goals. Because if there is no unity, then further paths of development are not possible. Iran wants to see a strong, united and consolidated Armenia,” added the diplomat.

Tsarukian’s Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) was one of the three main opposition groups that challenged Pashinian’s Civil Contract party in last month’s parliamentary elections and rejected their official results as fraudulent. Pashinian vowed to jail their top leaders before and after the June 7 elections. Dozens of other opposition figures are already under arrest, facing criminal charges which they too reject as politically motivated.

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Pashinian Supporter Not Prosecuted For Death Call Against Armenian Church Head

July 8, 2026July 8, 2026 Christine Harutyunian

Naira Bulghadarian

July 08, 2026

Armenia – Edvard Stepanian, a government supporter from Garni village, makes a death call against Chatollicos of All Armenians Garegin II outside a local church, December 28, 2025.

An Armenian prosecutor has blocked criminal charges against a supporter of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian who publicly called for the murder of Catholicos Garegin II last December.

Pashinian attended at the time a Sunday mass in Garni, a large village 27 kilometers east of Yerevan, led by a renegade priest as part of his efforts to depose the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. His political allies and other supporters were also in attendance.

A journalist with a pro-government news website interviewed some of those people in the courtyard of the local church. He wondered, in particular, what they think would force Garegin to bow to government pressure and resign.

“They should hit him on the head with a stone and kill him,” replied Edvard Stepanian, a 70-year-old Garni resident working for the village administration.

Armenia’s Investigative Committee launched an inquiry into the statement amid an uproar from Pashinian’s critics. The law-enforcement agency waited for months before petitioning the prosecutor overseeing the probe to allow Stepanian’s indictment on relevant charges.

The prosecutor refused to do that. As of Wednesday evening, the Office of the Prosecutor-General did not explain the decision in response to a written question sent by RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

“I consider this to be the result of an order issued by the political authorities,” said Ruben Melikian, a prominent human rights lawyers critical of the Armenian government. “Law enforcement officers are simply executing it.”

The Investigative Committee’s inquiry into the death threat is officially going on. The committee says it is awaiting the findings of a linguistic examination of Stepanian’s statement ordered by it.

By contrast, law-enforcement authorities have been quick to prosecute Pashinian’s detractors accused of insulting the premier and other senior officials or threatening them with violence. Rafael Sargsian, a 73-year-old man, was charged with making a death threat against Pashinian last summer the day after angrily declaring that he is looking for a way to “catch Nikol and tear off his neck.”

In November, two pro-opposition podcasters, Naren Samsonian and Vazgen Saghatelian, were arrested on charges of making offensive and menacing statements about parliament speaker Alen Simonian. Both men were moved to house arrest this spring.

Artak Avetisian, a Yerevan resident, was arrested and indicted in May hours after using offensive language to attack Pashinian. Avetisian lashed out at the premier on social media as the latter campaigned for the June 7 parliamentary elections near his neighborhood. Melikian, who represents him, said the authorities’ failure to prosecute the Garni man is a “blatant” example of their selective and politically motivated enforcement of laws.

No Pashinian supporters have been prosecuted for offending or voicing threats against opposition politicians. Pashinian himself publicly insulted his political foes and threatened to jail them during the election campaign.

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RFE/RL – Uproar As Armenian Authorities Expose Tsarukian’s Violent Arrest

July 8, 2026July 8, 2026 Chmshkian Vicken

Shoghik Galstian

July 08, 2026

Armenia – A screenshot of video of opposition leader Gagik Tsarukian’s violent arrest released by the Investigative Committee, July 7, 2026.

Armenian law-enforcement authorities have revealed the violent nature of opposition leader Gagik Tsarukian’s arrest promised by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, sparking an uproar from human rights activists, opposition figures and many ordinary citizens.

Tsarukian was arrested on what he sees as trumped-up charges on Monday following a 12-hour search conducted in his villa just outside Yerevan and similar raids on dozens of companies owned by him. Armenia’s Investigative Committee released on Tuesday night a one-minute video of his detention, a highly unusual practice for criminal cases involving prominent critics of the Armenian government.

It shows a dozen armed and masked officers of the National Security Service (NSS) bursting into the villa, surrounding Tsarukian, grabbing his arms and legs, and knocking him to the ground. Armenian law allows such use of forces only if a criminal suspect is armed, strongly resists law-enforcement officers or threatens them otherwise. The 69-year-old businessman leading the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) was not shown putting up any resistance to the officers.

“They had no right to do such a thing, there was no need for it,” one of Tsarukian’s lawyers, Yerem Sargsian, said on Wednesday. “It was an excess of official authority that must be a subject of criminal proceedings.”

Armenia – Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukian is arrested by NSS officers, July 7, 2026.

“The footage shows that [Tsarukian] is not resisting but several employees are trying to knock him to the ground,” Anna Melikian, a human rights activist, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

Another, more outspoken activist, Zhanna Aleksanian, claimed that the authorities violently arrested Tsarukian and publicized their actions at the behest of Pashinian. The latter repeatedly pledged to jail and dispossess his main political foes before and after last month’s disputed parliamentary elections in which the BHK was one of the main opposition contenders.

The extraordinary footage also prompted concern from the country’s human rights ombudswoman Anahit Manasian, drew strong condemnation from various opposition groups and caused outrage on social media.

“I would never have thought that I would feel sympathy for Tsarukian,” commented one social media user. “But the footage of the masked arrest show is simply disgusting, violating the dignity of a person, a citizen, violating the spirit of the law and justice.”

“I think the public sympathizes with Tsarukian, who endured all that with dignity,” said Aleksanian.

Armenia – National Security Service Director Andranik Simonian.

Hundreds of his supporters rallied outside an Investigative Committee building following his arrest. They applauded and chanted his name as a handcuffed Tsarukian was escorted out of the building and taken to a court in Yerevan. The tycoon smiled, telling journalists that fraud charges levelled against him are “fabricated.”

The NSS is currently headed by Andranik Simonian, a 36-year-old former judge reputed to be a figure strongly loyal to Pashinian. Simonian’s predecessor, Armen Abazian, was sacked in June last year the day after he reportedly defied Pashinian’s order to demonstratively and violently arrest Samvel Karapetian, a Russian-Armenian billionaire who later set up the country’s leading opposition group.

Masked NSS officers were deployed at the time around Karapetian’s mansion in Yerevan surrounded by hundreds of his angry supporters. But they did not storm it. Karapetian emerged from his residence and was escorted to police custody several hours later.

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Trump Defies Bipartisan Congressional Opposition to Arming Turkey

July 8, 2026July 8, 2026 Ani Tigranian

by Contributor

July 8, 2026

in Featured Main, Latest, News, Top Stories

Two Congressional Hearings, a Joint Resolution of Disapproval, and U.S. House Letters Warn against Rewarding Ankara’s Aggression

WASHINGTON – During the NATO summit this week in Ankara, President Donald Trump announced that his administration will lift sanctions on Turkey and consider readmitting Ankara into the F-35 fighter jet program, defying bipartisan opposition reflected in two Congressional hearings, a Joint Resolution of Disapproval, and two letters signed by dozens of U.S. Representatives.

“We’re going to be taking the sanctions off, OK?” Trump said at a press conference alongside Erdogan. Asked whether Turkey would receive F-35s, Trump called it “certainly something we will consider.”

“Members of Congress from across the aisle are sounding the alarm — through two hearings, a Joint Resolution of Disapproval, and U.S. House letters to House leadership — and yet President Trump went to Ankara and crossed every Congressional red-line,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “Arming Ankara may score the President a few points with Erdogan, but at the cost of angering Congress and alienating voters heading into the mid-terms and the 2028 presidential election.”

Members of Congress Warned Against This
Since Trump’s June 24 announcement of the proposed $700 million jet engine sale to Turkey and his administration’s review of Turkey’s reintegration into the F-35 program, Members of Congress have moved on multiple fronts to block it.

Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) introduced H.J.Res.200, a Joint Resolution of Disapproval to block the proposed sale of General Electric F110-GE-129E/F engines for Turkey’s KAAN fighter aircraft program. Titus told POLITICO’s National Security Daily that Erdogan’s government “has made repeated threats of military action against NATO allies and other partner nations,” and that selling the engines would “embolden it to pursue those threats.”

Titus also led a letter to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries urging leadership to be prepared to introduce a Joint Resolution of Disapproval under CAATSA Section 216(c)(3) — the same sanctions authority Trump said today he intends to lift — should the administration attempt to readmit Turkey to the F-35 program without a credible legal basis. The letter cited Turkey’s “aggressive posture toward Greece and Cyprus” and its “material support to Azerbaijan in its military campaigns against Armenia” as evidence Ankara has not behaved as a good-faith NATO partner.

On a separate, bipartisan track, Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Brad Sherman (D-CA) led a letter to President Trump opposing Turkey’s F-35 reintegration. The letter states that Turkey “has hardly been a reliable partner in the present day,” pointing to its military presence in occupied northern Cyprus and its aggressive posture toward Greece, and urges the administration to “maintain this prohibition today,” warning that reversing the F-35 ban “would send the wrong message to President Erdogan and to our allies and partners both in Europe and the Middle East.”

ANCA is working alongside Hellenic American organizations, including the International Coordinating Committee — Justice for Cyprus (PSEKA), the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), the American Hellenic Institute (AHI), and the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), to oppose both the engine sale and Turkey’s F-35 reintegration.

Congressional Hearings Documented the Case for Accountability
Two Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearings, held June 3 and June 30, documented Erdogan’s political repression at home, Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide, and its occupation of Cyprus ahead of the summit.

At the June 3 hearing, “Can Turkey Find Its Way Back to Freedom?,” Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Co-Chair Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) said Turkey holds more than ten thousand political prisoners, including journalists, lawyers, elected officials, and civil society leaders. Michael Rubin of the Middle East Forum testified that Erdogan’s genocide denial and persecution of religious minorities, including Armenians and Greeks, follow the same pattern of impunity. “We saw this with both the Biden administration’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide and that of all fifty states and the District of Columbia,” Rubin testified. “Those recognitions happened and Turkey didn’t do a damn thing.”

At the June 30 hearing, “Human Rights in Occupied Cyprus,” Republic of Cyprus Ambassador Evangelos Savva testified that Turkey continues to block access to mass graves from the 1974 invasion, including the remains of at least five American citizens.

Savas Tsivicos of the International Coordinating Committee — Justice for Cyprus (PSEKA) testified that Turkish colonization of the occupied north has reduced Turkish Cypriots to a minority in their own community and stripped basic rights from Armenians, Maronites, and Latins alike. Tsivicos also warned that any F-35s or engines sold to Turkey “are not going to go against Russia” but would instead be used “against the three strategic allies of the United States: Israel, Greece, and Cyprus.” Rep. Titus told the commission directly that arming Erdogan would mean “perpetuating the horrific policies of a government that has flouted international law with respect to Cyprus.”

Armenian Americans can urge their Representatives to support H.J.Res.200 and to oppose any move to lift CAATSA sanctions or reintegrate Turkey into the F-35 program.

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Asbarez: Merdinian School Names Peter Amloian Board Chair

July 8, 2026July 8, 2026 Chakhmakhchian Vatche

by Contributor

July 7, 2026

in Community, Latest, News, Top Stories

Peter Amloian

The Charlotte and Elise Merdinian Armenian Evangelical School announced that Peter Amloian has been appointed as the new Chair of the Board of Directors, effective July 1. Amloian succeeds outgoing Board Chair Nerses Aposhian, who served as Board Chair for the past three years and as a member of the Board since 2019.

Amloian, who graduated from Merdinian in 2006, is a proud alumnus and a longtime member of the school community. After Merdinian, he attended Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School and earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics from UCLA. He has been an active CPA since 2016. He and his wife, Suzy, are the proud parents of Cara Amloian. He is also the proud grandson of the late Baron Bedros Amloian, Merdinian’s longtime physical education teacher in the school’s early days, whose legacy remains part of the school’s history.

Amloian joined the Board in 2022 and has served as Treasurer, helping steward the school’s fiscal health, strengthen operational oversight, and support important deferred maintenance and capital improvement projects.

Professionally, Amloian brings more than 12 years of experience in entertainment finance, business operations, strategic planning, and organizational leadership. He currently serves as Vice President of Business Operations at Downtown Music’s Artist & Label Services Division, where he oversees financial and operational infrastructure for over 10,000 independent artists and labels.

“Merdinian has played a meaningful role in my life and in the lives of so many families in our community,” said Amloian. “I am grateful for the trust placed in me and excited to work alongside our administration, teachers, board members, parents, alumni, and supporters as we continue building on the school’s strong foundation. For the last few years, the first day back to school and year-end graduation ceremonies have continued to be some of my favorite days of the year. Nerses has led with passion, energy, and an unwavering love for Merdinian, and I am committed to continuing that momentum with a focus on the long-term success of our students.”

“I could not be more excited to support Peter as the next Chair of the Board,” said outgoing Board Chair Nerses Aposhian, who was in the same graduating class as Amloian. “Peter and I have known each other for many years, going back to our days as classmates at Merdinian. More importantly, Peter is simply a great guy — thoughtful, disciplined, financially sharp, and deeply committed to the future of this school. Succession planning is healthy for any institution, and I have full confidence that Peter will lead with humility and purpose.”

“Mr. Aposhian has served Merdinian with tremendous dedication, heart, and a genuine love for our students, teachers, families, and mission, ” said Principal Arpi Avanesian. “During his time as Chair, he helped guide the school through important growth and remained deeply focused on strengthening Merdinian for the next generation. We are grateful for his leadership, partnership, and years of service. We are also excited to continue working with Amloian, whose financial discipline, thoughtful leadership, and deep love for Merdinian will help carry the school forward.”

Aposhian will remain involved with the school in different capacities and will work with Amloian, the Board, and school leadership to ensure a smooth transition. Additional Board leadership updates will be shared in the days ahead.

As Merdinian prepares to celebrate its 45th year, the school looks forward to continuing its mission of providing a Christ-centered Armenian education rooted in academic excellence, cultural identity, faith, service, and community.

Charlotte and Elise Merdinian Armenian Evangelical School is a private Armenian Christian school located in Sherman Oaks, California, serving students from early childhood through eighth grade. Merdinian is dedicated to academic excellence, Christian faith, Armenian heritage, character development, and preparing students to lead lives of purpose and service.

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168: “We regret that the Armenian-Iranian palace was not successful, I had my sides

July 8, 2026July 8, 2026 Ophelia Vardapetian

July 8, 2026

Today, during the press conference called by Khalil Shirgolami, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Armenia 168.am-the The ambassador inquired what information is known about the criminal case initiated against the leader of the “Prosperous Armenia” party Gagik Tsarukyan, where, according to the report of the Central Committee, citizens of Iran are also victims.

“This is one of our regrets, it is very painful and regrettable for us that the project of the Armenian-Iranian trade center was not crowned with any success.

This idea and this project was about good will, a very interesting and positive idea. We wanted to establish a joint Armenian-Iranian trade center in which Iranian citizens and Mr. Gagik Tsarukyan would be involved.

Even the event of the opening of this center took place and the Iranian Embassy in RA was pursuing the issues within the framework of this project in a unique way. Before my appointment as ambassador, the previous ambassador was also actively involved in the issues related to this center. The goal was to give a new momentum to the trade between the two countries. In addition, this was a very good opportunity to present Iranian products on the Armenian market,” the ambassador noted.

According to him, the parties had certain economic disagreements within the framework of this business project, as it was fraught with certain future risks and problems, they tried to do everything on their part.

“I personally had many discussions with both sides, wanting to act as a mediator to try to reach some goals as a result of consensus and certain concessions,” added the ambassador.

Details in the video of 168.am

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