Category: News

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called for a “swift resolution” to what he described as the “urgent issue” pertaining to Armenia’s EU aspirations despite its membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

RIA Novosti cited Lavrov as saying that the issue is urgent because Armenia has already adopted a law on EU integration. At the same time, he noted that the Armenian government has said it does not plan to leave the EAEU for now.

“You know, Armenia has already adopted a law on joining the EU; thus, the issue is urgent and must certainly be resolved swiftly,” he said.

The Armenian parliament adopted a bill in 2025 calling on the government to launch the process of EU accession.

Armenia, a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), was informed by its EAEU partners—Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan—that they would like to see a referendum in Armenia on whether to remain in the EAEU or withdraw and move toward the European Union.

These developments come amid growing ties between Armenia and the EU, which Yerevan says do not contradict its EAEU membership at this stage. Russia’s narrative regarding the incompatibility of the Armenian authorities’ actions has intensified, particularly during the pre-election period.

Responding to the referendum proposal, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on June 1 that there are currently no grounds for holding such a vote, as Armenia’s European integration process is not yet at a stage where citizens can be presented with a clear choice.

“Until the point when Armenia has either officially applied for EU membership or is very close to obtaining candidate status, holding any referendum would be unreasonable,” Pashinyan said.

According to him, such a choice remains theoretical at this stage.

“Today, that choice is theoretical, and putting a theoretical choice to a referendum is, of course, neither very sensible nor justified,” the prime minister said.

YEREVAN, 10 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 10 June, USD exchange rate down by 0.01 drams to 368.44 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.56 drams to 425.59 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.0002 drams to 5.1179 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.27 drams to 493.34 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 82 drams to 51264 drams. Silver price up by 17.45 drams to 812.61 drams.

Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has reminded media outlets that extracts from the protocols of the regular National Assembly elections have been published on the CEC’s official website and has called on journalists and media organizations not to disseminate false information when referring to any of those extracts.

“We inform our media partners that steps will be taken to restore the good reputation and credibility of the electoral system. If necessary, these measures will also include the filing of legal claims,” the Central Electoral Commission said in a statement.

The supervising prosecutor has taken a decision to lift the pre-trial detention order applied as a preventive measure against Artur Osipyan, Lusine Martirosyan, Adviser to the Prosecutor General of Armenia, wrote on her Facebook page.

“The supervising prosecutor, taking into account, among other things, the petitions addressed to the Prosecutor General of Armenia and the supervising prosecutor by a group of civil society representatives expressing their readiness to stand as guarantors for the defendant Artur Osipyan, took a decision on 10 June 2026 to lift the pre-trial detention order applied against Artur Osipyan as a preventive measure. The decision has been sent to the ‘Nubarashen’ Penitentiary Institution of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia for the purpose of the immediate release of the individual,” Martirosyan wrote.

In the course of the pre-trial investigation conducted by the Yerevan City Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia, apparently factual data were obtained indicating that on 22 March 2026, Artur Osipyan, using information and communication technologies — specifically his Facebook account — and motivated by political views, made public posts in which he publicly and with direct intent called for violence against the Prime Minister of Armenia. In the course of the pre-trial investigation, public criminal prosecution was initiated against Osipyan under Article 330, Part 2, Clause 3 of the Criminal Code (public calls for violence, public justification or propaganda of violence, as well as the distribution of materials or objects for that purpose), Article 297, Part 1 (hooliganism), and Article 211, Part 1 (coercing a person to conduct or refrain from conducting campaigning, or otherwise obstructing the conduct of campaigning).

 Osipyan had been detained on 18 May and had been on hunger strike since 21 May.

President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan has sent a congratulatory message to President of the Portuguese Republic António José Seguro on the occasion of Portugal Day.

The information was released by the Office of the President of Armenia.

“I highly value the continued development of the friendly relations between Armenia and Portugal, which are founded on democratic values, mutual respect and trust.

I reaffirm Armenia’s readiness to strengthen and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with Portugal both in bilateral and multilateral formats, as well as within the framework of the Armenia-European Union partnership,” the presidential message said.

President Khachaturyan also wished President Seguro good health and success, and extended wishes of peace and prosperity to the friendly people of Portugal.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia has congratulated the government and people of Portugal on the occasion of the country’s National Day.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry published the congratulatory message on its account on the social media platform X. 

“Warm congratulations to the government and people of Portugal on the Day of Portugal. Armenia highly values its friendship with Portugal and remains committed to deepening bilateral ties and cooperation across areas of mutual interest, including within the framework of Armenia-European Union partnership,” the Foreign Ministry said in its congratulatory message.

Members of Armenia’s Civil Contract Party held a major rally in Republic Square in Yerevan, bringing to a close their campaign ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7 in the Republic of Armenia.

The rally was moderated by National Assembly Vice Speaker Ruben Rubinyan.

Addressing supporters, Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan said an atmosphere of calm and internal peace had taken shape both in the capital and across the country.

“That peace stems first and foremost from the peace that has been established along our borders and within our republic. Alongside that peace, however, we still have a certain concern, because this peace is more valuable to us than ever before. That concern tells us that those who serve the instructions of foreign intelligence services have come to take that peace away from us. But those people will not return; it will not happen,” Avinyan said, expressing confidence that the Armenian people would resolve that issue through the election results.

National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan also addressed the rally, noting that members of the Civil Contract Party had visited all regions of Armenia during the campaign and received a positive response from citizens.

“There is only one thing left for us to do now: we must stand for peace and pass it on to our children,” Simonyan told rally participants.

Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan, who also serves as head of the party’s election headquarters, said the Civil Contract team had met with more than 1.8 million citizens during the 28-day campaign.

“We spoke with you about our achievements and our mistakes. We told you that we love you. We listened to criticism, agreed or disagreed, and refined our policies. The formula behind Civil Contract’s success is its harmony with society. We are honest about both our successes and our mistakes. Citizens see and understand this because our driving force is not personal interest; our driving force is Armenia,” Harutyunyan said.

He stressed that Armenia seeks to become a full-fledged and understandable partner of the wider world, where citizens of different countries visiting Armenia would feel at home.

“We want not only those citizens who left the country over decades to return to their state and remain here, but also for our country to become an attractive destination for citizens of other states to visit, invest in and conduct business,” Harutyunyan said, adding that both the campaign and opinion polls indicate that a majority of voters intend to support the Peace Agenda, as they did in the 2021 elections.

Member of Parliament Vahagn Aleksanyan also spoke at the rally, expressing confidence that the owner of the Republic of Armenia is its citizen and that citizens will never relinquish that right.

Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan presented Armenia’s economic indicators for 2026 compared with 2018, emphasizing that the figures reflected growth and development.

Defence Minister Suren Papikyan spoke about reforms and achievements in the defence sector, outlining investments made in recent years and highlighting the acquisition of modern weaponry by Armenia.

Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan also addressed the gathering, speaking about the introduction of universal health insurance.

“Eight years after 2018, we are here once again to stand for our peace, to defend our right to live with dignity and happiness under peaceful conditions, and to protect the opportunities for development that peace brings,” Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said, providing a detailed overview of developments in the peace process with Azerbaijan.

The final rally in Republic Square also featured an address by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who is currently on leave and serves as chairman of the Civil Contract Party. He began his speech by quoting Psalm 20.

Pashinyan said citizens had sent him messages during the campaign that he wished to share with participants.

“The people are the owners of the state, and the people must guide the state. The first of those messages is that the ‘three-headed party of war’ must not enter parliament as a result of the June 7, 2026 elections. Those espionage networks that believe they can buy the Armenian people and slander the people must be brought to their knees through the election results. The people have clearly formulated their message: immediately after the elections, within a short period of time, Robert Kocharyan must be arrested and brought to justice for the March 1 crime,” Pashinyan said.

He stressed that Armenia’s judicial system should return what had been stolen from the people as soon as possible.

“I consider the existence of an independent judiciary important, but it is obvious that, unfortunately, Armenia has not yet succeeded in making justice visible and understandable to the people. Why has this issue not been resolved until now? I say clearly that one of the key reasons is the constitution that has not been accepted by the people of Armenia, which protects ordinary civil and judicial mafias in every possible way,” Pashinyan said, adding that he had spent the past eight years fighting those groups.

He also argued that the issue could not be resolved without constitutional changes and said this was one of the reasons he places particular importance on adopting a new constitution after the elections.

Pashinyan expressed confidence that Armenia’s former leaders would face punishment after June 7.

“I expect and demand from the law enforcement system that all election fraudsters and all those distributing vote-buying bribes be placed behind bars without exception within hours. From this moment onward, I demand that the law enforcement system operate more effectively,” he said, while also urging rally participants to assess the actions already taken by law enforcement agencies.

Pashinyan called on all citizens to stand for the Republic of Armenia, its independence and freedom.

He and other Civil Contract representatives urged voters to take part in the elections and vote for No. 16, the Civil Contract Party.

The rally concluded with a drone show and a performance by Varchaband, a musical group founded by Pashinyan.

Armenia’s parliamentary election campaign officially began on May 8 and is scheduled to run until June 5. A total of 19 political forces — including two alliances and 17 parties — have registered to participate in the elections.

The Civil Contract Party is contesting the election under ballot number 16 with the slogan “Stand for Peace.” The party has submitted to the Central Electoral Commission an electoral list comprising 283 candidates, as well as a separate list of 10 candidates representing national minorities.

Armenian law enforcement agencies have announced arrest warrants against several prominent former officials in a major corruption and money laundering case involving property worth over 200 million drams.

According to the Investigative Committee, former officials—including ex-Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan, former Finance Minister Gagik Khachatryan, his son Artyom Khachatryan, ex–Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan, and several former university and business officials—are accused of abusing official positions.

The alleged crimes occurred between 2009 and 2016 while they were in office.

Authorities allege they orchestrated a scheme that transferred a 451.1 sq. meter state-owned property in central Yerevan (Pushkin Street), belonging to Brusov State University, out of public ownership and later laundered it through a sham purchase for 75 million drams. It was allegedly registered under the name of Artyom Khachatryan following a staged transaction intended to conceal its true ownership.

Vigen Sargsyan served as Defense Minister from 2016 to 2018 and previously served as Chief of Staff in the administration of Serzh Sargsyan. He was chairman of the university’s governing board at the time the alleged scheme was orchestrated. Armen Ashotyan served as Minister of Education and Science from 2009 to 2016.

Gagik Khachatryan served as Chairman of the State Revenue Committee from 2008 to 2014 and as Minister of Finance from 2014 to 2016.

Former rector of Brusov State University Gayane Gasparyan, former vice-rector Artur Avagyan, and former deputy director of the “Yerevan Mall” shopping center Harutyun Tadevosyan are also wanted.

Criminal proceedings have been initiated against the seven individuals mentioned above under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia for abuse of official authority, aiding and abetting such abuse, large-scale money laundering committed by a group, and aiding and abetting those offenses. Arrest warrants have been issued.

The former head of the State Property Management Department, Arman Sahakyan, has been taken into custody as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into vote buying, the Anti-Corruption Committee told Armenpress.

A court has jailed Galstyan without bail pending trial.

Other details were not available.

Arman Sahakyan served as head of the State Property Management Department from 2011 to 2018. He is the son of the late former Speaker of Parliament, Galust Sahakyan.