Category: News

The Armenian parliament session resumed after a major brawl, with Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan addressing the clash between lawmakers.

“During the break, I watched all the footage and listened carefully to Taron Chakhoyan’s speech. I did not identify a single offensive remark in it. Mr. Narek Karapetyan, you failed to control your emotions, made offensive remarks from your seat, and then stood up and attempted to hit Taron Chakhoyan. Then, when the brawl began, Garnik Davtyan struck Taron Chakhoyan. Mr. Karapetyan, you are primarily responsible for what happened. You started this brawl by interrupting a lawmaker’s speech,” Rubinyan said, addressing opposition Strong Armenia faction leader Narek Karapetyan.

Tensions escalated in parliament on October 29 during an exchange of views on the election of a member of the Audit Chamber. The incident occurred while Taron Chakhoyan, a Civil Contract faction MP, was speaking.

Chakhoyan reminded Karapetyan that his cousin had yet to apologize for a statement made before the parliamentary elections in which he said that, if they came to power, they intended to establish a separate “ministry to satisfy women.”

Karapetyan began speaking from his seat and then approached the podium, triggering a brawl.

Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan has held opposition Strong Armenia faction leader Narek Karapetyan and MP Garnik Davtyan responsible for the violent brawl in parliament earlier in the day, while expressing support for the actions of Civil Contract faction MPs.

Rubinyan made the remarks during a press briefing shortly after the incident, which continued in the corridor of the parliament building.

“I strongly condemn the behavior of the Strong Armenia faction leader. Let me remind you that he insulted an MP who was speaking at the podium and then stood up from his seat to hit him. I strongly condemn Strong Armenia faction MP Garnik Davtyan, whose first punch triggered the brawl. I fully support the Civil Contract faction, which did what it did,” Rubinyan said.

The Speaker, a senior member of Civil Contract, recalled his earlier call to maintain rules of conduct in parliament, noting that Civil Contract prefers this approach.

He maintained that ruling faction MPs had responded to actions directed against them.

Addressing criticism that security personnel had been called in too late, Rubinyan denied the allegation and said he had ordered security to intervene the moment the situation escalated. According to him, until that point, the MPs had just been standing and speaking loudly.

“I wanted everyone to see what was happening first. Second, there was no brawl at that point,” he said, adding that he called a recess and summoned security personnel to the chamber after the physical altercation began.

Rubinyan also rejected opposition allegations that the incident had been orchestrated in advance. He countered that he had not instructed opposition MPs to insult or hit the MP who was speaking.

The Speaker said that an investigation into reports of possible involvement by MPs’ aides in the incident was still underway.

“There are claims that bodyguards are actually registered as aides, even though they do not know the most basic rules of conduct. I will take a very strict approach to this matter. Anyone who fails to follow the rules will simply not be allowed to enter the National Assembly, at least,” he said.

Armenian National Assembly Speaker Ruben Rubinyan received a delegation led by Slovenia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tone Kajzer.

The National Assembly’s Public Relations and Communication Department announced this in a statement.

“During the meeting, the two sides expressed satisfaction with the interparliamentary ties established between Armenia and Slovenia, stressing the importance of further deepening them and continuing to develop cooperation. They addressed prospects for developing bilateral relations, as well as new opportunities to expand economic ties. Regional issues and developments were also discussed,” the statement said.

Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan has strongly condemned the brawl in parliament involving lawmakers from the ruling and opposition factions.

A statement issued by the Office of the Human Rights Defender said parliament should be a platform for democratic debate, not a “battlefield.”

“Any manifestation of violence by high-ranking officials, including members of parliament, contributes to the spread in society of attitudes that perceive and justify violence as a means of resolving disagreements. Excluding violence from public speech and conduct is the responsibility of representatives of state authority,” the statement said.

The Human Rights Defender demands that not only conduct involving violence but also any speech justifying violence be ruled out.

“The incident must be properly investigated in accordance with the procedure established by law. Such incidents further reinforce attitudes that justify violence, the unacceptability of which the Human Rights Defender had addressed earlier today in a statement issued in connection with public discussions on the prevention of domestic violence,” the statement reads.

The Central Bank of Armenia has warned about fake documents circulated in its name and used by scammers.

The Central Bank has published examples of fake documents, noting an increase in cases in which fraudsters use them to mislead citizens by passing them off as powers of attorney, certificates, or other documents issued by the bank.

“Using this method, fraudsters attempt to obtain loans from various financial organizations in citizens’ names or carry out other fraudulent transactions. We inform you that, as a rule, financial organizations do not need to use powers of attorney or certificates issued by the Central Bank of Armenia in the course of customer service. Therefore, if, while using the services of financial organizations, you are presented with powers of attorney or certificates purportedly issued by the Central Bank of Armenia, or reference is made to such documents, we urge you to verify their authenticity by contacting the Central Bank of Armenia (tel.: +374 10 592 592, Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; email: [email protected]),” the Central Bank said in a press release.

The warning comes a day after several officials, including Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan, Minister of Environment Hambardzum Matevosyan, and Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan, also warned about fake social media accounts created using their names and photos.

Armenian Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan has warned about a fake social media account impersonating him and spreading false information about the ministry.

“A fake account impersonating me has appeared on a social media platform and is being used to spread false information about the ministry. Please be vigilant and do not respond to such messages,” the minister wrote on his Facebook page.

The warning comes amid similar alerts from several officials, including Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan, Minister of Environment Hambardzum Matevosyan, and Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan, who recently warned about fake social media accounts using their names and photos. The Central Bank of Armenia has also warned about fake documents circulated in its name.

The government of Armenia has extended the deadlines of two social assistance programs for persons displaced from Karabakh.

In particular, beneficiaries of the assistance program for specific groups of persons displaced from Karabakh will continue to receive support through June 2027.

The decision was adopted at the Cabinet meeting on October 29.

The amount of assistance will be 30,000 drams per month from January through March 2027 and 15,000 drams per month from April through June 2027.

As of October 2026, approximately 46,000 people benefit from the program.

The eligible groups under this measure include persons with Group 1 or Group 2 disabilities or profound or severe functional limitations; persons aged 63 and older; persons receiving benefits or pensions due to the loss of a breadwinner; persons aged 18 and older studying at general education, preliminary vocational (craftsmanship), or secondary vocational institutions; and children under 18.

The deadline of the additional emergency assistance measure for vulnerable families displaced from Karabakh will also be extended.

Beneficiaries will continue to receive assistance of 40,000 plus 10,000 drams through December 2027.

In October 2026, 8,600 families received assistance under the measure.

Eligible beneficiaries are families whose monthly income per member is below 55,000 drams. Monthly income per family member is calculated by dividing the family’s total monthly income by the number of family members.

Persons displaced from Karabakh may also benefit from other existing social assistance programs and measures, provided they meet the eligibility requirements.

Starting January 1, 2027, Armenia will expand its universal health insurance system to cover additional groups of citizens.

Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan, speaking at the Cabinet meeting, recalled that the reform was launched in Armenia on January 1, 2026.

The next phase stipulated by law will begin on January 1, 2027.

The draft amendments adopted at the meeting define the groups that will be included in the system starting January 1, 2027.

“Armenian citizens earning monthly salaries of up to 200,000 drams will also be covered by the universal health insurance system starting January 1, 2027. Their insurance premium burden will be distributed as follows: of the monthly premium of 10,800 drams, the state will subsidize 4,400 drams, the employer will pay 4,400 drams, and the employee will pay 2,000 drams. Before January 1, 2026, we all paid a stamp duty that was higher than 1,000 drams. Starting January 1, 2026, that payment was reduced to 1,000 drams for all employees earning up to 1 million drams,” the minister said.

She said that starting January 1, 2027, the state would subsidize 6,000 drams for citizens earning more than 200,000 drams but no more than 500,000 drams per month, as it did in 2026, while the employee would pay the remaining 4,400 drams.

“Our intention was for employers to also contribute to ensuring the living standards and work capacity of employees earning less than 200,000 drams. However, if a person’s salary exceeds that threshold, the burden of paying the insurance premium falls on the employee, although the subsidy remains in place. As we promised, in the first year, 2026, we are subsidizing 6,000 drams for employees earning between 200,000 and 500,000 drams. Starting next year, however, they will pay that 6,000 drams through the social credit mechanism. In other words, they will no longer receive that subsidy,” Avanesyan said.

The minister added that, according to the government’s estimates, 350,000 people in Armenia earn monthly salaries of up to 200,000 drams.

In response to numerous requests from citizens, starting January 1, 2027, employed individuals will be allowed to voluntarily include their dependents in the insurance system. Those earning between 200,000 and 500,000 drams per month will be able to include one family member by paying that person’s insurance premium, while those earning more than 500,000 drams will be able to include two family members.

Avanesyan stressed that drivers providing taxi services through electronic platforms had also been included in the insurance system during the year. They will be able to join the system starting January 1.

“We have already established the payment mechanisms under this draft. Given that taxi drivers do not always work regularly, we have set a threshold. The system will cover drivers who have a two-year registration history on electronic platforms and whose total turnover in 2026, calculated on a monthly basis, exceeded the minimum wage. This measure was also intended to ensure stability and give taxi drivers the opportunity to benefit from the system,” the minister emphasized.

The Anti-Corruption Court has extended the pre-trial detention of Gagik Khachatryan, former chairman of Armenia’s State Revenue Committee and former finance minister, by another two months.

Khachatryan was initially remanded in custody for two months in early September.

Criminal proceedings against him began in 2019.

The charges filed against the former official in various cases concern, among other things, abuse of official powers, embezzlement on an especially large scale, complicity in money laundering, and bribery.

Armenia’s Ambassador to Italy Vladimir Karapetyan, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador Elchin Huseynli, and Georgia’s Ambassador Tamara Liluashvili participated in a panel discussion titled “Caucasus at a Crossroads: Peace, Corridors, and a New Era of Cooperation,” organized by Festival della Diplomazia.

The event was attended by approximately 150 academics and students from various Italian universities, journalists, and heads and representatives of think tanks, the Armenian Embassy in Italy said in a press release.

The discussion focused on strengthening peace in the region, developing transport links, expanding cooperation among South Caucasus countries, and prospects for improving connectivity between Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Europe.

In his remarks, Ambassador Karapetyan addressed the steps and initiatives undertaken by the Armenian government and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to strengthen peace in the region, emphasizing the importance of dialogue, cooperation, and building mutual trust.

The ambassador also noted that, following the public’s backing in the parliamentary elections held this summer, the Armenian authorities had intensified their efforts to establish and maintain peace and stability in the region. He said that active dialogue with all countries in the region, initiatives to build trust, and concrete steps were aimed at consolidating the peace achieved.

Ambassador Karapetyan also expressed hope that the Armenian authorities’ commitment to ensuring a peaceful future for the region was in line with the aspirations of other South Caucasus countries.