The recent incident in the Yerevan metro, during which Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan got into a verbal fight with a woman displaced from Nagorno Karabakh, has received a sharp response in expert circles. Doctor of Law, Professor Gevorg Danielyan pointed out the inadmissibility of manipulation of concepts, when the forced emigration of people against the background of military operations is presented as a voluntary escape.

The situation recorded yesterday in the metro of the capital became an occasion for discussions. The head of the Armenian government communicated with the daughter of field commander Meruzhan Mosiyan, who died in the first Artsakh war in 1993, in a high tone. Armine Mosiyan with. During that conversation, the phrase “runaways” was used to refer to the forcibly displaced people.

Commenting on this incident, a member of the Supreme Spiritual Council of the Mother See Gevorg Danielyan expressed deep concern on his page of social networks regarding how the emigration of Armenians from Nagorno Karabakh is interpreted in the political sphere. According to him, the consequences of the multi-month blockade and large-scale military operations are consistently ignored, and the tragedy of thousands of people who lost their homes is ordered as voluntary abandonment of their permanent residence.

The expert reminded that the mass emigration was preceded by a heavily armed confrontation. In that unequal struggle, as Danielyan notes, not only civilians – women, children and the elderly – died, but also 129 servicemen who showed stubborn resistance. The lawyer also referred to the official data of the Azerbaijani side, which confirmed the loss of 192 of their soldiers.

Summarizing his position, the professor emphasized that the political narratives of “escape” and “considering the Artsakh issue closed” lack internal logic. Danielyan noted that the denial and blocking of the people’s right to self-determination is in deep legal conflict with the UN Charter and the fundamental international treaties that fix the essence of statehood.

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According to a new report by the international human rights organization Freedom House, the level of global freedom in the world is decreasing for the 20th year in a row. Against the background of the general decline of democratic indicators in the South Caucasus and neighboring regions, Armenia has maintained its previous positions, remaining among the “partially free” countries.

In the report “Freedom in the World 2026: The Growing Shadow of Autocracy” published by the organization on March 19, it is noted that during the past year, political rights and civil liberties have deteriorated in 54 countries, and only 35 countries have registered a positive shift. Armenia earned 54 points out of 100 possible, repeating last year’s result. In addition, from the point of view of Internet freedom, the experts ranked the country among the free states, evaluating it with 72 points.

Neighboring Georgia also kept its place in the group of “partially free” countries, but its ranking decreased by 4 points compared to last year, reaching 51. The authors of the report attribute this decline to the harsh response of the authorities to the anti-government demonstrations that started in 2024 and continued throughout 2025. Human rights activists highlight the disproportionate use of force by the police, as well as the repression of opponents and civil society by the ruling Georgian Dream party, through physical attacks and new restrictive laws.

Other countries of the region appeared in the list of “not free” states. Azerbaijan’s index decreased from 7 to 6 points within a year. According to Freedom House analysts, the country’s index has fallen from 33 to 6 over the past two decades, following President Ilham Aliyev’s consolidation of authoritarian rule since 2003, and the elimination of an independent judiciary and media. The report notes that the country’s leadership is actively using state resources, including the oil sector, to maintain patronage and corruption networks and fund pro-government media, while deploying a heavy-handed crackdown by security forces to silence any dissent.

Traditionally, Turkey and Iran have also been included in the rating table of “not free” countries, receiving 32 and 10 points, respectively, from the experts.

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Against the background of the growing threat of transnational crime, the delegation led by the chief of police of Armenia participated in the world summit on the fight against fraud in Vienna. The main theme of the large-scale forum was the development of effective mechanisms to counter modern financial machinations and the expansion of international cooperation of law enforcement agencies.

From March 16 to 17, the high-ranking delegation of the RA Ministry of Internal Affairs: Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Chief of Police Kamo Tsutsulyan was in the capital of Austria on a working visit. As reported by the press service of the department, the agenda of the event included a wide range of issues related to the latest methods of fraud and finding adequate solutions to these challenges.

The participants of the international conference agreed that the key to success in preventing such crimes is the uninterrupted and prompt exchange of information in bilateral and multilateral formats.

Within the framework of the meeting of heads of delegations, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia in Austria gave an extensive speech Andranik Hovhannisyan. The diplomat presented to the foreign partners in detail the current image and features of fraud schemes in the republic, and also spoke about the preventive measures of the law enforcement system and the prospects of conceptual reforms in the given field.

At the end of the summit, the Armenian side officially reaffirmed its determination to join efforts with international partners. Yerevan intends to actively participate in global initiatives in the future in order to significantly increase the effectiveness of the fight against transnational crime.

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Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan commented on attempts to identify his episode expert cooperation with the Armenian special services with the alleged activities of Archbishop Ezras Nersisyan, an agent of the USSR KGB.

The head of the foreign policy department emphasized the fundamental difference between supporting one’s own state and serving the special services of the vanished empire.

On March 23, in a conversation with journalists, the RA Foreign Minister referred to this topic, which received public resonance, pointing out the obvious political context of such questions. Answering the question whether he is considered an agent of the National Security Service, Mirzoyan flatly denied such a wording.

The minister clarified that at one time the RA NSS turned to him exclusively as a field expert in order to receive advisory support on a very specific and weighty issue. Being an active opposition figure, Mirzoyan nevertheless agreed to help, being guided by state rather than narrow party interests.

According to him, it referred to the security and state institutions of the Republic of Armenia, not the authorities of the day. That cooperation was short-lived, and the diplomat himself never hid that fact.

Explaining the difference between the statuses of an expert and an agent, the minister emphasized that an agent is a recruited person who unconditionally fulfills various assignments of the relevant structure. Mirzoyan considered it inappropriate to draw parallels between the citizen who tried to be useful for the national security of his independent country in a difficult situation, and the person who was an agent of the special services of an entire empire.

Reference: At the end of 2025, the RA government and the NSS published archival documents, according to which Archbishop Ezras Nersisyan, leader of the Armenian Diocese of Russia and Nor Nakhichevan (Catholic of All Armenians Garegin B brother) was recruited by the KGB of the USSR under the operational code name “Karon” in the 1980s. The archbishop himself categorically denied those accusations, calling the documents fake.

Earlier, in 2021, political opponents Ararat Mirzoyan were accused of secretly cooperating with the RA NSS under the code name “Omega”. At that time, Mirzoyan confirmed the fact of contact with the special services in 2007, but emphasized that he interacted with them exclusively as a scientist-researcher in order to protect the country’s national interests.

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The ongoing military conflict around Iran makes the implementation of the TRIPP transit corridor through the territory of Armenia, promoted by Washington, impossible and pointless. Former RA Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, former Ambassador to China Sergey Manasaryan expressed a similar opinion on NEWS.am’s “Strength Factor” program, warning Yerevan about the danger of getting involved in a new escalation.

According to an experienced diplomat, due to the war that has started, the issue of creating the “Trump Path” (TRIPP) is finally closed. Manasaryan emphasized that this confrontation can have only two ways out, and none of them leave a chance for the transit project. In the event of the defeat of Iran and the victory of the USA, Washington will no longer need to build a complex 50-kilometer road through the heavy relief of the Armenian Syunik, because the entire territory of Iran will be at their disposal. In the opposite scenario, if the United States cannot win and leave the conflict, Tehran, maintaining its positions, will simply not allow such a pro-American highway to be built near its northern borders.

Referring to the regional geopolitical consequences, the former deputy minister expressed his belief that the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, is now forced to pay off debts in exchange for the help he received from Israel in solving the Artsakh issue. For this reason, Baku will do everything to open a new front against the Islamic Republic. According to Manasaryan, such a scenario contains a huge danger. military operations can most likely be transferred to the territory of Armenia, even if Yerevan tries in every way to maintain neutrality and avoid bloodshed.

Let’s remind that the TRIPP (Trump Path for International Peace and Prosperity) project is a logistics corridor initiated by the USA through the south of Armenia, which is meant to connect the main part of Azerbaijan with the Nakhichevan autonomy. According to the Armenian-American framework agreements announced in 2026, the exclusive rights to build and manage the infrastructure for a period of 49 to 99 years should be transferred to a special consortium operating under the auspices of the United States.

The Armenian opposition strongly and uncompromisingly criticizes this plan. Political opponents declare that TRIPP is actually a disguised form of the extraterritorial “Zangezur Corridor”, the opening of which Baku has been striving for many years. Critics emphasize that handing over the strategic route to the foreign American administration deals a heavy blow to Armenia’s state sovereignty in the Syunik region, as well as geopolitically endangers the vitally important land border with Iran, threatening to isolate the country from its traditional southern neighbor for good.

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US President Donald Trump has decided to postpone the destructive strikes against Iran’s energy infrastructure for five days. This sudden cessation of military operations is due to the constructive contacts between Washington and Tehran, which provide a chance for a diplomatic settlement of the crisis.

Yesterday, the head of the White House issued a tough ultimatum, giving Iran exactly 48 hours to completely unblock the Strait of Hormuz for international shipping. In case of rejection, Washington threatened to completely destroy the power plants and key energy facilities of the Islamic Republic. However, tense rhetoric was replaced by diplomatic maneuvers. On his page of the Truth Social network, Trump said that over the past two days, the parties managed to hold deep and detailed discussions.

According to the US president, the negotiations are aimed at a comprehensive resolution of the conflict in the Middle East. Based on the positive tone of those talks, which are set to continue this week, Trump has officially ordered the military to suspend preparations for the strikes for the next five days.

Let’s remind that the unprecedented military escalation in the region started on February 28, with the large-scale attack of the USA and Israel on Iranian territory. On the very first day of the operation, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah was killed Ali Khamenei։

In response to the coalition’s actions, Tehran completely closed the strategically important Strait of Hormuz and began to launch periodic missile attacks on the American military bases located in the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, as well as on the territory of Israel. At the same time, the Israeli army expanded the conflict zone, conducting active military operations against Lebanese targets.

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Yerevan’s famous Press building is expected to undergo a large-scale reconstruction. RA State Property Management Committee and “PROSPECT24” company have announced an exclusive project to transform the structure of historical and cultural value into a modern premium multi-functional complex, promising to preserve its architectural originality.

The concept of large-scale renewal will be officially presented within the framework of the large real estate exhibition “House Expo”. As the organizers of the event inform, the project implies not only comprehensive modernization of the building, but also a complete change of its purpose. A premium class modern center will appear in the place of the former editorial offices, moreover, the authors of the initiative assure that special attention will be paid to the recognition of the structure and the undisturbed preservation of the historical and cultural value.

Ahead of the expected reconstruction, the state agency is inviting potential investors to cooperate. Companies interested in the hotel business and large-scale construction projects will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the renovation concept and evaluate the investment potential of the object at the booth of the State Property Management Committee located at the exhibition.

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A unified customs and logistics center will be created near the capital of Armenia, which is meant to radically simplify export and import operations. This large-scale infrastructure project worth 45 million euros will be implemented with the financial support of European partners.

Chairman of the State Revenue Committee Eduard Hakobyan in other words, the current system of customs administration remains decentralized, which inevitably complicates and delays the process of cargo formalization. The new complex will combine the functions of not only customs services, but also other state bodies involved in foreign trade on a single platform.

This will allow to significantly reduce the time spent on bureaucratic procedures, increase the efficiency of control and improve the business environment. In addition, the project will solve the acute problem of lack of infrastructure, including modern laboratories necessary for product examination.

The facility of strategic importance is planned to be built in the suburbs of Yerevan, near the “North-South” highway.

Such deployment will significantly increase the capacity of the customs system and strengthen the overall logistics potential of the country. The financing of the ambitious project is provided by the European institutions. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will provide 39 million euros in loan funds, and another 6 million euros will be provided by the European Union as a grant.

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Iveta Tonoyan referred to the publication entitled “Gagik Tsarukyan and Mihran Poghosyan were unable to come to an end”, describing it as having nothing to do with reality.

He noted that this is one of the rare cases that there is no truthful or factual information in the complete material. Also, to describe as surprising the fact that the journalist, who considers himself a professional, “tried to turn a simple gossip into a highly reliable and unquestionable truth”.

“It is doubly regrettable that the latter did not even make the slightest attempt to verify this “information”, which he always had the opportunity to do and had in this case as well.

I assure all my colleagues in the media that I am always ready to provide exhaustive and accurate information in order to avoid publications of such quality in the future,” Iveta Tonoyan wrote.

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