Russia is increasing pressure on Armenia with the aim of preventing Yerevan’s geopolitical turn to the West and forcing to clarify the country’s strategic vector. Experts and former senior officials warn that Armenia’s political and economic “diversification” attempts are accompanied by vital challenges, and Western security and economic alternatives still remain unrealistic or difficult to access.

Analysts note the same trend in both political and economic dimensions. Moscow has decided not to tolerate Yerevan’s uncertainty, forcing Yerevan to either make a final choice and pay the price, or abandon its choice to join the European Union.

As a result, Russia has blocked the export of Armenian agricultural products to its market, while persistently demanding that Armenia make a final decision through a referendum. Does the country remain in the EAEU or does it take the path leading to EU integration and “civilized divorce” with Russia? At the same time, official Yerevan insists that a referendum on EU or EAEU membership will take place in Armenia only when the country submits an official application for EU membership.

A political and security dilemma

According to Arman Grigoryan, professor of Lehigh University, USA, doctor of political sciences, what Yerevan calls “diversification” of relations is actually a sharp change in strategic orientation. He notes that a dangerous discourse and an illusion detached from reality have been formed in Armenia.

“It seems to us that after the departure of the Russians, we will end up in the European paradise,” says Grigoryan, stressing that the West will not provide real security guarantees to Armenia.

According to the political scientist, Moscow is resorting to preventive actions because, especially against the background of the US’s failures in the war with Iran, it feels more confident and realizes the degree of economic dependence of Armenia on its market. Grigoryan considers the possible withdrawal of the Russian military base from Armenia to be particularly worrying (although such an issue is not discussed in the political agenda of Armenia or RA-Russian relations), which, in his opinion, plays the role of a “tripwire”. without this factor, Armenia will find itself in a highly vulnerable position in front of the demarches of Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Economic stress and closing markets

These security complications are immediately coupled with a harsh Russian economic calculus. Former Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia, Professor of the American University of Armenia Vache Gabrielyan clarifies that the crisis in Armenian-Russian trade in recent months, particularly the blocking of perishable agricultural products at the border, has a clear political purpose, not a technical one.

By targeting tomatoes and fresh produce, which, unlike alcohol, cannot last long in warehouses, Russia is dealing a quick and painful financial blow to Armenia. “At this moment, the Russians want to introduce certainty, being sure that we cannot introduce such certainty,” explains Gabrielyan.

According to the former deputy prime minister, Moscow is putting Yerevan in front of a difficult dilemma, demanding clarity between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the European Union (EU). “Russia is doing this so that Armenia either makes a choice and pays the price for it, or withdraws from its choice and wears it out,” he emphasizes.

Weakness of alternatives

Both speakers agree that the transition “toward the West” announced by Armenia faces objective and deep structural obstacles. If from the military-political point of view it is the lack of hard guarantees from the West, then from the economic point of view it is the logistical and standardization problems.

Referring to the government’s efforts to redirect Armenian exports to Europe, Vache Gabrielyan warns that they cannot give results quickly. He reminds about the “law of gravity” of economic trade. Strict European certification requirements, complex logistics and the need for long-term marketing do not allow political decisions to quickly change the economic ties that have been built by business over the years.

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The attack of Jewish fanatics in the direction of St. Jacob Monastery in the Armenian quarter of Jerusalem is unacceptable, and its periodic nature raises very worrying questions.

Let me remind you that a few days ago, 6 Jews gathered in front of the St. Hakob Monastery of the Armenian Patriarchate, spat on the door, then cursed and threw stones, all of which was captured on the phone in the direction of the Armenians.
Although the police reported the arrests, such cases are not unique, which indicates that they are either sponsored or the authorities do not make special efforts to prevent similar cases.

Instead of using the issue of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide according to the situation, the Israeli government should develop a proper attitude towards similar processes.

Tigran Abrahamyan, former member of the National Assembly

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From the analysis of information and information leaks regarding the strong attack on Iran’s vital infrastructures, which was once again promised and then canceled by US President Trump, it becomes clear that there is no trump card to “subdue” Iran at the moment.

The Iranian strategy of this armed conflict, which flares up and fades out regularly, is very clear. It is not aimed at stopping the war at any cost, but taking advantage of geographical and other incomparable advantages, to irreversibly exhaust the stronger opponent in that war.

At the same time, as the end result of this strategy, the Iranian side also declares two basic goals at the level of rhetoric: recording the full control of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran and the possible limitation of the US military presence in the Persian Gulf region, and in the best case, the complete nullification.

Accordingly, everything else for Tehran is a derivative of these two main goals, because with the control of the Strait of Hormuz and the absence of the US military presence, Iran will become the sole master of the entire Persian Gulf, figuratively speaking, with enormous advantages.

Iranologist Vardan Voskanyan

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“Karabakh. geography of peace. reconstruction, stability and regional cooperation in the South Caucasus” program. writes Ermenihaber.

Within the framework of the project, a delegation of 20 journalists left for Artsakh from Turkey. They visited Aghdam and got acquainted with demining works.

Halik Zulfukarov, a demining expert, provided them with information about ongoing works and noted that demining works are underway in more than 20 areas of Aghdam. According to him, 350 deminers are participating in demining operations, 42,664 combat mines have been neutralized and 291,684 hectares of land has been demined.

He also stated that he was present at the demining operations on the Iran-Turkey border in 2017 and 2018.

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The 2nd criminal case against Kamo Areyan, adviser to the mayor of Yerevan, was sent to the court. the ban on not being absent was chosen as a preventive measure against him. As we learn from the “Datalex” information system, on August 4, the criminal case against Areyan and the former employee of the municipality, Naira Ter-Stepanyan, was assigned to the judge of the Anti-Corruption Court, Tigran Davtyan.

According to the accusation, Areyan, occupying the position of the 1st Deputy Mayor of Yerevan in 2003-2009, assisted the transfer of official powers by Yerevan Mayor Yervand Zakharyan, as a result of which “Special School for Orphans, Children Deprived of Parental Care” SNOC was deprived of the land provided to the school for free use.

As a result of this, severe consequences for the Republic of Armenia have inadvertently arisen: the Republic of Armenia has been deprived of the right of ownership of a plot of land with a market value of 105 million drams.

To remind, on July 21, the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Armenia initiated a public criminal prosecution against Kamo Areyan, the adviser to the Mayor of Yerevan. Within the framework of the same criminal proceedings, on April 23, 2026, the prosecutor initiated a public criminal prosecution also against the former mayor of Yerevan, Yervand Zakharyan (abuse of official powers, which carelessly caused serious consequences).

On July 28, it became known that the criminal case against him was entered in the court and was signed to the judge of the RA Anti-Corruption Court, Sargis Petrosyan.

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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan crosses all the red lines, exceeding the limits of his powers.

During the past eight years, Pashinyan has violated hundreds of laws and many provisions of the Constitution. Meanwhile, a large number of Armenians ended up behind bars not because of crimes, but simply because of disagreement with him. a fundamental right that should be guaranteed to every citizen in a democratic country.

Pashinyan clarified that the laws do not apply to him. He smugly boasted that he could break any law and no judge could stop him.

Since seizing power in 2018, Pashinyan has viciously attacked the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and its spiritual leaders. Despite his unchristian behavior, he often quotes Scripture to mislead his gullible followers. According to the Bible (Matthew 4:5-7, Luke 4:9-12, Psalm 91:11-12), the devil also, referring to the Scriptures, urged Jesus to throw himself from the tower of the temple, assuring him that the angels would save him. Jesus responded by quoting Deuteronomy 6:16. “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Although baseless rumors about Katholykos having a child have been circulating for a long time, Pashinyan, who waited seven years after coming to power, exploited the rumor only when his narrow political interests demanded it. For more than a year, he has been abusing his official position, trying to overthrow the Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin II.

Pashinyan made public appeals, issued personal threats and even used obscene language on his Facebook page in order to force the Catholicos to resign. After the failure of all these attempts, he even resorted to blackmailing 10 high-ranking clerics in order to win them over to his side and turn him against the Catholicos. Under the guise of “reforming” the Church, he formed a “citizen committee” to dethrone the Catholicos. It is simply absurd that someone who is extremely incompetent in governing the country is trying to interfere in the internal affairs of the Church and decide who will be the next Catholicos. It does not concern him at all.

Naturally, all this is a gross violation of the Constitution of Armenia, which stipulates the separation of the state and the church. However, Pashinyan persistently tries to impose his will by establishing an authoritarian one-man rule. In early January, when Catholicos Garegin II and a committee of six bishops deposed Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, leader of the Masyatsotn Diocese, Pashinyan urged him to reject the church’s internal decision and go to court. Then, on January 27, the church administration declared him disorganized.

The court illegally ordered the Catholicos not to depose Saroyan and forbade Garegin II to leave the country, depriving him and the six bishops of the Supreme Spiritual Council of the opportunity to participate in the most important episcopal meeting in Austria. Despite this, the meeting was held, and 25 bishops from around the world expressed their support to the Catholicos of All Armenians, condemning Pashinyan’s government’s prosecution of the Church.

The preliminary session of the trial of the Catholicos and the other six bishops is scheduled for August 7, at 16:00, at the Vagharshapat (Echmiadzin) court. This is an unprecedented phenomenon, when a criminal prosecution is carried out against the Catholicos of All Armenians in the independent Republic of Armenia. During the centuries of rule, neither the Ottoman Empire nor Tsarist Russia ever put any Catholicos on trial. The only exception was the assassination of Khoren I the Catholicos, who was strangled to death by the agents of the Soviet secret services on April 6, 1938.

Taking the Catholicos of All Armenians to court is a clear illegality and gross abuse of authority by Pashinyan’s government. For more than 1,700 years, Armenians around the world have been boasting that Armenia was the first state to adopt Christianity. However, their own government now treats the church leadership as criminals.

The only good news is the statement of Catholicos Garegin II that he will not resign even if he is arrested and imprisoned. He will continue to serve as a legitimate Catholicos even in prison.

During the last eight years, Pashinyan’s government has implemented a number of unprecedented anti-church steps.

– In 2018, it canceled the diplomatic passports of the clergy.

– Removed the subject “History of the Armenian Church” from the curriculum of public schools.

– In 2024, he stopped the service of chaplains in penitentiary institutions.

– Terminated the service of clergy in the Armed Forces.

– He plans to confiscate all the buildings and property of the church.

– The security forces conducted a search in the area of ​​St. Etchmiadzin to arrest the archbishop.

– Arrested and detained several high-ranking clergymen on false charges.

– Violating the regulations of the National Assembly, the authorities did not allow the Catholicos to say a word of blessing at the opening of the session on August 2, 2026.

– Collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes and fines from the Church for the purchase of candles by believers, despite the fact that the Church is a non-profit organization and those who buy candles are actually making a donation.

Judge Hakob Manukyan is obliged to drop the charges against the Catholicos and six bishops on August 7, so as not to become an accomplice of Pashinyan’s crimes. Otherwise, Judge Manukyan will become an object of international ridicule when the European Court of Human Rights finally records that his verdict violated the Constitution of Armenia.

Meanwhile, the Armenians of both Armenia and the Diaspora should wake up from the long-term stupor and raise their voice of protest. If they continue to be silent even after the arrest and imprisonment of the Catholicos, then they do not deserve to have either the Church or the Motherland.

Harut Sassounyan
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

Translation by Ruzanna Avagyan

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