on March 7 “Suren Papikyan’s religio-political constraints. “uncomfortable” questions about the “transformation” of the spiritual service of the Armed Forces with the text in the article We wrote that our written request addressed to the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia on February 6 (the basis for which served as the basis for the request of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia Suren Papikyan on January 30 the command) remained unanswered a month later.

It should be noted that the RA Law “On Freedom of Information” clearly states stated that: “if it is necessary to perform additional work to provide the information specified in the written request, then this information is given to the applicant after receiving the application; within 30 days”.

The Ministry of Defense asked us for more time to respond to the inquiry.

And the written request includes the following questions:

– Was a meeting with the participation of gunners called in the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, when did it take place, who were present from the spiritual service of the Armed Forces, and who were from the leadership of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff, why was it called, what was discussed? Or, if such a meeting was called, was the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia present at it? Suren Papikyan, Chief of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces Edward Asryan, RA Deputy Minister of Defense Arman Sargsyan, Head of the Department of Morale and Psychological Support of the Armed Forces General Staff Seryozha Stepanyan, general Artak Budaghyan, and was there an attempt to check the attitude of the colonists regarding Nikol Pashinyan’s religio-political movement to “reform” the Church?

– During the tenure of RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan and before that, did the dual subordination of gunners in the army cause problems and what exactly was the problem? And from now on, can we say that the code of the Armed Forces will be extended to the regimental soldiers?

– And since the colonels are offered military positions and officer ranks, will they also be certified, according to what standards?

– Is it already clear what the spiritual service of the soldiers will mean from now on, will their service duties undergo changes compared to before, and what changes?

3 days after the publication of our article, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia decides to send a response letter in violation of the deadline established by law, which states:

“In response to your request of February 6, 2026 addressed to the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, we inform you that until February 1 of this year, various service consultations were held with the participation of the regimental officers.

RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan addressed your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th questions in a briefing with journalists at the National Assembly on February 6.

In other words, Suren Papikyan did not deny the information in our survey about the meetings convened in the Ministry of Defense and its content.

As for the other questions, we mentioned in the above-mentioned article that we sent a written request because there were still misreadings and doubts regarding the content of the meeting in the Ministry of Defense, the reasons for excluding dual subordination in the army, and the duties, salary, and certification-de-certification of the gunners in the new status.

In other words, no clear answers were given during the briefing, moreover, the questions that are present in our written survey were not asked there.

For example, during Suren Papikyan’s term of office and before that, did the dual subordination of colonels in the army cause problems and what exactly was the problem, and from now on, can we say that the code of the Armed Forces will be extended to colonels, what legislative, rulebook, statutory changes does the change in the nature of spiritual service in the army imply? The briefing also did not address whether the certification process would be extended to enlisted gunners, and what standards would be applied.

And in its response letter sent by the RA Ministry of Defense in violation of the deadline, it tried to save the fact that it does not have de jure and de facto answers to our questions by referring to Suren Papikyan’s briefing on February 6. It’s a failed attempt, to say the least.

And what about the briefing with journalists at the National Assembly? to say The Minister of Defense.

“The order of the Minister of Defense has been changed, and the nature of the service has changed. Speculations that spiritual service in the army has been stopped are not true. Spiritual service can be continued in the army, they just have to obey the morale-psychological department of the Armed ForcesSuren Papikyan noted, adding that there can be no dual subordination in the army.

And we tried to find out from which moment or period the dual subordination in the army caused problems, and what exactly, after all, only Suren Papikyan has been in this position since November 15, 2021.

Journalists were also interested in the fact that disorganized clerics were offered positions, that is, to go and work as a regiment with a salary of 700,000 drams, to which Suren Papikyan said in response.

“I can’t say the amount of salary now, but the Minister’s order that we have published reveals that yes, we can sign a contract with the ministers who received spiritual education of the AAP in RA, so that they serve and fulfill their mission. I can’t talk about salary now. You say the amount of salary is high, but it will be sufficient salary, which will be different from what they received before.”

Are there answers to our questions here? Maybe the RA Ministry of Defense will once again look at Minister Papikyan’s briefing…

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During the press conference held on February 13, Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan announced that from 2023 to February 5 of this year, 20,769 internally displaced persons from the Republic of Artsakh received Armenian citizenship.

He also said that during this period 26,099 applications were received, an increase was recorded, more than 9,000 children also received Armenian passports.

How inclined are our compatriots from Artsakh, who received RA passports, to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, what kind of government do they want to see in Armenia?

Hakob Hakobyan, co-founder of the “Ardarutyun” party of the Artsakh Republic, who is in almost daily contact with Artsakh Armenians, believes that Artsakh Armenians will actively participate in the elections.

“These elections are even more decisive for the people of Artsakh and they are anxiously waiting for the results of the elections, including their active participation.

During our many meetings, it is once again confirmed that the Armenians of Artsakh are waiting for such a government to be elected in Armenia, for which the issue of Artsakh is not closed. Also, they will not close the problem of the return of Artsakh Armenians, but they will be able to support those processes that will lead to the return. Moreover, there should be such a government so that before returning to Artsakh, the Armenians of Artsakh have decent living conditions and opportunities in their motherland.” of 168.am Hakob Hakobyan said in an interview with

According to our interlocutor, the Armenians of Artsakh do not want a luxurious and luxurious lifestyle in Armenia, but what they want is to have a decent life and work.

“No Artsakh citizen has taken the goal and dream of returning to Artsakh from his mind, because they left many things in Artsakh: the graves of their children, parents, relatives, sanctities.

It is clear that the citizens of Artsakh, who have the opportunity to participate in the elections, will participate and vote for the political force representing the above-mentioned programs.

The people of Artsakh know very well the price of peace, that’s why the thesis of the authorities of the day that “if we are not elected, there will be a war” does not work for any of the people of Artsakh. The people of Artsakh have been through several wars, apart from the 44-day war, they have been successful in others, they know how to achieve peace,” he added.

Hakob Hakobyan also emphasized that the Armenians of Artsakh, like any conscious Armenian, know today that they achieve peace not by begging, but by showing dignity and strong will.

Hakob Hakobyan emphasized, “That thesis of the RA authorities pushes the Artsakh Armenians away from the KP even more.”

Let’s remind that the regular parliamentary elections in Armenia will take place on June 7, many political forces have not yet announced their participation in the elections. Some have announced their participation in the alliance.

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During the last 2 weeks, Nikol Pashinyan and his teammates rarely remember about the campaign they started against the Apostolic Church and Vehapar. Did the authorities divert their pre-election campaign from the anti-Church and anti-Catholic campaign, or are they just working behind the scenes, with the bishops who have joined them and have been called “tiradav”, or have they simply realized that they cannot fight against the Church, and have decided to “retreat”?

Reverend Vrtanes Baghalyan, spiritual pastor of St. Hovhannes Church in Byurakan it is difficult to say what the authorities have understood, only God knows what they are thinking.

The clergyman believes that the government’s lack of activity regarding the topic of the church before the upcoming elections indicates that the anti-church campaign has no support in the society.

“If the government had full support from the people in this campaign, it would have been more active before the elections. But this is an indicator that society does not support them in this matter. According to me, this campaign is also directed from outside, by Erdogan, Aliyev and Pashazade, the government knows that the society inside the country does not support their campaign.

I don’t know if they will be elected in the elections or not, but if they try to reactivate this program after being elected, it will mean that they have made some promises to foreign forces. It is clear that if they are not elected, this movement against the Church will never be renewed.” of 168.am said Vrtanes Baghalyan in a conversation with

Reverend Vrtanes Baghalyan reminded that the authorities started an anti-church movement in 2018, failed and stopped it, and the authorities resumed it again in May last year.

“I have witnessed myself, both in the Mother See and in other places, how the people, ordinary citizens, are fighting for St. Etchmiadzin and the Catholicos.

Hopefully, people with legal education warned Nikol Pashinyan that what he is doing against the church is not part of his authority, it is an abuse of authority.

In any case, the movement of the authorities against the Apostolic Church and His Holiness is doomed to failure,” added the clergyman.

According to our interlocutor, for a long time, the authorities have, so to speak, “worked” with various clergymen, they have given them cheap promises in order to provide against the Apostolic Church, Vehapar, but the authorities have not found much support among the priestly class. If 2 out of 20 priests support the government, it turns out that 10 percent of the entire priestly class supports this government campaign.

“If we take into account that we have about 57 bishops and archbishops, the government managed to attract only 9 of them to its side. His Highness, unlike the authorities, does not have the Prosecutor’s Office, Investigation, National Security and other structures. In other words, we are spiritually subordinate to the Mother See. We see that government officials are also providing state protection for all those clergy who join the Prime Minister’s anti-church movement. Even with this state support and protection, the government could not have more than 10 percent support among all church members. More than 90 percent of church members are on the side of His Holiness, moreover, more than 90 percent of the Armenian society also supports the church and His Holiness,” added Father Vrtanes Baghalyan.

Continuing, the priest said that according to various inquiries: Nikol Pashinyan is supported by only 23 percent of society, therefore, Pashinyan, who has 23 percent support, has no right to start a movement on behalf of the entire Armenian society against the Patriarch, who has the support of 90 percent of society.

“The Church is a divine structure, the society loves the Reverend Father very much, despite the fact that false news against him is circulating on the Internet, especially those people who do not know the Reverend Father personally. Myths and legends are circulating about Vehapar, spreading negative information. In addition, the government is exerting pressure by detaining His Holiness’s brother, nephew, sister’s son, i.e. His Holiness’s relatives, his beloved clergymen, Saints Mikael and Bagrat, Saints Mkrtich and Saints Arshak, as well as priests.

Until this moment, the investigative agency has not returned my phone, this speaks of the attitude of their organization towards us. In October, I was questioned as a witness, my phone was confiscated. They haven’t been able to look at the contents of my phone for so long and return it to me? This speaks of the poor work of the Investigative Service,” emphasized priest Vrtanes Baghalyan.

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Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict relations due to the border left undefined by the British colonialists until the end, like many other conflicts in the region, have a long history. However, their current escalation, which, in fact, has taken on the character of a so-called low-intensity war, cannot be considered outside of the context of the large-scale aggression of the USA and Israel against Iran in the neighborhood.

The first The inspiration for this war, which remains in the shadow of the Iranian events, pursues a very obvious goal: to neutralize Kabul, which has recently become closer to Tehran, and to involve nuclear Pakistan in forceful operations against Iran. In addition, China is put in a difficult situation at the same time, because Pakistan, and recently Afghanistan, are its close partners.

Thus, Beijing’s attention is also diverted from Iran. At the same time, behind the general image of bringing chaos to this large space, Washington’s geopolitical aspiration to ensure control over the transport corridors of the entire Eurasia is clearly visible.

On both sides of the infamous Durand Line between Pakistan and Afghanistan, petty skirmishes and terror attacks by militant groups and organizations controlled by neither, such as ISIS-Khorasan, are a constant occurrence. In fact, their members do not recognize any authority in their area of ​​operation, so instead of mutual accusations, it would be more effective for Kabul and Islamabad to cooperate in the fight against these terrorists, which has not been done yet.

Moreover, On the eve of the start of the American-Israeli operation against Iran, Pakistan’s powerful airstrikes in the direction of the Afghan territory turned their conflictual relations into open interstate fighting, which continues with unceasing intensity.

Only on March 7, for example, Pakistan hit to the Afghan provinces of Paktia, Paktia, Khost, Maidan-Wardak and Kunar. Thousands of people have already died on both sides. The account of daily losses is tens and hundreds.  More than 100 thousand people became refugees.

At the same time, Pakistan announced its willingness to protect Saudi Arabia from “Iranian attacks” in accordance with the mutual defense agreement between them. In general, everything is proceeding according to the project written out of the region.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid called for a meeting of the UN Security Council to take action to stop what he called “Pakistan’s attack on Afghanistan”. Earlier, Mujahid criticized the Security Council, saying that it has lost credibility and, in his words, has become “a tool in the hands of Western countries.”

Unfortunately, due to US obstruction, the outcome of the new session of this international body as well it is easy to predict.

World experts are still wondering what is the main trigger for Trump’s military action against Iran anyway: his personal whims, which contradict the US president’s own statements and plans, or Israel’s influence.

There is no universal answer. The White House’s hopes for a Nobel Peace Prize appear to have been put on hold while the drums of war thunder.

As for Netanyahu’s influence, his own interests are a bit more modest than this global action that has begun, far beyond the borders of a single country. It is enough for the Prime Minister of Israel to “dust” Iran and postpone the trial in corruption cases. Therefore, apparently, Washington is right when they say that they pushed Israel to start an operation, and not the other way around.

If we look at the actions of the administration of the United States in a more global context, the motives of the current belligerent behavior of the Americans can be also other, in their opinion, valid reasons.  In particular, the steps taken by Trump under the guise of peace negotiations over the past year to take the main transport hubs of Eurasia under American control are noteworthy, a step he is extremely proud of.

In the Caucasus, for example, it has “locked the North-South corridor” in the area of ​​the hypothetical Zangezur (Syunik) corridor in an agreement with Armenia and Azerbaijan.։ According to that project, without too much modesty named after Trump on the international path of peace and prosperity (TPIPP – not to be confused with, you know what), the establishment of an American guard base with up to a thousand military personnel is also planned in this zone.

And on the East-West axis, within the framework of which China has already spent up to 0.5 trillion dollars to advance the “Belt and Road” route, Trump has reached the allocation of his key link in Central Asia under the name of “middle corridor”. The operator of the latter, in agreement with Kazakhstan and other countries of the region, should also become the USA. In other words, TRIPP should be vaccinated there as well.

From the point of view of the current leader of the United States, the deal is super. The products are foreign and the control is American. All of Eurasia is dependent without war. But the war was necessary, as recent events show. Of course, such raider invasions on a global scale could not be organized by those powers that have preserved national sovereignty, which are located along the two axes.

Iran, not giving up the already concluded North-South projects, has started looking for alternative routes, bypassing Azerbaijan. It is no coincidence that the latter, although it has officially declared non-interference in the war against Iran, in practice takes a rather hostile position towards Tehran. In particular, Russian-Iranian agreements were reached on the activation of navigation through the Caspian Sea, which, among other things, would ensure full loading of the Volga shipyards.

The connection of Iranian railways with similar lines in Turkmenistan should be completed soon. Through it, the North-South route will be launched along the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea.

More significant are the plans to connect Iran’s Chabahar port directly to Central Asia via the Afghan cities of Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif by rail. For the post-Soviet countries there, it will be the shortest and most profitable exit to the world markets. And why then do they need TRIPP, which is also viewed with suspicion by China and Russia, the region’s main economic partners?։

And Reza Pahlavi or another more capable henchman of Washington in Iran will certainly not give up, hence the obsessive desire to change the regime at any cost.

In this light, the role of Afghanistan takes on a unique role. Maintaining their tough position, the Taliban, with the help of Chinese investments, have started an unprecedented infrastructural transformation in the country. A new Kabul for 3 million people is being built, railways and highways, huge canals and much more.

like this In the coming days, the 300-kilometer Wakhan Corridor between Afghanistan and China should be opened, which is more modern and in many ways superior to the famous Karakoram Highway between China and Pakistan. In the future, it is planned to build a railway along the Wakhan Corridor with the Mazari-Sharif entrance. Thus, the main cargo transportation of the East-West route can go through new routes through Afghanistan and Iran, leaving aside the parts that are firmly saddled by the USA. And Kabul, from the last dead end of world communications, which lacks railways at all, has the opportunity to turn into almost the main transport intersection of Eurasia.

It is not for nothing that Trump continues to demand that he “return” the Baghram Air Base to America, and without it, allegedly, there will be no settlement with Afghanistan and no lifting of sanctions from them. But the answer is as old as this country. “Come on, take it.” With all the current recklessness of the US administration, it is impossible to imagine that someone will stick their nose in there again.

It seems that the intention to exclude Iran and Afghanistan for the Eurasian transport corridors is one of the main motivations for the current US military expansion against them.

Moreover, Pakistan was chosen as the main proxy in the Afghan direction, which, in addition to the old enmity with Kabul, also has geopolitical reasons.։

Islamabad is promoting its own corridor for Chinese goods to enter the world market through the Karakoram Highway and the Pakistani port of Gwadar, located one and a half kilometers from Iran’s Chebehar.

He would hardly have started his current operations against Afghanistan, which are disrupting Chinese projects in that country, if he did not have approval from Washington.

Beijing is in a difficult situation, which has to choose between these two states։

For now, he is playing a conciliatory role, not wanting to completely abandon the alliance with Pakistan, in which many Chinese resources are invested. However logic suggests that an Iran-Afghan option would be preferable in many ways to a pragmatic China։ It is more comprehensive, allowing to solve the problems of connecting the North-South and East-West corridors, it is less vulnerable to the intervention of the West.

In addition, Pakistan’s de facto solidarity with American military operations against Iran is unlikely to score it points in the eyes of the Chinese.

The opposition, as well as the press, warn the authorities in Islamabad about the danger of serving western interests for the country. Thus, during the briefing, Farooq Sattar, the leader of the parliamentary faction of the “Movement for Justice” party of the ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan declared. “as a result of a well-planned conspiracy, other Muslim countries are also drawn into the war without any reason.” Islamic League MP Ali Muhammad Khan condemned the attack on Iran and, referring to Trump, asked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharaf: “Can a man who killed a great Muslim leader be a supporter of peace?”

Islamabad Daily Post writes that Washington and Tel Aviv are tempted to take advantage of Iran’s imaginary weakness, but regional realities have not disappeared anywhere. Prolonged crises narrow the range of allies and increase costs, reducing leverage. Pakistan’s strategic analysts “understand that an alliance with a superpower can quickly turn against the country if policies change depending on election cycles.”

They believe that “Pakistan, for its part, should not give in to the temptation of tactical victories in Afghanistan.” Alleged complicity in attempts to overthrow the regime in Kabul can lead to cross-border violence, refugee flows, and diplomatic isolation from neighbors. However, a complete refusal to cooperate with them will be expensive for Pakistan, whose economy is still dependent on external factors.

As for Trump’s role in the interregional crisis, it is a common practice for him. “nothing personal, just business with a little bloodshed”, because without “boxing”, the US economy, despite all the courage, can no longer withstand the usual competition. The American lion will obviously hit more than one pot with his tail swing during the fade, but will he be able to stick at least one?

DMITRI: MINI

fondsk.ru

Translation by Zhanna Avetisyan

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Political scientist Vazgen Hovhannisyan is of the opinion that a regional war could have disastrous consequences for Armenia.

“A terrible catastrophic situation has been created for Armenia, because it is clear that attacks are being made on a bordering country that is not hostile to Armenia. I don’t want to talk about that, but about the fact that the behavior model of Turkey and Azerbaijan after the war shows that they are trying to take advantage of the created situation. There are naive estimates that Aliyev will try to attack Iran. he will not do such a thing, because Ilham Aliyev is quite a rational figure.

It seems to me that the military movement was primarily determined by taking advantage of the opportunity, and in the case of possible scenarios, the weakest victim will be the Republic of Armenia.” 168TV “Review” he said during the program, noting that in the case of very bad developments in Iran, Aliyev can subject to military occupation the very area he considers the “Zangezur Corridor”.

“This is a possible scenario. we are not ready for that scenario, because our Foreign Intelligence Service, created by Pashinyan, in its latest report, in connection with the elections, is again a “hybrid war”, some people are directing, etc.

Do you understand that in this case of a threat to national security, the Foreign Intelligence Service is reporting things that are contrary to logic, assumptions without being based on facts, and the primary security problem is that the existence of your state can be called into question very much, because a serious military conflict is taking place in the region, and the countries that are a serious threat to your security, Azerbaijan and Turkey, are carrying out military operations, to which they have no answer, he emphasized.

According to the political scientist, it can be assumed from the report of the Foreign Intelligence Service that the processes taking place in Nikol Pashinyan’s regime are not so interesting. “For example, if Azerbaijan imposes military arrest, who will prevent it?”

Regarding the government’s propaganda that the implementation of TRIPP will guarantee the existence of RA, Vazgen Hovhannisyan noted that it will actually increase the challenges.

“Azerbaijan receives the Zangezur Corridor, whoever wants to explain it.” Azerbaijan says that it has received the “Zangezur Corridor”, that is, we see the principled approach of the stronger side to this issue and cannot adequately resist it.

And the direct rejection of that project, without clear balancing, is just a minefield, that is, we have already agreed that Azerbaijan should have a way, you refuse, Azerbaijan can take it by military means. In other words, can you imagine what kind of situation this current regime led by Nikol Pashinyan has created? created an explosive situation. If you refuse, you will be attacked, if you don’t refuse, they will absorb you little by little.”

Details in the 168TV video

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