“In today’s relations between the state and the church, the state itself must be protected from the public authorities,” said Davit Harutyunyan, deputy president of the RPA, executive director of the “Luys” Foundation, during the parliamentary hearing “Regarding the current state of relations between the state and the national church” organized by the “I have honor” faction in the National Assembly.

He noted that, as a rule, the issue related to the church is discussed from the point of view of national identity and spiritual life, but the statement deliberately addresses this issue only from the point of view of the Constitution.

According to Harutyunyan, the statement discussed today is about one thing: the borders of the legal state. According to him, one of the important parts of those borders is the state-church demarcation, which includes the principle of non-interference, the guarantees of freedom of conscience and religion, the autonomy of religious communities, this is the border drawn by the Constitution.

“There cannot be favorite and unloved constitutional provisions, the Constitution is not a menu from which one chooses suitable dishes. The word itself suggests the essence: Constitution, the limit was set by the Constitution. And the border, whether it is the border of the state or the border of law, is either kept or trampled. Whoever he is, Christian or Muslim, Buddhist or pagan, agnostic or atheist, everyone has no right to violate the Constitution. The main thesis of this statement is as follows: the Constitution has demarcated the powers of the state and the church, any action beyond those limits is prohibited, regardless of who is in the state. at the helm, at the helm of the church,” said Davit Harutyunyan.

He tried to explain with facts what is really happening at present.

“Let’s start with the facts. In the last year, our law enforcement officers have shown a special zeal in following the church calendar. It is unfortunate that the Investigative Committee feverishly waits for the Sunday liturgy for only one reason, precisely during the hours of the Holy liturgy, the investigators have an urgent desire to talk with the priests in the investigative department.

And our courts have decided that if the church has excommunicated someone, that is not the end, the person can go to court and bring back his priestly gift. Imagine for a moment the ridiculous situation: the judge slams his gavel on the table and announces: “For the sake of RA, I return the grace of the Holy Spirit to you. Go perform your liturgy.”

If the state implements reforms within the church through an investigator and a judge, interferes with the liturgy, it means that we are not building a democracy, but starting a new state religion, a religion where the prime minister is the head of religion, and investigators and prosecutors are apostles.

There is only one technical detail left to be resolved in order to end this tyranny, to call the Code of Criminal Procedure the Holy Book and that’s it.

2025-2026 5 servants of the Armenian Church were arrested on trumped-up charges: three archbishops, one bishop and one priest. National philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan was deprived of his liberty for supporting the church, on January 31, 2026, 6 bishops of the Holy Etchmiadzin Mother See received the status of accused and their exit from RA was prohibited.

On February 14, a criminal case was initiated against the Catholicos of All Armenians. All of them were deprived of the opportunity to participate in the Episcopal meeting planned in Austria. On March 20, the investigator did not allow the Catholicos of All Armenians to travel to Georgia to participate in the funeral ceremony of Ilya II.

They were probably afraid that the Catholicos would ask for political asylum in Georgia and never return to Armenia. And finally this week’s case, on March 29, the day of Palm Sunday, twin brothers Davit and Mikayel Minasyan were arrested in St. Anna Church, both of them are brilliant students, decent and devout young people who go to church every week.

David is accused of trying to hit the prime minister, although I think everyone saw the video, except for the investigator and the prime minister. Mikael is also accused of allegedly helping Davit hit the Prime Minister. Their apartment was searched, they were looking for any connection with any party, they did not find it, instead they found prayer books.

As a result, a two-month detention for a schoolboy holding a prayer book in the church. This is not only a criminal persecution of the young people who dared not to show due respect to the Prime Minister’s entourage entering the shrine, this is an investigative intimidation of the entire society. What I said are facts, not comments,” explained Davit Harutyunyan.

According to him, it may seem strange at first glance, but in today’s state-church relations, the state itself must be protected from public authorities. “That defense starts here, from this hall,” said Harutyunyan.

Ma:n:ramas on 168TV video.

—

RPA vice-chairman Armen Ashotyan held an action near the European Union representation today in defense of 18-year-old Davit Minasyan, who was detained yesterday.

“Representatives of the European Union, if you have the courage to listen.

My fellow citizens. Defenders of freedom. European citizens who pay taxes to maintain this embassy, ​​I stand here today not with diplomatic courtesy, but with a burning heart.

I stand in front of this building, in front of this supposed symbol of Europe, of justice, of human dignity, and I am ashamed, not of my country, but of those who claim to be its moral “coaches” but actually bow their heads.

Behind me is a building whose windows remain closed, whose diplomats are silent, while a student sits in a prison cell for the “crime” of speaking his mind in church.

Davit Minasyan is 18 years old. He is a student. His only “crime” was being in St. Anne’s Church on Palm Sunday, surrounded by the violence of the security forces. They hit him in the face. They threw him to the ground. And who is behind the bars, not the men who hit him, but David? For a gesture. For one word.

Today he is under pre-trial detention as a common criminal. Two months. A frustrated emotion in the presence of a “prime minister” who, apparently, considers himself above the law and above God.

And where is Europe? Where are you?

You who read endless lectures about democracy. You who demand transparency, preach the rule of law, and sanctimoniously make statements about human rights in every corner of the world.

You are standing here in Yerevan, preparing for the big summit with this government in May. You will smile. You will shake hands. You will sign “partnership” papers. Drink Armenian cognac.

But I ask you. what kind of partnership is built on the bones of a child’s freedom?

Your silence is not neutrality. Your silence is complicity.

You won’t say a word about Davit Minasyan because you don’t want to embarrass the person who smiles in front of your cameras.

You will not remember about democratic standards because you need a “stable partner” for your geopolitics.

You will not criticize the persecution of the Armenian Apostolic Church, because you do not want to “interfere in internal affairs”.

But let me tell you what goes on inside those inner workings. the rule of law is dying. Courts are a rubber stamp. The prime minister’s security forces beat teenagers in churches and the teens go to jail. Meanwhile, those loyal to the regime can spit on citizens with impunity.

This is not a democracy. This is a dictatorship with a European facade.

And you, you, the European Union, help paint that facade.

You sit in your embassies. You write your reports. You use the words “concern”, “reforms”, “encouraging steps”, “Hybrid war”. But where is your outrage? Where is your moral clarity?

If you can’t protect an 18-year-old student in church, what are you protecting?

If you remain silent when the Armenian people are deprived of their fundamental freedoms, what do your agreements mean?

If you accept a government that imprisons its critics, pretending to build a “European future”, then you are not building Europe, you are burying its values ​​in Armenian soil.

Let me be clear. I am a patriot. I want a European modus vivendi and modus operandi for Armenia.

I want our people to enjoy the freedoms that Europeans take for granted. But I am here and I will not allow you to use the dream of Europe as a shield for dictatorship.

You cannot lecture us about democracy while you shake hands with a regime that imprisons children.

You cannot demand judicial reforms, while you ignore the judge who signed Davit Minasyan’s arrest decision without evidence.

You cannot call yourselves defenders of human rights, while you remain silent, because the Armenian Apostolic Church, the soul of our nation, is being persecuted.

Shame on you.

Shame on your silence. Shame on your hypocrisy. Shame on the diplomats who look out their windows, who see me here, who know the truth and do nothing.

Davit Minasyan should be released. Today. Not tomorrow. Not after the summit. Now.

And until you find your voice, until you stop being promoters of authoritarianism, you don’t deserve to call this place the “Delegation of the European Union”. You do not deserve the trust of the Armenian people and European citizens.

We will not be silent. We will not bow down. We will continue to fight for our freedoms, with or without you.

But history will remember who stood by the oppressed and who looked away.

Release Davit Minasyan. Release all political prisoners.

And officials of the European Union. either live up to your values ​​or stop pretending you have them.

I am leaving here the school bag, which could have belonged to Davit Minasyan, as a blatant reminder of your hypocrisy,” said Armen Ashotyan during the campaign.

—

Mikael Minasyan writes: “Ten years ago today, the April war began, the last victory of the Republic of Armenia on the battlefield. The last successful consolidation of victory on the diplomatic front.

In 2016, an attempt was made to impose a scenario on Armenia, which was rejected first by the efforts of the Armenian army and then by the work of the state.

Armenia won outside the borders, but started to lose inside the country due to the spread of the aggressive “nemesis”, “handover the land to the land” thesis and defeatist propaganda.

But that is another story.

The April War was the last victory that had heroes who had names, whose heroism had a place, a published number and a valor of valor.

This was the last time when everyone and everything were in their place: the Diaspora and its structures, the state and its institutions, decision-makers and allies.

Kudos to the heroes who knew what they were fighting and dying for.”

—

I dread to think about it, I can’t imagine what will happen to David after two months of detention. This was stated by one of the participants of the “Free David” protest in front of the UN office.

“Our request is that they change the restraining order, let them conduct another impartial trial, let them investigate and see that there was no such crime there. Changing the restraining order of Davit a day ago is in their interest as well as ours. Davit really has health problems. Today, the HRD spoke, spoke, but there was nothing final to say, doesn’t he see the situation of that child, doesn’t he want to mediate, how can such a child be taken with criminals and kept in a penitentiary and in a cell, even if the murderers are under house arrest, isn’t there a competent body or official to speak about this,” he said.

Referring to the video of the incident and the beating of the security guard, the supporter emphasizes that the most unfair thing was that the judge was not aware of the video when imposing the arrest. He adds that they thought that after seeing and being informed, something would change, but in fact, everything was decided from the beginning.

Speaking about children’s involvement in the protests, the supporter notes that children are not the only ones who come there, their sense of justice in the country has been broken.

“We even had an expectation that after the request of one of the journalists to the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister would guarantee and mediate, but in fact our “scoop was made of paper”, he said.

—

US President Donald Trump has announced that the United States can stop military attacks on Iran that have been going on for five weeks in two to three weeks. According to the US president, concluding a deal with Tehran is not a prerequisite for ending the conflict.

“We will be leaving very soon,” President Trump told reporters at the White House, adding that the withdrawal could take place “in maybe two, maybe three weeks.”

Asked if reaching a diplomatic deal with Iran was a prerequisite to ending what the US called Operation “Epic Rage,” Trump said no.

“Iran is not obliged to sign a deal, no,” said Trump.

“No, they don’t have to make a deal with me.” Pete Hegsett, head of the Pentagon, has also announced that the coming days will be decisive for Iran.

“The United States will continue to attack Iran if Tehran does not make a deal with us,” said the United States Secretary of War, asserting that “if it is reasonable, Iran will go to sign an agreement.” Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian also stated that his country has the “necessary will” to end the war with the US and Israel, depending on the conditions.

“We have the necessary will to stop this conflict, if the important conditions, especially the guarantees of the exclusion of the repetition of aggression, are provided,” Pezeshkian said during a telephone conversation with the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa.

And despite Washington announcing the imminent end of the war, US-Israeli forces have continued to strike “underground military targets deep inside Iran.” Israel claimed that it attacked a factory involved in the production of chemical weapons. Iran claims that it was producing medicine. According to the Iranian ISNA agency, at least 10 medical workers were killed.

Iran, in turn, hit Israel, and more than 25 people were injured. They also continued to attack the Persian Gulf countries. A tanker was hit near the coast of Qatar, there were no casualties. Kuwait says an Iranian attack caused a “big fire” at its airport fuel depot. The Iranian-backed Houthis, who have been active in recent days, have announced that they have hit southern Israel with missiles and promised to intensify the strikes in the future.

168.amin a conversation with Russian analyst Vladimir Yevseyev stated that despite the difficult situation created for the US in the Middle East, the US is trying to impose its preconditions on Iran in any case.

According to him, the current proposals to Iran, which the American side considers as a basis for negotiations, have nothing to do with negotiation, a balanced solution, because they simply imply unilateral concessions and acceptance of the presented conditions.

“Iran clearly does not want to accept them, the war is prolonged, and all the calculations of the United States are messed up. Due to this, the statements of the US President and his staff representatives are becoming more controversial. First they talk about constructive negotiations when there are none, then they present ultimatums, then they talk about conducting a ground operation, capturing islands, opening the strait. And in fact, the Trump administration obviously wants to end this war, because it has already caused quite a lot of damage, but it just doesn’t stop the war. So, I think, still several scenarios are being considered, none of which, I think, will give the expected result,” the analyst said.

According to him, another negative development for the United States is that the United States does not receive the support of its Western allies and partners in this war.

“This is the reason why the US president and the secretary of state started a new wave of protest against NATO, stating that the US is considering withdrawing from NATO. In fact, this is a statement aimed at NATO partners who did not show the support Trump expected for the US. Moreover, there were countries that criticized some phenomena and episodes, in Europe they were unhappy that starting this war was not discussed with the US’s European allies, in the event that they are also suffering the consequences of this war. Therefore, a difficult situation has been created, neither the outcome of the war, nor the strategy of victory, nor the strategy of getting out of it is outlined, turning the situation into a dying war. It is not yet possible to say where the parties will stop,” Yevseyev said.

He believes that as long as the war continues, it has the risk of expanding into neighboring regions. According to Yevseyev, there are countries that are interested in it.

“However, the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to target American bases in the Persian Gulf countries, obviously wanting to maintain its good relations with the South Caucasus countries, although not everything is smooth for Iran here, as the United States closely cooperates with Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Israel has partner political and military relations with Azerbaijan. Here, Iran has made many statements to manage the risks, I think there is also appropriate political work, contacts, so that the situation does not become uncontrollable,” Yevseev expressed this opinion.

—

yesterday 168.amwith the caption “What role did Anna Hakobyan play in the 44-day war, what “operational intelligence” issues did she solve, what information base does she have?” in the article referred to Anna Hakobyan’s post about her awareness of the participation and desertion of detective Artur Avanesyan (Kandaz) in the 44-day war.

Today is the 10th anniversary of the April War, and it seemed that Nikol Pashinyan should have respected the advice of the day during the briefing with journalists after the government meeting, especially when, months after the four-day event, in “Haykakan Zhamanak” his “Talish from Arax. new frontline” titled in the article was talking about Azerbaijan’s failed tank blitzkrieg, the resulting 200 Azerbaijani casualties, and the accuracy of Armenian artillery.

To remind, the KP volunteer detachment left for Artsakh on May 14, when the combat operations unleashed in April were over. They dug a trench in Chankatagh, located far from the border at that time, which “appeared” very close to the border as a result of the 44-day war.

And at that time, by the order of the Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan, Suren Papikyan, who today holds the position of the Minister of Defense, was rewarded “Garegin Nzhdeh” medal, “2016 to participate in the four-day combat operations in April.”

We think it is unnecessary to say how it is possible to participate in the April military operations by going to Artsakh in May, but it is written in the order of the former minister. By the way, other members of the squad also received awards at that time.

And today Nikol Pashinyan in 2016 the four-day flyer recalled, noting that there was a problem with weapons at that time. And nothing that the original claims about the ammunition problem later had denied Andranik Kocharyan, the chairman of the investigative commission of the April war formed during Pashinyan’s rule.

This report was not presented to the public either, but the opposition MPs Tigran Abrahamyan and Gegham Manukyan, who got acquainted with it, spoke to us. they said that the report of Aprilyan’s investigative commission does not mention the results of the four-day meeting, and the wordings found are not substantiated.

In this context, Nikol Pashinyan assured that during the 44-day war of 2020, no unit had any shortage of weapons, and this fact must be faced. “No one lacked weapons.”

Let us recall a few episodes here.

First, in June 2023, the former chief of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, Onik Gasparyan had announced.“As a result of weak diplomatic work, in the conditions of being under siege, the uninterrupted and regular provision of the necessary number of missiles and ammunition to the armed forces was not effectively organized, as a result of which it did not give a full opportunity to compensate the expenditure of missiles and ammunition, as well as the losses of weapons and military equipment.”

Second, Andranik Kocharyan, the chairman of the 44-day investigative commission, also on different occasions had insisted about the unfitness of weapons and ammunition, saying: “I sent a huge package of information collected by the investigative commission to the Prosecutor General of RA.”

Third, it is also possible that the military leadership at the time of the 44-day war thought that we needed other weapons and considered its absence as a reason for the defeat in the war, Pashinyan does not think so.

Anyway, Pashinyan at this briefing too referred to to the general “escapes”, repeating his previous statements and accepting the “transfer” made by Anna Hakobyan the previous day, it is a different matter that this time it was necessary to clarify: not all generals are cowards.

“I did not say that the generals are cowards, I said that there are cowardly generals and deserters: And, yes, most of them are judged. We have looting generals going through the illegal property business. And we have generals on corruption charges. I think we have to use the word hero very carefully because we’ve used it so much that we’ve essentially blurred the real heroes into verbal heroes.

The fact that we have people who refused to perform the combat task, I want to understand, who are we hiding from? People should not associate their running away and looting with my orders, I did not give such orders. People wanted to receive such orders, I never gave such orders. Whoever says something like that is from the army of looters. Sometimes you get the impression that the wet is mixed with the dry, I never mix the wet with the dry, and I call people and things by their names. Yes, we have had cowardly generals, what should happen to a person who became a general as a result of corruption, they hung cans in their positions and built their castles in the center of Yerevan, – Pashinyan stated and continued, – they came here from Karabakh, they are “manly”. But during the 44-day war that we are studying their stories, one was a deserter, one was spreading panic, one was the one who ran his son away from the positions, we will name them one by one, and those people will be judged. I hope that the judicial system of Armenia will treat these people in such a way that they will receive the title they deserve, that is, private. They will be deprived of their titles, because they do not have the right to wear those epaulettes.”

In the context of these claims, let us recall other facts.

Nikol Pashinyan says that he did not give orders to retreat or escape.

And what about whether he had the right to the supreme commander’s powers under martial law? to undertake and to issue direct orders to the Head of the General Staff. Furthermore, in what capacity will he counterattack Shushi? gave an order. 

Or, on October 7, 8, he had a telephone conversation with Russian President Putin and was informed about Baku’s demand, that is, to surrender without a fight. Fizuli and the Armenian forces retreat along the Araks to the Khodaferin Reservoir so that the reservoir is under Azerbaijani control and they can draw water from there for irrigation purposes. What “certain flexibility” has he shown? which he talked about in the Investigative Commission, isn’t this about the political order to retreat? This is the first.

Second, Pashinyan talks about the escapes of generals or high-ranking military officers, but the criminal cases initiated against the high-ranking military personnel related to the 44-day strike are mainly due to official and official “negligence”. with accusations are

And the 44-day criminal case against Vahan Yailoyan, the “colonel of the heart” of the current authorities, a close friend of RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan was accused of refusing military service separately from the duties of the regiment commander, which was combined with their actual termination, as well as “showed negligent attitude towards the service”.

But lo and behold, after some time he was acquitted and now he holds a position in one of the important departments of the Ministry of Defense, although before he was acquitted he was in military service, he was in command service in the direction of Yeraskh.

It is interesting that on October 9 or before that, Yailoyan was drawing up an action plan on October 10 Does the commander of the defense area of ​​the defense zone N give up the duties of the commander of an individual regiment? Wasn’t the colonel familiar with the terrain of the southern parts of Artsakh, the Hadrut region, as required by combat operations, because Yailoyan left for Artsakh service from Yerevan, and before that he served in Meghri. But the fact is that he refused to fulfill his duties, in Pashinyan’s language, he “ran away”.

This series of facts can be supplemented during the war and traitors and panic-mongers, and weapons non-store openers: About the search for Pashinyan, but for now let’s limit ourselves to this.

And if Pashinyan is sure of his innocence and military responsibility, then let him publish the report of the investigative commission, especially when he talks about not hiding the truth.

And let the military leadership during the 44-day period continue to be silent, “swallow” Pashinyan’s spittle and not talk about how his son was saved, how maybe the son of this or that official escaped, etc. And Pashinyan will go to the end, and if some think that silence or giving shelter to the Ministry of Defense on November 9, 2020 will save them from prison, they are wrong, everything is still ahead.

But that’s their choice…

—

“The main goal of Pashinyan’s visit to Moscow was to understand Russia’s position and not so much to simply receive a “dabro” – 168․ammentioned in a conversation with cultural technologist, analyst Vigen Hakobyanelaborating, “For Nikol Pashinyan, the behavior of all geopolitical and regional players was approximately calculable and predictable, except for Russia’s position.”

The geotechnical expert noted that, for example, although it is clear for Pashinyan that Europe supports him, unfortunately for him, Europe is not particularly represented on the ground in our region, and the maximum that Europeans can do from a political point of view is to turn a blind eye to all possible illegalities of Pashinyan, etc.

According to him, it is objectively not necessary to wait for the activity of the USA and Iran in this matter. “They are quite mixed.”

“He is confident in the support of Azerbaijan and Turkey. There remains the position of the Russian Federation, which is completely unpredictable in the sense that the chain of possibilities of Russia is large, starting from doing nothing, ending with doing something. That’s why he decided to meet Putin to understand his mood,” Vigen Hakobyan remarked.

To the question, what did Pashinyan understand, the cultural technologist answered: “I think he realized that he has quite serious problems with Russia.”

The expert drew attention to the format of the meeting, noting that usually the official part of the meeting does not last long, while in this case it was longer, stretching for about 20-25 minutes.

“This reminded me more of the Trump-Zelensky meeting. Of course, the matter here did not reach a direct debate, and also with the difference that, if Zelensky was not given lunch in the White House, Pashinyan was given that meal.

Putin immediately went to the agenda, started with the election topics, and put forward the entire problematic agenda himself. energy, gas supply, relations with the European Union, political persecution of pro-Russian figures. Putin immediately set a condition to forget about the Moldovan scenario, etc.”

Vigen Hakobyan considers the reference to the issue of Artsakh to be remarkable, noting that by doing so, Putin recorded that the Karabakh issue is not closed.

“In fact, Putin raised all the complicated issues at once, without giving them a chance to avoid it. It was quite a sharp conversation,” added the civil technologist.

I think Pashinyan was advised by his outside curators to behave the way Zelensky behaved with Trump. It was the same tactic: counter-speech, sometimes insulting, just to create an image of a hero, someone who does not give up to the internal audience, but, I suppose, as in the case of Zelensky, the consequences can be the same here too,” the analyst summed up.

—

Nikol Pashinyan, perhaps, realized that it was too early to “remove” the Russian factor in the political processes of Armenia and rushed to Moscow in order to secure his power. 168 TVof Revue expressed this opinion on the air of the program Political scientist Suren Surenyants, chairman of the “Democratic Alternative” partyspeaking about the topic of the Pashinyan-Putin meeting that took place in Moscow.

“There are upcoming elections, and Nikol Pashinyan would like to insure himself against possible risks coming from Moscow, but in my opinion, there is a much more global reason, that is, the developments taking place around Iran have created a certain security vacuum in the region and, in particular, around Armenia, because in case of some of the most probable developments of the Iranian war, TRIPP loses its perspective, it becomes very vague, and the whole so-called philosophy of peace was built by Nikol Pashinyan. right on TRIPP.

Perhaps he realized that he had “written off” Russia ahead of time, and rushed to Moscow in order to correct some problems and secure his power. I consider the last version to be more credible. In other words, he realized that all his propaganda, his myths and legends about peace are on the verge of collapse, and in this case, the Russian factor can be especially important,” believes Suren Surenyants.

He is not at all surprised by the content of the conversation that took place in front of the cameras in the Kremlin yesterday and the fact that even in the public part of the negotiations, the Russian president spoke in open text about many, many issues, in particular, he hinted at his dissatisfaction with the processes taking place in Armenia, the imprisonment of Samvel Karapetyan, a Russian citizen, in relation to the complaints against the CSTO, he reminded Pashinyan’s recognition of Nagorno Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, or, so to speak, “turned his face” on the relatively low level of Russian gas. prices, volumes of Armenian-Russian trade turnover, Armenia dependence of the economy on Russia, etc.

According to the political scientist, in the end, the time has come for Nikol Pashinyan to face the consequences of his adventure.

“We used to say that you can’t endlessly put all your eggs in one basket, in this case, the Western one, and expect that it won’t have any effect on Armenian-Russian relations. Yes, yesterday’s meeting was very open, even in the public part, and probably a surprise for many, because they spoke openly about topics that complete the current crisis in Armenian-Russian relations. Let’s talk very directly. Yes, there was a small component of “toast diplomacy” and the deep Armenian-Russian relations were emphasized on both sides, but next to that “toast diplomacy” and even more pointedly, the existing problems were discussed in a very open, very public way. What was Putin saying, and it was perhaps the most unpleasant for Pashinyan, because it revealed the bankruptcy of Pashinyan’s policy.

He described the great dependence of Armenia’s economy on Russia, particularly on trade with Russia and on energy sources. Putin rightly said that Russia sells gas to European countries for 600 dollars per 1000 cubic meters, and in the case of Armenia, the price is 177.5 dollars.

How many times have I or my other colleagues said on the air that this adventure will have a price, that is, the Russian president was very clearly implying that if, for example, Russia decides to deal with Armenia through market mechanisms instead of a friendly attitude, by the way, Overchuk said something similar today, how long will the Armenian economy last?

I am not saying if the price of gas reaches 600 dollars, can you imagine if it is even 250-300 dollars, instead of today’s 177.5, what kind of collapse will Armenia’s economy undergo? “Russia clearly makes it clear that it has the tools to influence Armenia’s policy, of course, diplomatically noting that it is Armenia’s right to make a choice,” says Surenyants.

Let’s remind that yesterday, on March 31, the talks between Nikol Pashinyan and the President of the Russian Federation took place in the Kremlin in Moscow. Vladimir Putin in his speech during the meeting referred to Armenian-Russian relations, the volume of bilateral trade turnover, which according to the data presented by Putin, amounted to 6.4 billion US dollars in 2025, and 11 billion dollars in 2024, the price of gas sold to Armenia, the incompatibility of EAEU-EU membership, the CSTO and Artsakh issue and the internal political processes in Armenia and the upcoming parliamentary elections. The head of the Kremlin hinted at the imprisonment of Russian citizen Samvel Karapetyan and expressed hope that all political parties with a pro-Russian attitude in Armenia will be able to participate in the elections. Pashinyan, for his part, answered that “there are no participants in political processes in our places of imprisonment”, and that according to the RA Constitution, only those citizens who have exclusively Armenian passports can participate in the elections.

Full interview in the video.

—

Satik Seyranyan’s guest in the “Pressing” program is religious scholar, sociologist and philosopher Vardan Khachatryan.

The main theses of the interview are below.

• When one of the greatest preachers I know, who did a great work in Africa, came to Armenia, he asked me to take him to Etchmiadzin. The Cathedral was not yet renovated. He himself entered, looked at the dark walls and raised his hands, which is not characteristic of Protestants… He surrendered to the sacred, sacred identity of the Armenian people…

• It is not possible to act in the sphere of the spiritual with push and fists, under no circumstances, because it will cause a crack, which cannot and cannot be filled in any way. Spiritual unity cannot be broken. No choice should have anything to do with a singular moment that holds eternity within it. What happened inside the Saint Anna church was an unacceptable process… The church is the cradle, the tabernacle of light, from which the Armenian Christian crowd is fed.

• You can be a participant in the liturgy, a communicator from the last rows, why do you break through the crowd and go to the first rows… There are no high and low people in the world religion, there are believers. It was an excess. It doesn’t matter where you stand during Mass… 

• Only the Mormon choir sings the canonical version of the American national anthem. 1/3 of the population of the USA is in the Mormon sphere, they have a significant weight. 

• The mechanism of violence works to ensure the reproduction of power as much as possible. There is a prosecutor’s office, a thousand and one institutions that ensure the institutional protection of the government, but it cannot be abused.

• It is impossible to find such a people, such a center of gravity, as the Armenians have on the face of the earth.

• Where there is money and power, there is vice, but one cannot look for vice in a power that has internal wealth. these are the words of Confucius.

• Sitting next to Putin with his imagined map of Armenia on his chest meant that Armenia will maintain the foreign policy line it has followed until now. It wasn’t for Putin, it was a photo shoot in front of the cameras, a symbol that will later be able to play during the election campaign.:

• We tried to sign the European Association Agreement (CEPA), and one of the key points in it, for example, was that Armenia would be given a privilege to import light industrial products to Europe, which happened in the case of Georgia. At least I haven’t seen any country that signed up to the euro association that didn’t end badly. What happened to Georgia… Nothing, they said, the level of Georgian wines does not correspond to the level of European wines. That’s it. Georgians lost the huge Russian market, gained nothing in the European market. The French company “Pernod Ricard” bought the Georgian winery, which sold in pennies, because he considered that if the Russian market does not exist, they do not claim any results. Now let’s think about what can replace the Russian market in our case.

• Europe is not the Europe of today, which can do everything and digest. A mega war against Iran has taken place today, and it is not yet known how it will end. America is ready to sacrifice the last American to win that war, just like Europe, the former Prime Minister of Great Britain, Boris Johnson, declared that it was necessary to sacrifice the last Ukrainian to win against the Russians.

• Yesterday’s meeting between Pashinyan and Putin was perhaps the toughest. that was what yesterday’s leitmotif suggested.

• Europe understands that its relationship with the US is in jeopardy. In this case, Europe can have ambitions of future rise only through China, and this can happen only over Azerbaijan, based on which we have to consider our possible steps. Is this compatible with our interests?

• I don’t understand, brother, how Turkey became our friend… every thought of that country is only to slaughter more Armenians.

• Didn’t the Armenian people see the fortune of Syria? If we must learn wisdom and experience only from our own mistakes, we will perish:

• According to Pashinyan, what is Europe and where does he want to go? Is there any analytical document, is there an analysis that, for example, the structure of the economy of Germany, France or Austria is such that we can have a presence there? 

• The 42 km that we have given, TRIPP, will we be able to control in any way, check what they are carrying: weapons or something else? Once you try, the site will become an open road against our interests, which will not be stopped in any way. It’s another thing if all the roads are unblocked. Whatever economic benefit there may be, it will not be 1/100th of the benefits brought by the Russian market. Yesterday, Putin told Pashinyan: think, if you want to leave your interests and get problems, you are free in your choice… 

• Europe is dependent, it even freed its automobile industry, European cars are produced in the USA and China:

• Either we will take small steps forward, or we will take large steps in the most dangerous direction for us. The emerging new world will not have the outcomes we imagine.

• The scenario of Moldova was possible at that time. Yesterday, Putin hinted that the Moldovan scenario would not work. Make a fair election, the results will be recognized by all, but if there will be an artificial mosaic, you will have problems in the emerging world.

• Folks, a multi-polar world means wars will continue, and we won’t avoid it, no matter how much we want to. If we cannot prepare for war, the anti-Armenian policy of Azerbaijan and Turkey will not change:

• Putin did not say that Russian citizens should come and run in the elections, but this does not mean that the forces that have a Russian orientation should be persecuted in Armenia.:

• Today, two powers, two poles have been created: incredibly rising China, which cannot be impoverished because it has Russia as an ally, and Iran, which is a unique translator of the Eurasian continent. We will face the dangers of the emerging world, and there will be no questioning. We don’t need to stand out at this moment by immediate decisions: we belong to this or that army. We have always distinguished ourselves as a nation of the third bell. You don’t have to forget that.

• If you can fit into the newly formed China-Russia-Iran axis, you will have achievements that you never dreamed of. Overchuk was saying that, will you be in the core of those interests, will you have more, won’t you, will you have losses? Today’s world cannot imagine otherwise. Everyone will act in the focus of their interests. 

• If after what happened to us, we have to believe that the Turkic-speaking peoples will serve the Armenian interests, then long live the Turks. You don’t have to commit suicide. If you gouge out your eyes with your own fingers, do not complain that you are blind:

• It is the delusion of a drunkard. what does it mean: you will come, fight for us, give us money too?

• The rating of the Armenian Apostolic Church is more than 80%. Does any other institution or individual claim more, have a higher reputation?

• Did that person want to breed crocodiles? But didn’t they know that crocodile meat causes infertility in men?

• Today, the world is divided into parts, and it is as a result of united action that the United States did not succeed in Iran. There will no longer be a hegemonic state in the world. There is no longer that possibility. Why does Iran say that oil should be sold in yuan? it’s not Iran saying it, China is saying it. The new world will have nothing to do with the replica of the previous world:

• Iran cannot settle for anything other than a peace document guaranteeing an undisputed peace that reflects Iran’s vital interests. Russia does the same in the case of Ukraine. This is the result of a unified approach. Iran cannot allow them to leave now and come again in 6 months.

• Let’s not forget that when Nazarbayev left Kazakhstan, he went to Turkey. Let’s also not forget that when Nikol Pashinyan was the chairman of the CSTO, and the attempted uprising in Kazakhstan was suppressed, Erdogan announced that the bony hands of Armenians and Russians came to seize and strangle the diamond of Turkic-speaking peoples, Kazakhstan. The Turkic world is an emerging phenomenon that will blast Russia from the south, isolate China from the railways and conventional roads it has built. Should we become a satellite of these hostile actions?:

• We will always be faced with a dilemma, and let that not scare anyone, if you are knowledgeable, understand trends and trends, you will not go wrong. And if there is no strategy, where are you going…

Details in the video.

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