On July 28, a working conference was held at the educational complex of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the topic “Formation of the main directions of the content and organization of professional education of Border Guard Service employees”, which was attended by Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Armen Ghazaryan. This is reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs coordinates the implementation of the visa liberalization action plan, one of the important components of which is complex border management. The implementation of complex border management structures is carried out in close cooperation between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Security Service, which also includes the introduction of the professional education program for border guards.

The conference was attended by representatives of state bodies interested in education, border management, migration, law enforcement, international and partner organizations, as well as experts.

The purpose of the event was to discuss the main directions of modernizing the professional education of border guards, developing the state educational standard and introducing international best practices.

The speakers presented the experience of border management reforms of Estonia, Lithuania and a number of other countries, as well as modern approaches to the organization of professional education.

During the discussions, it was noted that a modern border guard officer should have not only legal knowledge, but also the ability to make decisions in practical situations, apply administrative procedures and use information systems. It was emphasized that the effective training of border guards requires an institutional, unified and continuous educational system that will combine national experience, international standards and modern educational methodology.

The draft of the state educational standard for the “senior guard” qualification of the “Border Control” profession, developed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the NSS, was also presented at the conference. During its development, the Educational Complex was guided not only by national legislation and the practical requirements of the border guard service, but also took into account the international experience of the professional training of border guards, including the “Border and Coast Guard Training” developed by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX). Common Core Curriculum for Border and Coast Guard approaches.

The conference is an effective platform for the exchange of professional experience, expansion of educational cooperation and joint discussion on the priorities of the development of education of border guards, which will contribute to the continuity of the reforms implemented in the educational complex of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

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On the night of July 15, at 4 o’clock, a report was received from the “Armavir” medical center to the operational control center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that a 42-year-old man from the city of Armavir sought medical help with cuts and puncture wounds.

The operative group of the Armavir Regional Department of the Criminal Police found out that the man was injured during an argument on Yerevanyan Street in Armavir.

According to the information of the police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, criminal proceedings were initiated in the regional investigation department of Armavir, and the subsequent measures of the law enforcement officers completed the picture of the crime.

At 3 o’clock in the morning, a dispute broke out between a 42-year-old man and the same 25- and 26-year-old brothers, residents of Yerevanyan Street. A fight started, during which the elder brother, with the knife he had, struck the man several times, causing serious bodily injury.

On July 22, the criminal police arrested the brothers and presented them to the preliminary investigation body. The next day, the court imposed a restraining order against them, and the brothers were taken to a penitentiary.

The investigation is ongoing.

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His Holiness the Catholicos of All Armenians The criminal case regarding Garegin B. Nersisyan and six bishops (archbishops) was handed over to the Court of General Jurisdiction of the First Instance of Armavir Marz and assigned to Judge Hakob Manukyan.

According to lawyer Ara Zohrabyan, it became known today that the first session of the preliminary hearings was scheduled for 2026. on August 7 at 16:00, in the city of Echmiadzin (Echmiadzin, St. Grigor Lusavorc str., building 15, hall No. 1).

The Catholicos of All Armenians is accused of the act that he, being also the president of the Supreme Spiritual Council, using his official powers, allegedly obstructed the execution of the decision of the General Jurisdiction Court of Armavir Region (Judge Edgar Hovhannisyan) regarding the “Satisfying the Petition for Applying a Security Measure” of another legal act that entered into legal force.

The decision taken by the Catholicos of All Armenians regarding the excommunication of Arman Volodya Saroyan, the former leader of Masyatsotn Diocese, was considered such an obstacle.

In a state that has an obligation not to interfere in the internal affairs of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church according to international and domestic legislation, the government granted the status of the accused to the Armenian Patriarch to perform a church function.

This is a shameful historical event.

In the last one hundred years, this is the second case when the state government makes the Catholicos of All Armenians the target of criminal or violent pressure.

The first such case was related to the Catholicos of All Armenians Khoren A. Muradbekyan. During the Soviet anti-church repressions, he worked under unprecedented pressure, and on April 6, 1938, State Security agents strangled Khoren A. Muradbekyan.

The steps taken against the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church since 2018 have created a picture of continuous state pressures on the church, among which are:

• cancellation of diplomatic passports of bishops (2018),

• Termination of state police protection accompanying the Catholicos of All Armenians (2020);

• Withdrawal of the “History of the Armenian Church” subject from the general education curriculum (2020),

• Termination of spiritual service of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church in penitentiary institutions (2024),

• the significant limitations of the institutional presence of the church in the armed forces and the removal of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church from the army (2024-2025),

• Attempts to edit Immortal and Holy Liturgies (2025-2026),

• Launch of public political initiatives to change the Catholicos of All Armenians and terminate his powers (2025-2026);

• the application of criminal prosecutions and restrictive measures against high-ranking clergymen (2025-2026);

• and now, the criminal prosecutions against the Catholicos of All Armenians and six bishops (2026).

“Regardless of political views and legal assessments, it is obvious that the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church and the Institute of the Catholicos of All Armenians are one of the pillars of Armenia’s history, national identity and statehood. For that reason, any process unfolding around them is beyond the scope of a single criminal case and has historical, constitutional and national significance.

History shows that oppression of the church and its leaders was never just an act against the person; they have always also referred to national solidarity, public trust and the foundations of statehood.

It is unfortunate that the entire Armenian nation will answer for these actions of the authorities,” Ara Zohrabyan says.

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“Zhoghovurd” newspaper writes.

“Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan continues to surprise not only the public, but also his own team. Within the recently ruling “Civil Agreement” party, it is difficult to understand the logic of the prime minister’s political and personnel decisions. According to the official sources of “Zhoghovurd”, a number of appointments and rearrangements are carried out quickly and often without extensive preliminary discussions, which causes uncertainty and surprise within the team. In recent months, the President of the National Assembly has become an occasion for such discussions Alen Simonyan the situation around Araik Harutyunyan– moving from the office of the prime minister to the parliament, as well as other personnel changes.

According to the information of “Zhoghovurd” daily, another surprise is connected with the temporary management of “Araratcement” factory.

Until now, in the government circles, it was considered almost certain that the temporary manager of the factory would be the Deputy Minister of Economy Edgar Zakaryan. According to the same sources, he was already preparing for his new position, had gathered his things at the ministry and was waiting for the transfer.

However, after yesterday’s session of the government, the situation has changed drastically. According to “Zhoghovurd” daily: Nikol Pashinyan Minister of Economy after the session Gevorg Papoyan informed that the temporary manager of “Araratcement” will not be deputy minister Zakaryan, but the assistant of the prime minister, the former governor of Aragatsotn Davit Gevorgyan։

This decision surprised both the employees of the ministry and the officials involved in the processes related to the factory. As a result, Zakaryan remained in his previous status, and the transfer process, which had already started, was actually stopped.

Behind the official scenes, this change is seen as another signal that Pashinyan continues to personally and often at the last minute reshape the distribution of influence and responsibility within his team.

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“Russia wants us to decide on our alternative today, but now we are in the process of forming an alternative. We cannot specify an alternative now, because its object does not yet exist. In order to hold a referendum on such an issue, Armenia must at least have applied to the EU or received the status of a candidate for membership. At that time, the referendum will be logical and necessary,” Nikol Pashinyan said today.

This wording is at least puzzling. One gets the impression that Pashinyan first dismantles the current system of security and foreign policy of Armenia step by step, and then only starts looking for an “alternative”. That approach is more reminiscent of the logic of searching for a product on list.am than the responsible process of the state’s strategic orientation.

Moreover, if, according to the Prime Minister, Armenia is still only at the “stage of forming an alternative”, then by what logic is the government already implementing a policy of changing the country’s foreign policy direction? Why was the law “On starting the accession process of the Republic of Armenia to the European Union” adopted, if, according to Pashinyan, that “alternative” has not even been formed yet?

There is an obvious contradiction. on the one hand, the government is changing the foreign political vector of Armenia with practical steps, on the other hand, it declares that the subject of the final election does not exist yet. This does not create the impression of a consistent strategy, but of a situational policy, the possible consequences of which can be extremely severe for Armenia.

The economic reality is equally telling. If the European direction is already presented as the future of Armenia, and if, according to the authorities, the European market is open for Armenian products, then why is Nikol Pashinyan asking Russian President Vladimir Putin to remove export restrictions? This fact itself proves that the vital interests of the Armenian economy continue to be largely connected with the Russian market, and this reality cannot be replaced by political statements.

The strategic choice of the state cannot be based on wishes, assumptions or political improvisations. It should be formed on the basis of national security, economic interests, geopolitical realities and a clear state vision.

Therefore, the main question arises. Is Nikol Pashinyan acting based on calculations based on reality, or is he once again trying to create a “reality” that suits him with political statements? The recent history of Armenia has repeatedly shown that Armenia and the Armenian people paid the price for the collision of reality and the illusions created by the government.

Political scientist Suren Surenyants

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