After months of work, the first meeting of the “Proposal to Armenia” coordinating council was held.

“Offer to Armenia” initiative is a cross-party platform that unites different thinking, experience and viewpoints. Here, every thought is important, every opinion is heard and valuable.

As a result of discussions, proposals and joint work, a program was formed, which was born from people and is aimed at ensuring their dignified life.

In the near future, the members of the team and the symbolic train will travel to all marzes of the republic, bringing the solutions formed with the participation of our compatriots to each community.

“Offer to Armenia” initiative

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“Strong Armenia” party continues regional meetings with citizens. During the gathering held in Gavar, a member of the party’s council, Narek Karapetyan, stated that the state vitally needs a financially independent leader, whose only motivation will be the glory and well-being of the motherland, and presented Samvel Karapetyan as the candidate for the prime minister coming “on the path given by God”.

Addressing the audience, the politician responded to the criticisms directed at compatriots who have accumulated wealth outside the country’s borders. He suggested citizens to remember their relatives working abroad and to think whether living abroad makes a person less patriotic. In his deep conviction, living in the diaspora, on the contrary, intensifies the longing for the native home and strengthens the connection with the roots.

As a prime example, the speaker pointed to the founder of the party, Samvel Karapetyan, who created his capital in Russia and other countries. Narek Karapetyan emphasized that today Armenia is facing a serious crisis of leadership, which requires decisive changes, and it is their candidate who is ready to assume the responsibility of governing the country, guided solely by patriotic motives.

Reference: Samvel Karapetyan, a big businessman and the founder of the “Tashir” group of companies, began to actively form an independent political factor in Armenia against the background of the internal political crisis. His entry into big politics began with his public support for the Armenian Apostolic Church in the confrontation with the current authorities and the founding of the social movement “Our way”. At the beginning of 2026, the movement turned into the “Strong Armenia” party. Currently, although the billionaire is under house arrest as part of a criminal case, he has been officially nominated by his political force as a candidate for the country’s prime minister in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

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The “National Democratic Union” (NDU) party led by Vazgen Manukyan made a statement, deciding not to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections. In order to avoid polluting votes, the political force also refuses to officially join any alliance, instead calling on its supporters to actively support ideologically close opposition forces and achieve a change of power.

The representatives of the party emphasize that the upcoming vote has a fatal significance and cannot be considered as another standard political process. The NDU expressed concern that some parts of the opposition are approaching the election campaign with the usual logic, while the situation requires extraordinary approaches to consolidation. Earlier, the union proposed the opposition to come up with two or three large associations and a unified strategy: Nikol Pashinyan in order to create a real balance to the government.

According to the assessment of the party leadership, the current government has completely exhausted itself. NDU warns that the latter’s political reproduction threatens the country with the loss of identity and deprives Armenia of the opportunity to build a safe, independent and prosperous state. Realizing that there are many political forces offering ways out of the deep crisis, the party expresses its readiness to support them without being included in the pre-election lists.

At the current stage, the main task of the political force is to ensure high voter turnout and prevent polling of votes. It is for this reason that NDM has decided to refuse to officially participate in the election campaign on its own or as part of any alliance. The party sees its mission in helping the opposition associations whose plans are aimed at the real development of the country.

Summarizing the statement, the NDM called on its comrades-in-arms and sympathizers to vote for the forces that share their decades-old values: the uncompromising defense of sovereignty, the strengthening of defense capabilities, the resolution of the Artsakh issue, and effective interaction with Armenian structures worldwide. Convinced that the victory of the opposition is quite possible, the party assured that it will continue the fight for its ideas, regardless of the final results of the elections.

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Large-scale US and Israeli military strikes in Iran have resulted in serious damage to more than a hundred historical and cultural heritage sites, including the world-famous Golestan Palace. The authorities of the Islamic Republic call on the international community to intervene immediately to save the unique monuments that are in danger of complete destruction.

As “Armenpress” agency reports, citing TASS, Iran’s Ministry of Culture has published updated data on the consequences of the attacks. According to the press service of the government, the number of damaged historical objects has increased from 114 to 131. The department emphasizes that monuments of world, national and regional significance were damaged. The Iranian side declares that this indicates the growing scale of the destruction and requires an urgent response from the world community for the sake of preserving the common cultural heritage of humanity.

Apart from the cultural sanctuaries, considerable damage was also done to the tourist infrastructures. In ten states of the country, 64 facilities were affected, including various hotels, travel agencies, household service complexes and public catering outlets.

Particular attention is paid to the condition of museum funds. It is reported that 50 museums have been damaged throughout the country. The biggest concern is the damage done to 14 buildings of the Saadabad palace complex and seven objects of the world-famous Golestan complex. Considered one of the oldest architectural ensembles of Tehran, Golestan, which has been the seat of the Ghajar dynasty since the end of the 18th century, represents a special historical value and has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2013.

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The RA Anti-Corruption Court rejected the claim of the General Prosecutor’s Office against the first deputy of the former Chief Military Inspector of the President, Lieutenant General Garegin Gabrielyan. The state’s attempt to cancel a controversial land deal near Erablur has failed due to missing the statute of limitations, raising serious questions about the oversight agency’s actions.

At the center of the legal dispute was the plot of land with an area of ​​more than 0.2 ha in the administrative region of Malatia-Sebastia, next to the “Erablur” pantheon, which the Ministry of Defense sold to Gabrielyan, known by the nickname “Gel” for 18.8 million drams back in 2005. In June of last year, the prosecutor’s office demanded to invalidate the contract, claiming that the area should be expropriated exclusively by auction, and demanded the return of the property or compensation for its value. The former official excused himself that the transaction was carried out solely to improve his housing conditions as a long-time employee of the Ministry of Defense.

The general’s defense team emphasized that the prosecutor’s office was not a proper plaintiff and, more importantly, that the one-year statute of limitations had been grossly violated. Judge R. Avagyan considered these arguments to be valid. The court recorded that the criminal proceedings regarding the expropriation of land at cheap prices by the officials of the Ministry of Defense were initiated in February 2022. Therefore, the plaintiff had to know about the alleged violation of the state’s interests from that time. However, the claim was filed only in July 2025, when the statutory deadlines had already expired.

The court’s verdict was a double blow to the prosecution. in addition to rejecting the claim, the court decided to expropriate 300,000 drams from the prosecutor’s office in favor of Gabrielyan as a reasonable attorney’s fee. The situation became more complicated on March 16, 2026, when the Appellate Anti-Corruption Court returned the appeal of the General Prosecutor’s Office. This process raises a logical question: whether the General Prosecutor Anna Vardapetyan was really not aware of the violations and did not order to file a lawsuit in time, or did she deliberately delay the process, giving the former high-ranking military officer the opportunity to win the case on the basis of statute of limitations.

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The National Academic Choir of Armenia was officially named after its irreplaceable artistic director, outstanding conductor and national hero of Armenia Hovhannes Chekijyan. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was present at the opening ceremony of the name board, and in his speech he raised the most important issue of access to high art for the broad sections of society.

This significant event for Armenian culture took place in the historical choir building on Pushkini street. According to the government’s decision, the naming of the collective is a unique tribute to the maestro’s decades of titanic work. The official ceremony was preceded by a rehearsal, during which Chekijian once again demonstrated his unsurpassed mastery of working with the choir.

The head of the government expressed his deep gratitude to the maestro, emphasizing that the cultural value he created is one of the most significant achievements of the Armenian people in the last century. Pashinyan noted that awarding Chekijian the highest title of National Hero is a logical recognition of his merits before the state. At the same time, the Prime Minister regretfully noted that the fruits of such high art are not yet ripe for every citizen.

Speaking about the role of art in human life, the prime minister clearly separated the concepts of biological survival and real well-being. According to him, the availability of basic conditions, such as food and water, ensures only physical existence, while the real quality of life is inextricably linked to the communication of cultural wealth.

Pashinyan summarized that the main indicator of poverty is people’s detachment from cultural life, expressing hope that the government’s targeted policy will be able to fill this gap.

The National Academic Choir, which began in 1937 as a modest ensemble of thirty performers, has grown into a world-class choral ensemble under the leadership of Chekijian (who took over in 1961). Thanks to decades of tireless work, the choir has been awarded “Academic”, “Merit”, and “National” titles.

The voices of Armenian performers were heard on 184 prestigious stages of Paris, London, New York and other cultural capitals, within the framework of about 866 foreign concerts, which were accompanied by the accompaniment of 69 leading symphony orchestras of the world.

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