July 28, 2026
Iran-Ukraine relations have sharply escalated in recent hours, even leading to the fact that Iran threatens to give a military response to Ukraine.
Recently, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced that the Ukrainian forces attacked ships carrying military cargo from Iran to Russia, as well as a Russian warship in the Caspian Sea. “We have very good results from long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea. They were ships that participated in transporting military cargo from Iran, and one warship,” Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel.
On July 25, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that Ukraine attacked an Iranian commercial ship in the Caspian Sea, as a result of which one of the crew members was killed. According to Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Kiev took that step at the behest of Israel in order to involve Europe in the war in the Middle East.
According to the Iranian state agency IRNA, Ukraine’s Chargé d’affaires in Tehran was summoned to the Foreign Ministry, where the Iranian side expressed its complaint regarding the “hostile and criminal” attack, as described by Tehran.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran strongly condemned the attack of the “Ukrainian regime” against the Iranian merchant ship in the Caspian Sea. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran assessed this as a violation of Article 2, Clause 4 of the Charter of the United Nations and an example of an act of aggression that could further fuel the war.
Emphasizing that Iran has never intervened in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the Islamic Republic of Iran drew the attention of the UN Security Council, European countries and all UN members to the obvious fact that the Ukrainian regime, by attacking an Iranian merchant ship, not only committed an international violation, but also dangerously seeks to fan the flames of war and instability.
“Any party concerned about peace and security in Eastern Europe and adjacent regions must take a responsible stance against these dangerous actions by the Ukrainian regime and hold the Ukrainian government accountable for its criminal and provocative actions.”
Iran will not hesitate to defend its national interests and security in accordance with the fundamental principles and norms of international law, especially the principle of self-defense. It is obvious that the consequences of the adventure of the head of the Ukrainian regime will be borne by that regime, its supporters and instigators,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.
Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the National Security Committee of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis), stated that Iran will not leave Ukraine’s actions unanswered.
“For every attack on Iran, you always have to pay, this is also relevant today. The USA and Israel are already well aware of this. Perhaps, Ukraine will also soon understand that Iran does not leave such steps unanswered. The list of those who made a wrong calculation continues to be added,” he wrote in X.
In one of his interviews following the incident, the leader of Ukraine stated that Iran has already attacked Ukraine by supplying weapons to Russia.
“We have to be careful. We must do everything in order not to open a new front under any circumstances. But we must be honest. Iranians and North Koreans have already attacked us,” Zelensky said in an interview with Sky News.
He expressed hope that “they will not intensify these attacks”, but stressed that Kyiv is ready for anything.
“We cannot trust those people (Iranians), because at the very beginning, without any escalation on our part, the Iranians supplied weapons,” added the President of Ukraine. Earlier, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky told The New York Times that Kiev sent interceptor ATS and specialists to protect American military bases in Jordan from Iranian ATS.
On July 26, at the initiative of the Iranian side, a telephone conversation between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Abbas Araghchi took place. “The Russian minister expressed sincere condolences regarding the death of an Iranian sailor, which took place on July 25 as a result of the attack carried out by Ukrainian drones on the dry cargo ship “Ana” owned by Iran. the ship left Astrakhan with civilian cargo.
Lavrov asked the relatives and friends of the victim to convey words of support and wished the victims a speedy recovery. Aragchi thanked the Astrakhan authorities for providing assistance to the crew of the attacked ship and emphasized the need to prevent similar adventures of the Kiev regime.
The head of Iran’s Foreign Ministry informed Lavrov about the ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalating tensions in the Middle East and caused by the United States’ attack on the Islamic Republic,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Russian military and political analyst Alexander Khramchikhin believes that the incident in the Caspian Sea is a clear evidence of a process called geopolitical fusion.
According to him, the Middle East and Eastern Europe are not separate, independent geographical areas where conflicts take place in isolation. they have evolved into a unified security system, the interconnectedness is too great.
According to him, the targeting of supply chains is also a component of the war. In Ukraine, he said, they are convinced that Russia’s military resilience depends largely on external logistics, particularly on cooperation with Iran. However, according to him, the role of the relationship between Ukraine and the West is even greater here, and this was not so much a military incident, but a political one.
“The direct and synchronous response of the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Iranian Foreign Ministry is also the result of this connection. Moscow and Tehran realize that any action against them in the Caspian Sea or in the Middle East has one common root: a global conflict with the West.” 168.amhe said in a conversation with
Khramchikhin believes that this incident breaks the stereotype that regional wars can remain isolated.
“The Middle East and Ukraine are not independent directions. through military technology, logistics, and alliance ties, they were woven into a single thread. However, I don’t think that this will become a reason for further expansion of the situation, maybe Iran will respond, as promised, but currently neither Ukraine nor Iran needs expansion,” he said.
According to him, this also means for the South Caucasus that no region is cut off from the current geopolitical developments.
According to him, conflicts currently do not have clear borders, because if there is a militarized struggle in one region, it has a different, intense political nature in other regions.
—
6 proposals to the parliamentary opposition. Article by political prisoner Armen Ashotyan:
July 28, 2026
This time I will try to address the very important and at the same time “mukhanat” topic – the possible actions of the opposition.
The modernization of this issue is obvious before the start of the work of the National Assembly of the new convocation.
The topic is mukhanat for a number of reasons. First of all, even from the prison walls, the discussions of the public domain on this issue, in particular, in the light of “to take or not to take a mandate”. Another reason is the required self-criticism that is expected especially from the parliamentary opposition. The fact that there are not a few people in the opposition who do not like to read, listen to and discuss other opinions gives additional weight to the problem.
With all this, as a former political prisoner, as the vice-president of a force positioned and fighting in the opposition trenches since 2018, as a concerned Armenian and a person who even voted for the opposition in detention, I have not only the right, but also the obligation to do so.
Therefore, let me make a few observations, both general and specific.
1. Constructive antagonism.
The political struggle in Armenia has been going on in the style of radical antagonism in recent years, and this is Pashinyan’s conscious choice (I covered the topic in one of the previous articles). Radical antagonism, while exhausting all parties and actually eroding the state, gives authorities a temporary and tactical advantage through unfettered and arbitrary appropriation of state resources.
When antagonism is inevitable due to the choice of regime, then one should try to move it to a less destructive, substantive field. Don’t get confused suddenly. The word constructive here does not refer to the position towards the regime, but to the existing problems. In short, the opposition should have a clear, comprehensible alternative based on national interest and professional knowledge on any important issue.
2. Alternative government.
A substantive alternative can be generated by an alternative team of managers and professionals. Therefore, I don’t call this tool known in political science “shadow” on purpose, especially since the activity of that structure should be maximally public and visible. I understand all the difficulties involved in implementing this proposal. But under two conditions it is possible to make it a stable, effective and institutional means of political struggle. Those two conditions are zero ambition and 100% consistency.
3. Target portfolios.
Taking the mandates and announcing that all the mechanisms and levers of the National Assembly will be used for the continuation of the struggle, one should approach the distribution of positions of the National Assembly commissions, which is regulated by Dont’s formula, in a calculated manner. Let me say at once that in the previous National Assembly, in my opinion, this choice was not made correctly (Eurasian and economic commissions did not have a great political resource and resonance). I suggest to take one of the state-legal, financial-budgetary or external relations as the first choice (according to everything, external relations can reach the opposition).
In the second choice, give preference to either a large committee with education, culture and science, or another area of the social block. The European Integration Commission also becomes a target, taking into account the “Euro-games” of the authorities, as well as the Human Rights Commission, considering the systemic crisis in that area. In short, commissions should be chosen whose activities, mandate, areas can be maximally capitalized inside and outside.
4. New media strategy
It is obvious that the authorities have an advantage in the field of propaganda, both in classical and modern fields.
Accepting a number of objective circumstances (H1, state resources, pressures on the opposition press, etc.), let’s admit that both substantive, structural, and methodical changes are needed in this field. It is undeniable that without a competent, revised and multi-layered new media-strategy, the probability of success of the struggle is greatly reduced.
5. «Artsakh» parliamentary initiative
In the current situation, including the subject of Artsakh in the institutions of the new National Assembly will require non-standard solutions. When there will be no Armenia-Artsakh inter-parliamentary format, it is possible to try to create a permanent committee on the Artsakh issue again, as in 2021, although it is obvious that the CP will vote against it. Therefore, as Plan B, it is possible to announce the initiation of the “Artsakh” parliamentary initiative/club/circle, around which to consolidate and work with relevant figures and structures.
6. Stay in the throat
I have no doubt that from the very first days the ruling majority will try to attack, spoil and swallow the opposition in the Parliament. It is very important to resist – dignified and united. Even in the physical sense, the ratio of 64:41 provides a field of adequate opportunities for protection, if the opposition remains firm and is guided by the principle of “one for one, and one for one”.
ARMENIA Ashotyan:
Vice President of RPA
«Vardashen» CCA
27.07.2026
—
“There will be nothing to be surprised about if the EU demands the withdrawal of the Russian military base
July 28, 2026
Member of the Executive Body (GM) of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), former First Deputy Minister of Defense Artak Zakaryan writes: “It has not been a secret for a long time that, very directly, Armenia is required to hold two referendums. It also proves that they do not trust the decisions made by Nikol’s government.
Instead, they expect the decision of the Armenian people.
Azerbaijan says: let the Armenian people change the constitution they adopted, renounce the declaration of independence, Artsakh and the Artsakh issue.
The EAEU says: let the Armenian people decide whether to stay in the EAEU or leave the EAEU and make hopeless attempts to join the EU for 25-30 years.
Nicol’s government has made so many controversial, ill-considered, changeable and self-centered decisions and laws that outside actors no longer trust them.
It will no longer be surprising if one fine day the EU demands, for example, a referendum on the withdrawal of the Russian military base. Either Iran will demand to put to a referendum the issue of implementing the “TRIP route” or continuing the “North-South” transport route…
And this sad reality some call “sovereignty”.
—
The picture taken from the “Grandparents” exhibition, on top of Ararat
July 28, 2026
The incident, which received a wide response in the Armenian society, received an unexpected and symbolic continuation. The picture of 11-year-old Eva Danielyan from Artsakh, which was removed earlier by Yerevan’s A. From the exhibition organized at Ter-Ghevondyan Music School No. 1, the peak of Mount Ararat was raised. This symbolic step is dedicated to the right of every person to memory and the values that cannot be degraded or destroyed by any ban.
According to the participants of the uprising, their initiative was a response to the story that had a great response in Armenia.
Let’s remind that 11-year-old Eva’s work, which was dedicated to the idea of returning to Artsakh, was not allowed to be shown at the school exhibition.
“It is impossible to erase the memory,” said one of the participants of the ascent. – We wanted to support Eva and show that justice and goodness are above everything, and that the most important values cannot be banned.”
The participants also called on the young artist to continue to create, paint and never be afraid to express herself freely through art.
“From the very first day of our stay in Yerevan, when we printed a copy of this picture, we felt the unconditional support of people, both for Eva and for our initiative,” they said.
The picture raised to the top of Ararat became a symbol of the fact that there are values that are higher than any barriers. They are memory, love for the native land and freedom to create.
The organizers of the action emphasize that this story should remind that the freedom of creative self-expression cannot be limited for the sake of any ideology.
The organizers of the action stated that they consider the incident as an opportunity to start a broader discussion in society about the right to free creative self-expression.
“Here, on the top of Ararat, we have no doubts as to which picture carried the main idea and the most important meaning in that exhibition,” they emphasized.
—
One of the European commissioners simply said that their market is saturated and so are other markets
July 28, 2026
Armenian producers continue to bear the negative consequences of restrictions on entering the Russian market.
During the last 3 months, producers of flowers, fruits and vegetables, and fish products have warned that they are suffering losses of millions, they are under loans and debts, because Russia has limited the entry of Armenian products to its market, as a result of which Armenian products remain in place, are not sold and do not go to other markets, or in small quantities to several European countries.
Even before the elections, during the pre-election campaign, Nikol Pashinyan announced that “there is no problem, after the elections he will go to Moscow and solve the issues”. Of course, he went to Moscow after the elections, but the problem was not solved, after that Russia also limited the import of Armenian dairy products to the Russian market.
Vazgen Safaryan, President of the Union of Domestic Product Producers in words, it is obvious that the Armenian producer is facing a difficult problem today.
“At least in this situation, they should try to look for alternative markets, but our previous markets have been formed for years, and the exporters did not have any problems. They were able to sell their product through previous connections. For this reason, the situation requires new approaches to search for a new market. It will not be so easy to sell our product, which is not recognized by them, on the European market. For all this, it takes a long time to recognize, evaluate, take into account qualitative features, etc.
We sold 2.5 billion dollars worth of agricultural products annually on the Russian market, now these restrictions have naturally put our producer in front of serious difficulties.” of 168.am said Vazgen Safaryan in a conversation with
According to our interlocutor, if the state wants to search and find alternative markets, it should first of all pay a lot of attention to the quality of its products, including containers, packaging, because in the European market they pay a lot of attention to how it is packaged, in what container it was shipped from another country, etc.
“I do not rule out that Armenian products will go to the Russian market after some time. As far as I am informed, “Rosselkhoznadzor” came and carried out inspections in some institutions, there were quite positive evaluations. Let’s see how things will develop: both the political leadership should be able to solve these problems that have arisen, and the phytosanitary and quality characteristics and properties should meet the standards.
Maybe our products had these problems before, but the Russian side turned a blind eye to them or did not value them, and the trade turnover took place. Now the Russian Federation clearly says: “if you go to the EU, your problems are like this”, Russia says: either here or there. Now our Government should be able to find the way that leads to the benefit of our economy. Politics is politics, but in this case we need to get out of our economic problems,” added Vazgen Safaryan.
According to his observation, Armenia’s economy should dictate the country’s foreign policy direction. If they have to go to Europe and it is not known what product, in what quantity they can sell there, it will not be the right decision.
Recalling the statement of the Prime Minister of Georgia addressed to the United States, Vazgen Safaryan said that the Prime Minister of Georgia said that he knows the place of his trade partners well, they also know the place of Georgia well, and the United States does not know their place.
“Even without Armenian products, the European market is self-sufficient, Greece, Spain and other countries flooded the European market with their products. Today, Europe also has a problem to protect its market, after all, they should protect their market first, and then sell the products of other countries.
It is difficult to say that they can accept us with open arms, because they realize the interests of their producers first. One of the European commissioners, who is engaged in trade, simply said that their market is saturated and it is difficult to sell products from other markets,” emphasized Vazgen Safaryan.
—
They are propaganda clichés. it is not ethical to estimate hundred-h with macroeconomic numbers
July 28, 2026
Yesterday, for the first time after the parliamentary elections, Nikol Pashinyan initiated a telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin. At the center of the discussion was the agenda of restrictions on Armenian exports to the Russian market.
However, various public and political circles point out that since the Russian side keeps pointing out the issue of Armenia’s European integration, therefore, there is no need to wait for concrete solutions.
How comforting are the estimates of various officials that in the case of total restrictions on the Russian Federation, the damage to the RA economy will be 1-1.5 percent, what will be the consequences of these restrictions in the medium and long term? 168.amhas corrected these questions economist Atom Margaryan։
“Such over-optimistic opinions, macro-economic approximations are not justified. We need to look at the scale and turnover in general – referring to the official assurances about the extent of the damage, Atom Margaryan mentioned and elaborated, – It can be said that only in terms of the agricultural sector, there are total collapses, not only agriculture, but also its processing sectors. You look at the state of the fishing industry, or, let’s say, the production of dairy products. The effects will be catastrophic, especially for those segments.
What is it about? to estimate the direct destruction of hundreds and thousands of jobs with macroeconomic figures, not only does not withstand any expertly based argument, it is also unethical. It is clear that these are propaganda clichés, but, in fact, we are talking about areas that are connected by obligations: credit, salary.
According to the economist, the created situation is still being masked by the development of the mining industry.
“Copper prices are up about 50-60 percent, and that’s why we’re seeing some development in the mining complex, along with volumes, releases, as well as price or earnings growth.
It somewhat covers, disguises the situation, but this cannot continue for long. There are no alternatives for exiting this situation, no matter how many political statements are made, no matter how much it is believed that Europe will open the markets the day after tomorrow,” added the specialist, highlighting the need for political solutions and the reactivation of traditional markets and destinations.
—
During Pashinyan’s rule, no head of the State Security Service has served as long as the law
July 28, 2026
Since these days, talks, wishes and positions about the possible release or necessity of RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan and RA Armed Forces Chief of Staff Eduard Asryan have been directly or indirectly thrown into the field from governmental and quasi-governmental circles, accordingly, we consider it necessary to draw attention to an episode that we did not address with this legislative emphasis.
And so.
RA: of the constitution Article 155 stipulates that “The highest military official of the armed forces is the chief of the general staff, at the recommendation of the Prime Minister means President of the Republic: for the period defined by law”.
2017 adopted “On Defense” RA of the law Article 16 states that: «The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces is appointed for a period of five years. The same person cannot be appointed to the post of Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces more than twice in a row.”
Now let’s see if this requirement of the law has been kept after the change of government in 2018.
On October 3, 2016 Movses Hakobyan was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, and? on May 24, 2018 he was relieved of his post.
Moreover, when Nikol Pashinyan about this decision had reported during the government session, he clearly stated. “The decision was made in an atmosphere of mutual agreement.”
At the same time, he announced that Hakobyan would go to another job, and the general immediately was appointed Chief Military Inspector.
Later, in a conversation with journalists, Movses Hakobyan said that for 5 days he demanded from Pashinyan a justification for dismissing him from the position of head of the General Staff.
“I was satisfied with the confirmation of the Prime Minister,” he continued.
In other words, in this case we are dealing with less than 2 years of office, but also mutual agreement. on the one hand, Nikol Pashinyan did not want to work with Movses Hakobyan in the position of head of the General Staff, on the one hand, due to political convenience, on the other hand, he did not leave him without a position and made it clear that as the head of the General Staff, he had no “pretensions” in terms of professionalism, although it was during the time of Movses Hakobyan’s head of the General Staff that the Azerbaijani armed forces had positional improvements in the Nakhijevan sector, which he was responsible for to leave only on Artak Davtyan, who was the commander of the 5th Army Corps at that time.
And on May 24, 2018, he is the head of the RA General Staff appointed general Artak Davtyan, on June 8, 2020 him by Pashinyan’s decision released: Naturally, the reason was not what Pashinyan said – his son’s wedding during the epidemic.
The Chief of the General Staff of a country on the brink of war is not dismissed under such a ridiculous pretext, especially when in 2019, to our knowledge, During the consultations in the General Assembly, the possibility of a war was also highly assessed, it was even mentioned that the next war will be more large-scale than the April 2016 war. Moreover, Davtyan had this idea on one occasion said also during the interview given to Satik Seyranyan.
In other words, there was a more serious reason, and it is possible that it was Artak Davtyan who wanted to leave at that moment.
And if his military abilities were not suitable for that position, then why did Nikol Pashinyan return him to the same position again?
We will come back to this later. And in this case, too, there is a fact of a term of office less than that specified in the law, officially without serious justification.
And on June 8, 2020 He is appointed to the position of the head of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces Onik Gasparyan. A month after this, the July battles begin, and after that, the 44-day war.
By the way, in 2023 “many factors were taken into account”. why Pashinyan didn’t appoint Onik Gasparyan as the head of the General Assembly in 2018″ analysis published, where we presented interesting episodes.
And how will 2021 be? on March 18 from the position of head of the General Directorate get rid of Onik Gasparyan, we remember by right. And this after 2021 On February 25, the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces demanded the resignation of Nikol Pashinyan and his government team. Pashinyan called this an attempted military coup and tried to see internal and external interference in it, although it is not excluded that there are external factors in the removal of Onik Gasparyan.
Let’s remind that on November 17, 2020, Onik Gasparyan announced in his address that on the 4th day of the 2020 war, at the session of the Council of Ministers suggested “within two or three days, it is necessary to take measures to stop the war, otherwise, in the case of combat operations of this intensity, our resources will be exhausted in a short period of time, and we will have more unfavorable conditions for the negotiation process in the following days.”
But Pashinyan not only did not deal with this proposal at that time, but later he did not immediately deny the declassification of Onik Gasparyan, nor did he think about getting rid of him, he remembered this only after the famous statement of the General Secretary. Maybe it was needed. And Onik Gasparyan doesn’t manage to serve full 2 years in the position of head of the General Directorate.
And Nikol Pashinyan decides on March 22, 2021 to return Artak Davtyan to the position of the head of the General Directorate for the second time.
This, in fact, was beneficial to the RA armed forces at that moment, perhaps also to Onik Gasparyan, because there was a “guarantee” that there would be no drastic personnel changes, and, in fact, there were none. And when such a problem was raised, according to the news that reached us, Artak Davtyan decided to leave: 2022 he was released on February 24 From the position of the head of the General Directorate. And in fact at the same time a number of personnel changes are done.
And after the dismissal of Artak Davtyan, until July 14, 2022, the General Staff is managed by the acting head, and on July 14, 2022 He is the head of the General Staff appointed Edward Asryan. We strongly doubt whether he will remain in this position for 5 years, as stipulated by the “Defence” law.
What happens when Nikol Pashinyan was in power, none of the chiefs of the General Staff, already in office or appointed, served for 5 years, and were dismissed without a clear official justification, that is, based on Pashinyan’s political whim.
Moreover, on one occasion voluminous study We presented that Pashinyan, criticizing the army of the former, violating the requirement of the constitution, that «The highest military official of the armed forces is the Chief of the General Staff”, changed the army management model and made the head of the General Staff the Deputy Minister of Defense, going back about 20 years, although at that time the Chief of the General Staff was considered the first deputy of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, which is not the case in this case.
In other words, as we wrote in the analysis mentioned above, until 2008 and even until a certain part of 2008, the head of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces was considered the first deputy of the RA Defense Minister. We can see this, Colonel Generals Mikael Harutyunyan, Seyran Ohanyan and: Yuri Khachaturov in the biographies and the relevant decrees of the President.
In particular, in 2008 President Serzh Sargsyan on April 14 by decree Seyran Ohanyan was released From the position of First Deputy Minister of Defense of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces.
Another one by decree 2008 Yuri Khachaturov was appointed on April 15 First Deputy Minister of Defense of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces.
It is another matter that in 2008 After Serzh Sargsyan assumed the post of president on April 9, certain reforms and structural changes were implemented, as a result of which the head of the General Staff ceased to be the first deputy of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, which was, in fact, the right decision.
And already in 2009 President Serzh Sargsyan of January 31 by decree colonel general Yuri Khachaturov was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia getting rid of From the position of First Deputy Minister of Defense of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces.
In other words, Nikol Pashinyan canceled this important decision made in 2009 during the reign of Serzh Sargsyan, and not only this one, which we have also referred to.
As for the term of office of the Heads of the General Staff under the previous ones, they served for quite a long time, there were extensions of the term.
For example, Yuri Khachaturov was appointed on January 31, 2009 Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, then the President of the Republic of Armenia by decree From July 30, 2013 to May 1, 2017, his tenure is extended. That is another question after He is released from the position of head of the General Staff 2016 on October 3.
By the way, if we look in 1997 and 2008 on November 27 accepted RA Laws “On Defense”, in fact, there is no clear term of office of the head of the General Staff, as 2017 adopted “On Defense” RA in the law:
—
Iranian initiatives for Armenia. will there be a practical result?
July 28, 2026
On July 21-23, “APRI Armenia” analytical center jointly with the Iranian Embassy in Yerevan held a closed expert seminar in Kapan with the participation of Iranian specialists on the topic “Iranian-Armenian strategic partnership in the South Caucasus in the light of geopolitical and geoeconomic transformations”.
At the core of the discussion were issues related to bilateral relations, including economy, energy, transport communications and information interaction.
The participants of the event did not ignore the activity of regional and extra-regional actors in the South Caucasus. Iranian Ambassador to Yerevan Khalil Shirgholami and Syunik Marz Governor Robert Ghukasyan referred to the environmental changes and dynamic geopolitical developments in the South Caucasus, noting the need to adapt the special relations between Iran and Armenia to new realities for the further development of strategic partnership.
Baku commentator Hayal Bashirov kwith urine՝ The holding of the meeting in Kapan testifies to Tehran’s desire to maintain an active influence on the processes in the South Caucasus. allegedly, Iran is concerned about the prospect of opening the Zangezur Corridor, as it believes that the implementation of this project may reduce its transit importance.
M:one of the organizers of the event, orientalist Sergey Melkonyan from the post follows: «The publications appearing in the Azerbaijani mass media, which allegedly contain «insider» information, even one percent do not reflect the actual content of the discussion and are solely the product of the imagination of their authors. And the critical nature of the articles proves once again that we are on the right track»։
Must be noticed՝ Armenian-Iranian contacts have recently become active not only at the expert level. Shirgholamin within the framework of the visit to Syunik was In the “Noravan” substation, which is part of the third project of the construction of the power transmission line between Armenia and Iran.
The diplomat got acquainted with the works carried out within the framework of the project, the recorded progress, as well as the new stage of implementation. Appreciating the efforts of the responsible persons, he emphasized the need to speed up the implementation process of the project and urged the responsible persons to make more efforts to complete it on time.
The substation is part of the project to build a 1100 megawatt 400 kV power transmission line between Iran and Armenia. The 270 km long power transmission line starts from Norduz on the Iranian border and extends to Yerevan. And recently the Iranians proposed a new trade scheme to Armenia for increasing natural gas supplies. this was reported by the Iranian Mehr Agency, based on the results of the meeting between Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad and RA Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure in Tehran.
The Iranian minister emphasized that the current energy cooperation between the countries has long been carried out on the principle of gas and electricity exchange, but Tehran has put forward an alternative model aimed at increasing the volume of gas exports. In addition, according to Paknejad, the parties agreed to form a joint working group and start its work as soon as possible in order to get concrete results for evaluation in the next round of negotiations.
According to the official information, “prospective directions of energy interaction: expansion of bilateral trade in energy products, export of technical and engineering services, construction of oil refining capacities and supply of oil products to Armenia” were also discussed during the meeting. The details of the agreements or joint projects have not yet been officially clarified.
There, the parties “agreed to create a joint specialized working group and proposed to start its work as soon as possible so that concrete results can be assessed during the next round of bilateral negotiations,” Paknejad stated, clarifying that so far in this field the partnership of the two countries “for many years operated almost exclusively in the scheme of “gas for electricity”, but now Iran has offered Armenia a new commercial model aimed at expanding the export of natural gas”.
The details are also still not made public, but it is known that the initial talk refers to Iranian gas supplies for a number of branches of Armenia and its utility-household sector, as well as the creation of a new “gas-electric” gas transmission line (overhead transmission line) from Armenia to Iran (two transmission lines have been supplying Iran with electricity produced from Iranian gas for more than 10 years).
Paknejad highly appreciated Armenia’s support to Iran in the current difficult times. In the conditions of sanctions against Iran and the difficult situation prevailing in the South Caucasus, Armenia remains a reliable partner for Tehran.
Iran’s Minister of Roads Farzane Sadegh discussed with his Armenian counterpart the construction of a second bridge over the Arakhs River on the border, which will increase capacity and promote economic cooperation.: At the same time in Syunik region continues The construction of the Kajaran-Agarak road section, in which Iran takes a significant part. This route connects Iran with Armenia, then with Georgia and Russia.
Then, Iranian Minister of Energy Abbas Aliabadi and Davit Khudatyan discussed issues related to the further development of joint energy projects. The parties emphasized the need to accelerate the implementation and completion of the 12-year project for the construction of the third power transmission line, and also decided to continue cooperation to accelerate the implementation of the project.
The Minister of Energy of Iran raised the capacity of 200 megawatts «M:esend» the issue of the joint construction of a hydroelectric power station (on the border of Araks), and the Armenian side, referring to the “earlier agreements, has announced its readiness to cooperate in the construction of that power plant”. According to Aliabadi, “a company in Oman has announced its willingness to finance and implement the construction project of the Meghri power plant.”
During the meeting, the issue of creating the Iran-Armenia-Georgia-Russia electric energy corridor was also discussed. In this regard, Tehran announced that it is ready for the construction of the power transmission line between Armenia and Georgia to be carried out by Iranian companies.
Within the framework of the meeting, the Minister of Energy, noting that Iran and Armenia are “two neighboring, brotherly countries with a long history of friendly relations and cooperation”, clarified that “we are interested in one of the most important projects is Iran’s power grid with northern countries (keeping in mind the Caucasus neighbors.– ed.) and Armenia is one of the main links of this route.
In addition to Armenia, other countries also participate in this project, and we are discussing the possibility of launching a project connecting Iran, Armenia, Georgia and Russia.”
For Yerevan, the deepening of cooperation with Iran opens up opportunities for diversification of energy resources and transportation routes. in:turning into a transit corridor between Iran and the Northern markets can theoretically become a source of stable income and geopolitical weight:
In recent years, Armenia has been actively trying to diversify foreign economic ties, which coincides with Iran’s intention to expand its presence in the regional energy market. notices Telegram channel “Zangezur Gambit”. So far, only the idea is being discussed, the implementation of which is “impossible without serious investments in energy infrastructure and technical coordination between all participants.” …If we are really talking about the route that should connect Iran, Armenia, Georgia and Russia, the question of the political will of all parties inevitably arises.
Any such project requires agreed decisions, as it affects the interests of several states at once. Moreover, the fact of the appearance of such statements shows that Iran considers Armenia not only as a neighbor, but also as a potential energy hub of the South Caucasus.”
If that concept gets practical development, Armenia’s role in regional energy may increase, however «today it is important not to change perspective with reality. For now, this is a political initiative and a subject of negotiations, not a ready-made international project.
The main intrigue is whether՞Will the current announcements turn into concrete agreements, infrastructure construction and real investments, or will they remain just another nice geopolitical idea?»։
Alexey Baliev
vpoanalytics.com
Translation by Zhanna Avetisyan
—
“Nikol Pashinyan cannot decide on his own whether to stay in the EAEU or go to the EU. joe
July 28, 2026
“On the initiative of the Armenian side, a telephone conversation between the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan took place,” he said yesterday. to report was the Kremlin.
According to the Kremlin, the Russian president reaffirmed his loyalty to the joint statement of the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia at the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) summit held in Astana on May 29, 2026, which refers to the steps taken by the Republic of Armenia towards joining the European Union.
“Particularly, Vladimir Putin emphasized the need to hold a nationwide referendum in Armenia as soon as possible on joining the European Union or remaining a member of the Eurasian Economic Union,” said the Russian official. in the message։
The President of Russia has put the RA government in front of a choice, in the end, what does the interest of RA demand: to stay in the EAEU or to go to the EU?
Head of the Yerevan Institute of Network Research, political scientist Gagik Harutyunyan according to him, it is obvious that Pashinyan was appointed to Armenia by the anti-Russian forces, because there were plans for which he was appointed.
“As long as Pashinyan is the leader of Armenia and is appointed by other people, he will never be able to solve the issue of normalization of relations with Russia alone. In other words, Nikol Pashinyan cannot decide on his own whether to stay in the EAEU or to go to the EU. Let me remind you that for many years, Turkey wants to become a member of the EU, which is impossible for it, because there are certain conditions that must be met.
Is the EU an alternative to the Eurasian Economic Union, of course not, because Armenia is not expected in the EU, and Armenia is currently not a country that can become a member of the EU on its own.” 168.amGagik Harutyunyan said in a conversation with
According to the political scientist, after the restrictions on Armenian products in the Russian market, Nikol Pashinyan is trying to solve certain economic problems so that Armenian producers do not make a big revolt, but he is unable to. Those problems will remain as long as Nikol Pashinyan has such a position towards Russia.
“It turns out that Nikol Pashinyan is working against Russia for foreign forces. So, the problems should be solved in a different way, there was a chance for it during the elections, but what happened was due to the frauds that happened,” the political scientist added.
Our interlocutor emphasized that the Armenian producer should be told frankly that the European market is full of various products, therefore, the market does not have the need for the Armenian product, if it does, it is in small volume.
“European businessmen absolutely do not need Armenian products, therefore, when making a choice between the EAEU and the EU, one should think long and take into account the interest of the state.
In such conditions, the Armenian people have been suffering for 8 years and have a very bad perspective, we are threatened with a hybrid genocide. I don’t mean that what happened in 1915 will happen, but that hybrid genocide will be done through the economy and other sectors,” Gagik Harutyunyan emphasized.
—
The plan was revealed back in 2003: by 2050 Armenia will be a province of Turkey
July 28, 2026
168TVof “Trigger” the guest of the program Larisa Alaverdyan is the first defender of human rights of the Republic of Armenia, executive director of “Against Legal Arbitrariness” NGO.
During the program, the results of the elections in Armenia, the number of political prisoners, as well as the TRIPP project and its impact on the relations between Yerevan and Tehran were discussed.
Particular attention was paid to the geopolitical processes taking place in the South Caucasus. In particular, the statement of the American political scientist, sociologist and statesman Zbigniew Brzezinski, who compared the South Caucasus with the Balkans about 30 years ago, was discussed.
The issue of Armenian prisoners in Baku became one of the topics of the program.
The statements of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev about the “Zangezur Corridor” and the reasons why the term “Trump’s path” is not used in his speeches were also discussed.
Hayk Derzyan
—