Armenia exported 7,654 tonnes of apricots between June 1 and July 19, equivalent to more than 380 heavy-duty truckloads, Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan has said.

Papoyan shared the figures in a post on his Facebook page.

“The geography of our exports is very broad, but we have no exports to Spain and none to Portugal either. Therefore, I suggest that the opposition media ‘spoil’ another truckload of apricots supposedly exported to Portugal today,” Papoyan wrote.

The minister’s remarks came after Armenian news website Armatmedia reported on July 20 that a shipment of Armenian apricots exported to Spain had allegedly spoiled in transit and was no longer fit for sale.

Armenian Deputy Minister of Economy Arman Khojoyan subsequently dismissed the report, stating that Armenia has not yet exported apricots to Spain.

Russia has imposed restrictions on imports of stone fruits and grapes from Armenia since June 2.

In response, the Armenian government has taken steps to diversify export markets, creating opportunities for Armenian products to enter European markets. Armenia has already begun exporting certain products to European Union member states.

The European Union also plans to temporarily suspend import duties on around 80% of Armenian products as a support measure for Armenia amid the restrictions imposed by Russia.

The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 21 July, USD exchange rate up by 0.75 drams to 366.68 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.38 drams to 418.75 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.0083 drams to 4.6568 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.9 drams to 492.01 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 193 drams to 47198 drams. Silver price up by 19.26 drams to 669.74 drams.

Armenian Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan chaired a regular meeting of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) Development Sub-Council on July 21 in his capacity as its chair.

According to the Ministry of Economy, the agenda included discussion of the draft 2026–2030 Strategy for the Competitiveness of Armenia’s SMEs, its implementation action plan, and the institutional model for delivering the strategy.

During the meeting, participants reviewed the strategy’s main objectives and priorities, the planned measures, and the institutional mechanisms designed to ensure its effective implementation.

Members of the Sub-Council presented their proposals and observations, which will be taken into account during the further refinement of the strategy.

The professional support for the SME Development Council, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, and its Sub-Council is provided by the EBRD Investment Council Armenia with the support of the UK Government’s Good Governance Fund.

The Armenian Ministry of Economy has commented on recent Russian media reports claiming that, from July 10, Russia’s Federal Service for Accreditation (Rosakkreditatsiya) suspended for 12 months, for the first time, the validity of documents issued by Armenian certification bodies.

The reports concern four certificates for light industry products and one declaration for food products issued by ARMTEST LLC and ARM-TEST LLC.

Seeking clarification, Armenpress contacted the Ministry of Economy, which said that the accreditation of the ARM-TEST LLC product certification body had already been suspended by the National Accreditation Body, operating under the ministry, on April 21, 2026.

“During its operations, the ARM-TEST LLC product certification body violated the requirements established by the legal acts regulating conformity assessment within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), including the procedures for declaring and certifying products’ compliance with technical regulations. Attaching importance to ensuring the legality of conformity assessment processes, the Ministry of Economy applied the necessary measures against the certification body in accordance with the requirements of the current legislation.

As for ARMTEST LLC, we inform you that the accreditation of its product certification body was terminated on January 18, 2024, based on the company’s own application,” the ministry said in its clarification.

Armenia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has petitioned the Central Election Commission (CEC) to grant consent to initiate criminal proceedings against Narek Karapetyan, an MP-elect from the Strong Armenia Alliance.

CEC Chairman Vahagn Hovakimyan announced the development in comments to reporters.

“We have received a petition from the Prosecutor’s Office regarding the initiation of criminal proceedings against Narek Karapetyan,” Hovakimyan said.

He explained that Karapetyan has been registered as an MP-elect but will formally assume his parliamentary mandate only when the first sitting of the newly elected National Assembly opens. Until then, consideration of the Prosecutor’s Office’s request falls within the CEC’s jurisdiction, Hovakimyan said.

Under Article 90(5) of Armenia’s Electoral Code, criminal proceedings against an MP-elect before they assume office may be initiated only with the consent of the CEC. The decision requires the support of at least two-thirds of the commission’s total membership.

Armenpress sought clarification from the Prosecutor General’s Office on the criminal case under which it intends to initiate proceedings against Karapetyan. The Prosecutor’s Office declined to comment, citing the interests of the ongoing investigation.

Armenia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has postponed until 1:00 p.m. on July 22 its consideration of a request to authorize criminal proceedings against Narek Karapetyan, an MP-elect from the Strong Armenia Alliance.

The announcement was made to reporters by the alliance’s representative and lawyer Aram Vardevanyan.

“We had reached the stage where the Central Election Commission, following deliberations, was to decide whether to grant or deny consent for the initiation of criminal proceedings. The CEC decided to postpone the session and continue it on July 22 at 1:00 p.m.,” Vardevanyan said.

According to Vardevanyan, the Prosecutor General’s Office’s petition is linked to allegations involving Alik Aleksanyan, a representative of the Strong Armenia Alliance. He declined to provide further details, noting that the matter was considered behind closed doors.

Earlier, CEC Chairman Vahagn Hovakimyan said that the Prosecutor General’s Office had requested the commission’s consent to initiate criminal proceedings against Karapetyan.

The Prosecutor General’s Office previously told Armenpress that, in the interests of the ongoing investigation, it would not comment on the specific criminal case to which the request relates.

Armenian-American actor Karen Karagulian, who appeared in Anora—the 2025 Academy Award winner for Best Picture—has joined the cast of Daniel Roher’s upcoming film Positano.

The announcement was made by Netflix.

Positano follows two rival thieves who become entangled in a dangerous game.

The film stars Academy Award winners Matthew McConaughey and Zoe Saldaña in the lead roles.

The cast also includes Toni Collette, Salvatore Esposito, Michele Savoia, Lorenzo De Moor, and others.

A release date for Positano has not yet been announced.

Judit Polgar, widely regarded as the greatest female chess player of all time, has declined Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s offer to become the country’s next president.

Polgar announced her decision in a Facebook post.

“I do not feel capable of taking on the historic responsibility of uniting a divided nation, and therefore I cannot accept the invitation. I will do everything within my power to support the republic’s new, independent and respected president in achieving these goals,” she wrote.

Magyar later wrote on X that he had spoken with Polgar, whom he described as “a living legend of Hungary,” and that she had explained why she could not accept the nomination.

“I regret her decision, but I fully respect it. I am grateful that she took my request so seriously… I also regret that communication mistakes resulting from my joy and enthusiasm, driven by my unconditional confidence in her, may have contributed to a situation that influenced her decision. The responsibility for those mistakes is mine alone,” Magyar wrote.

On July 19, Magyar said he intended to ask Polgar to become Hungary’s next president, describing her as someone who could symbolize national unity.

Earlier, amid pressure from the ruling Tisza party, President Tamas Sulyok signed a constitutional amendment that brought his presidential term to an end. Sulyok was widely regarded as an ally of former Prime Minister Viktor Orban.