The Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia has announced the completion of the preliminary investigation into the controversial criminal case of the illegal expropriation of the historical and cultural fortress “Black Fortress” in the city of Gyumri. The former Minister of Defense, the third President of the country, Serzh Sargsyan, is at the core of this proceeding.

According to the data obtained by the pre-investigative body, in May 2005, a high-ranking official, bypassing the relevant decisions of the government and the established procedure, alienated the historical structure by direct sale to a natural person. According to the contract of sale, the building with an area of ​​more than 626 square meters and the plot of 0.7 hectares intended for its maintenance and use were sold for about 23 million AMD.

Law enforcement officers emphasize that the described actions caused significant damage to the legal interests of the state, carelessly leading to serious consequences. As a result of the transaction, the state was deprived of the ownership right to the exceptional value of republican significance, due to which the Black Fortress was left out of the official list of monuments that are considered state property and not subject to expropriation, approved in 2007.

A public criminal prosecution was initiated against the former minister under the article of abusing or usurping official or official powers. The criminal proceedings have already been presented with an indictment to the supervising prosecutor in order to ensure the further legal process.

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Major General Davit Manukyan, sentenced to life imprisonment in Azerbaijan, sent a message to RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan from Baku prison. The former high-ranking military man demands the head of state to express a clear official position regarding Baku’s accusations related to the 2020 military operations.

According to the text of the message spread in the media, the general emphasized that one of the accusations made by the Azerbaijani side refers to planning, preparing and conducting an aggressive war in the fall of 2020.

Manukyan reminded that during that period, Pashinyan held the position of the country’s leader and commander-in-chief, so he should publicly respond to those claims. According to the general, silence will mean agreement with the fabricated accusations, which will make not only the authorities, but also the entire Armenian people, accomplices.

In addition, the imprisoned general raised the issue of the official status of the Armenians held in Baku. He noted with regret that the prisoners do not feel support and “the breath of the Republic of Armenia”. Nevertheless, Manukyan assured that he and his colleagues continue to resolutely defend their rights and the dignity of the Armenian people and statehood in court, considering all the accusations to be false and groundless.

Let’s remind that the former deputy commander of the Artsakh Defense Army David Manukyan was captured by the special services of Azerbaijan in 2023. In February of this year, the court sentenced him to life imprisonment. According to official data, 19 Armenians, including the former military and political leadership of Nagorno Karabakh, are currently being held in Baku penal institutions.

They were sentenced to 15-20 years or life imprisonment. Currently, appeals against these judgments are being examined in the appellate courts of Azerbaijan.

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“Veolia Water”, the water supply operator of Armenia, responded to the statements about possible violations of sanitary and hygienic norms of drinking water. Claims regarding exceeding the permissible level of water hardness as a result of the use of artesian waters in the summer have become a reason for public debate.

Earlier, lawyer Arpine Hovhannisyan published the results of examinations, according to which the hardness of drinking water in a number of settlements reaches or exceeds the maximum limit set by the Ministry of Health. According to his statement, in the conditions of summer water scarcity, the company connects artesian water to the drinking network, which directly affects the indicators of water reaching consumers.

In response to these accusations, “Veolia Water” has assured that the quality of supplied water is under round-the-clock laboratory control, and in order to detect violations, the competent state bodies are also conducting parallel control. The company explained in detail that the hardness of the water is caused solely by the natural and geological features of the given springs and is not considered a factor that poses a threat to human health in any way.

The operator also emphasized that according to the new regulations coming into force from 2027, this physicochemical indicator will no longer be considered as a factor characterizing the public health risk.

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A historic opportunity has been created for the Armenian fish farming industry. for the first time, domestic manufacturers received official permission to export their products to the countries of the European Union, which opens qualitatively new prospects for the development of the industry.

RA Minister of Economy informed about this important achievement Gevorg Papoyan. According to the minister, this is an unprecedented event for the republic’s economy, which documents the entry of Armenian products into one of the world’s most demanding markets.

European regulatory bodies have already issued all the required certificates and permits, confirming the products’ compliance with high EU standards.

At the same time, in the Republic of Armenia, all legal and administrative procedures regulating the export process have already been approved and developed in detail in order to start uninterrupted supplies of fish and fish products to European consumers.

Against the background of Russia’s restrictions on Armenian agricultural products, this decision is considered as a step towards diversification of Armenia’s exports and expansion of trade and economic cooperation with the European Union.

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Another escalation of the Middle East conflict has led to new losses in the ranks of the American armed forces. As The New York Times reports, the US Ministry of Defense has officially published the names of the servicemen who died as a result of an Iranian missile attack on a military base in Jordan.

The victims of the attack were 25-year-old Senior Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan and 19-year-old Private Isabella Gonzalez. Pentagon representatives clarified that Gonzalez was killed on Friday, and Feehan on Saturday. In addition, another soldier went missing as a result of the rocket attack. According to the anonymous source of the periodical, the remains found at the scene supposedly belong to the missing serviceman.

In parallel with the events in Jordan, another US soldier, whose name has not yet been released, was killed in northern Iraq while neutralizing an Iranian attack drone that was shot down on Saturday.

These incidents are taking place against the backdrop of rapidly increasing tensions in the region. Since the start of the coordinated US-Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28, the number of confirmed US military casualties has reached seventeen. The chain of violence continues. according to the data of the US Central Command, on Sunday the US forces launched new strikes on Iranian territories.

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The State Revenue Committee of the Republic has officially announced the significant expansion of the scope of application of electronic cash registers, which aims to significantly simplify the document circulation processes of local businesses.

In the near future, the country’s government plans to approve the list of economic sectors where the use of digital cash registers will become a mandatory requirement. At the same time, the reform implies a maximum flexible approach. businessmen in other sectors will be able to voluntarily abandon traditional physical devices and completely switch to modern electronic versions.

It is expected that this innovation will not only ease the administrative burden on the commercial sector but also increase the overall transparency of financial operations within the state.

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The largest opposition faction of the newly elected parliament of Armenia is facing unexpected personnel changes. Several key figures of the “Strong Armenia” political bloc have already decided to give up their parliamentary mandates.

With the official approval of the Central Electoral Commission, he submitted an application for recusal Lilia Shushanyan, who is a businessman Samvel Karapetyan was ranked 18th in the pre-election list of the alliance led by According to the results of the elections held on June 7, he became one of the 29 candidates who passed from the opposition force to the parliament.

It is noteworthy that Shushanyan worked in the past Nikol Pashinyan in the government, holding the position of Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration. The reasons for his refusal from the parliamentary work are still unknown, as the politician refrains from commenting and does not respond to calls from journalists.

The sources also inform about the possible departure of another key representative of the team. It is expected that Gohar Meloyan, who occupies the third place on the list, will give up his mandate, although the latter has not yet received an official application to the CEC. This trend was noticeable even last week, when a similar decision was made by the number 20 on the list Arthur Danielyan:

Let’s remind that “Strong Armenia” bloc became the second parliamentary force of the country according to the voting results. The leader of the alliance, Samvel Karapetyan, who assured before the elections about his intention to occupy the position of the prime minister, will form an opposition faction consisting of 29 deputies as a result.

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The former captain of the Armenian national team, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, has officially confirmed the extension of the existing agreement with Milan “Inter” for another season. The 37-year-old midfielder spoke frankly about his motivation, physical condition and the high ambitions of the Italian club.

In an interview with the prestigious newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the football player explained that he finally made the decision to stay in the club after the match against “Bologna”. Having soberly assessed his own strength, Mkhitaryan realized that he is capable of performing at a high level for another year. At the same time, he emphasized that now he is focused exclusively on the upcoming games, and he will make decisions about the possible end of his career in the future. The midfielder promised the fans to show a better quality game in the new season, noting that despite his age, he is ready to give maximum benefit to his teammates.

Currently, the Milanese club is holding a pre-season training camp in Germany. According to Mkhitaryan, the team’s goals remain the maximum. the club is targeting the Italian league, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa winner’s titles, and also plans to go as far as possible in the Champions League. The player also expressed his full support to the head coach Christian Kivu, emphasizing the team’s unity and family atmosphere.

Let’s remind that the best scorer in the history of the Armenian national team defends the colors of the Milan club from 2022. During that time, he won all of Italy’s major domestic titles twice and reached the Champions League final twice. In the finished season, Mkhitaryan participated in 39 matches, becoming the author of 4 goals and 3 effective assists.

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