The Armenian Prime Minister’s casual language fight with a forcibly displaced woman from Artsakh in the Yerevan subway turned into a high-profile political scandal. Nikol Pashinyan’s public outburst, the accusations against people who lost their homes and the hasty apology that followed revealed the deep crisis in the relationship between the government and society, turning the political agenda into a stage of social hostility.

The scene unfolding in the Yerevan metro carriage seemed to become a regular episode of a politician’s interaction with the people. However, the polite refusal of the woman, who was forced to leave Nagorno-Karabakh, to take the pre-election booklets, caused an unexpected harsh reaction from the Prime Minister. Waving a finger in front of a small child and being surrounded by a dense circle of bodyguards. Nikol Pashinyan went on a rant, accusing the refugees of having spent “billions” on them, and throwing categorical words; “Don’t try to say that I gave away Karabakh with those who escaped.” Just hours later, realizing the scale of the outrage on social media, the Prime Minister released a video message apologizing and calling for a new meeting.

To independent observers and political opponents, however, this gesture was not so much a sign of genuine remorse as a clumsy attempt to minimize the damage done to his reputation. As a political commentator notes Hakob Badalyan, this apology is more like a carefully calculated urban-technological trap. The woman’s consent to the meeting will instantly turn the state propaganda machine in favor of the prime minister, and her refusal will give a legitimate reason for a new wave of persecution. The vocabulary chosen by the head of the government also deserves special attention. The use of the term “Karabaghtsi” instead of “Artsakh citizen” is an obvious attempt to balance internal resentment and the fear of provoking the anger of the president of neighboring Azerbaijan.

It was this sharp contrast between the behavior of the Prime Minister of Armenia in the international arena and within the country that made him the leader of the Wings of Unity alliance, a candidate for the Prime Minister. Arman Tatoyan the target of harsh criticism. In his address, the politician noted that the metro incident finally tore Pashinyan’s mask of pacifism. According to Tatoyan, the man who lavishly distributes “pachiks and hearts” to the public every day showed his true face, trying to humiliate the Armenian mother in the presence of his entourage. The opposition figure pointed out the astonishing metamorphosis. In meetings with Ilham Aliyev, the head of the government smiles, obligingly offers coffee and shows extreme obedience, but when he returns to his homeland, he “cuts a lion” and unleashes his aggression on defenseless citizens. Instead of fighting against an external threat, the government itself becomes a generator of internal hatred, Tatoyan emphasized, promising to become a leader who will heal wounds and unite society, not divide it for the sake of keeping the seat.

In the background of such uncompromising and harsh criticism of the former ombudsman, the acting Human Rights Defender of Armenia Anahit Manasyan the response was too restrained and abstract. In his official statement, he never directly mentioned either the name of the prime minister or the actual incident in the subway. Instead of giving a specific legal assessment to the actions of the first person of the country, the existing HRD was satisfied with general statements that political rhetoric is activated in the electoral processes. Manasyan only called on “officials, all political and public actors” to show the necessary sensitivity when communicating with forcibly displaced people in order not to deepen their vulnerability. This evasive call to create an “atmosphere of solidarity”, which carefully avoids direct criticism of the outrageous behavior of the head of state, only emphasizes the depth of the existing institutional crisis in the country.

The problem is actually much deeper than a politician’s personal intemperance. Political scientist Tigran Grigoryan diagnoses the consequences of this incident very accurately. such behavior of the first person of the state legitimizes hate speech at the household level. When the prime minister publicly announced that he was giving financial aid to the people who lost their homeland, he gave a green light to the extremist elements of his electorate. The wheel of aggression launched in the metro will inevitably move to social networks, kitchens and streets, destroying the already fragile fabric of Armenian society.

The actions of the information resources affiliated with the ruling “Civil Pact” party became the absolute confirmation of this political hypocrisy. While Pashinyan was publicly apologizing, the party’s Civic.am periodical began purposefully publishing angry posts on the same woman’s personal social pages. This is a classic method of political reprisal, which, according to experts, is aimed at marginalizing any voice that dares to criticize the government.

“Instead of acting as a guarantor of the nation’s unity in this difficult historical period, the state machine directs huge resources to driving a wedge between the people of Armenia and those forcibly displaced from Artsakh. This dangerous course does not solve any of the country’s institutional problems, but creates new, deep lines of division, which will no longer be possible to heal with the occasional apologies in messengers,” the experts say.

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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has officially apologized to a woman displaced from Nagorno Karabakh after a noisy fight in the Yerevan metro. The head of the government admitted his mistake and offered to meet his wife live in order to personally reconcile.

Aware of the resonance among the public and listening to the criticism of his colleagues, the Prime Minister issued a message in which he expressed regret for his harsh reaction. During the incident in the metro, the politician announced. “Don’t try to say that I gave Karabakh to those who escaped.” After some time, Pashinyan admitted that he could not control his emotions, choosing the wrong tone, facial expression and content to respond to such a painful topic, which, according to him, remains one of the most emotional. He sent words of apology both to the woman and to her son, who was an unwitting witness to the conflict.

In order to settle the incident finally, Nikol Pashinyan came up with a new initiative. On his pages on social networks, he invited Armine Mosiyan and his child to the Government Building in order to officially apologize live. The Prime Minister also emphasized his readiness to go forward if visiting the executive body is not acceptable for a woman. As an alternative, he suggested holding a public and broadcast meeting in the metro itself, at the woman’s place of residence or work, at any time convenient for her.

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After the politically motivated and unprecedentedly cruel judgments of the Armenian prisoners in the Azerbaijani courts, the attention of the international community and the press towards their fate has decreased catastrophically. The closure of the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Baku finally completed the circle of information blockade, leaving dozens of people alone against the punitive system of the neighboring state.

As noted by the secretary of the “I have an honor” faction of the National Assembly Tigran Abrahamyan, previously the information vacuum was not so absolute. Although the Azerbaijani media presented the events in a highly distorted and selective manner, the photos, videos and rare speech fragments of the prisoners of war they published at least conveyed some information about their physical condition. Now that the representatives of the Red Cross have left the capital of Azerbaijan, the isolation of the detained persons has become total.

According to Abrahamyan, the Armenian authorities are not taking any real steps to break this information blockade, because the political agenda and priorities of the ruling power are in a completely different dimension. The politician ends his speech with a strong and unequivocal call for the immediate release of all Armenians suffering in Baku prisons.

The scale of the humanitarian tragedy is highlighted by the latest data from the Baku courtroom. As of today, the Azerbaijani authorities officially confirm the fact of holding only 19 Armenians, while, according to human rights organizations, around 80 people are still in captivity. In February 2026, the fabricated trials against the former military-political leadership of Artsakh ended in Azerbaijan.

They were sentenced to life imprisonment Araik Harutyunyan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, Davit Babayan, Davit Ishkhanyan and: David Manukyan. Due to the age restrictions of the Azerbaijani legislation (which does not allow to assign a life term to persons who have reached the age of 65), former presidents Arkady Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan, as well as former state minister Ruben Vardanyan were sentenced to 20 years in prison. A number of other prisoners of war also received no less severe punishments, being sentenced to 15 to 19 years of imprisonment in strict regime colonies.

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The closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the Middle East military conflict threatens the world not only with an energy crisis, but also with a global food crisis. Against the background of mutual ultimatums between Washington and Tehran, prices of basic resources are setting records, and global logistics chains are on the verge of collapse.

The war between the US, Israel and Iran has already caused oil and gas prices to skyrocket, but the economic consequences are much more far-reaching. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the blockade of the strait has paralyzed supplies of nitrogen fertilizers produced from natural gas. This maritime corridor handles about one-third of global trade in such products. Analysts warn that supply disruptions will inevitably lead to food shortages and sharp increases in food prices, which will primarily affect the poorest countries on the planet.

The numbers clearly show the scale of the problem. The Gulf countries supply almost half of the urea and about 30 percent of the ammonia to the world market. The situation is complicated by the fact that Qatar, one of the leading suppliers of urea, was forced to completely stop production after the infrastructure of the Ras Laffan industrial zone was damaged by Iranian strikes. Although other producers in the region continue to load ships, only one vessel has managed to exit the blocked strait since late February. As a result, the exchange prices of fertilizers have already increased by 10-30 percent, and the cost of one ton of urea has risen from $472 to almost $600.

Along with the economic crisis, the geopolitical situation is rapidly heating up. US President Donald Trump has issued a tough ultimatum to Tehran, giving 48 hours to completely unblock the Strait of Hormuz and otherwise threatening to destroy Iran’s power plants, starting with the largest. In response, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed to inflict “irreversible” damage on US and its allies’ energy, oil, IT and desalination infrastructure across the region.

“If the United States’ threats against Iranian power plants are carried out (..), the Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed and will not be reopened until our damaged power plants are restored,” Iran’s military command said in a statement broadcast on state television.

Amidst this unprecedented escalation, a British politician George Galloway made a scandalous statement claiming that Donald Trump is suffering from a nervous breakdown. Galloway publicly called on Vice President JD Vance and the US military to remove the country’s leader from power, stressing that Trump’s inner circle is aware of his condition. Such statements only increase tensions in the already explosive Middle East.

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The 10th anniversary festival “Flower” will be held in Armenia, which is organized by the initiative of “Kamurj” cultural center.

The festival brings together dance groups and cultural organizations from different countries, creating a platform for international cooperation and cultural exchange. This year’s anniversary edition features an expanded format and concerts held on several stages.

Dance ensembles from different countries: France (Strasbourg, Lyon), Great Britain (London), Greece (Athens), Georgia (Tbilisi), Russia (Sochi), as well as Armenian dance groups are expected to participate in the event.

A number of concerts are planned within the framework of the festival.
March 28 — Hakob Paronyan State Theater of Musical Comedy
April 13 — Alexander Spendiaryan National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet
April 17 — Vaso Abashidze State Musical and Drama Theater of Georgia

The end of the anniversary program is scheduled for October 25, in Moscow, at the MOS PRODUCER concert hall.
Tickets are sold through the Eventhub platform.

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The main military investigative department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia has completed the preliminary investigation of the tragic case registered in the Yerevan Garrison Hospital.

A soldier died due to medical negligence and delayed diagnosis, and the treating resident will now stand trial on charges of dereliction of duty that cost a life.

According to the materials of the criminal proceedings, between July 19 and August 6, 2024, the resident of the hospital failed to correctly and fully assess the patient’s condition. The serious lesions of the renal system and the aggravation of pulmonary pathology escaped the specialist’s view. Prescribed ineffective treatment resulted in loss of time.

The real and serious diagnosis, Wegener’s granulomatosis, was confirmed only when the soldier was transferred in critical condition to another multidisciplinary medical center. Unfortunately, the disease had already reached a terminal, irreversible stage, and it was not possible to save the young man’s life.

As part of the initiated public criminal prosecution, the resident was charged under part 2 of Article 187 of the RA Criminal Code, that is, failure to perform or improper performance of professional duties by a medical worker, which caused the death of a person due to negligence.

Currently, the case with the indictment has been sent to the supervising prosecutor with a request to approve it and send it to the court.

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In Syunik region of Armenia, a large-scale drug smuggling attempt was prevented. As a result of the operative actions of the criminal police, a foreign citizen transporting kilograms of heroin and methamphetamine to the capital was arrested on the Meghri-Kapan road section.

The joint special operation against drug trafficking and Syunik regional departments was carried out on March 16, based on reliable operational information received.

According to the preliminary investigation data, the 41-year-old foreigner, having reached a preliminary criminal agreement with the 40-year-old compatriot, took the prohibited substances smuggled into the country from the Meghri-Kapan highway and drove to Yerevan.

However, the drug dealer’s plans failed. the law enforcement officers found him and neutralized him in the city of Kapan. As part of the initiated criminal proceedings, a search of the suspect’s car revealed an impressive amount of drugs: three packages of methamphetamine weighing more than three kilograms, heroin exceeding one kilogram and 34 pills.

Currently, the 41-year-old man is detained, and the law enforcement agencies continue the preliminary investigation in order to identify the other participants in the criminal chain and the source of the drug acquisition.

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Against the backdrop of impressive economic growth in 2025, Armenia is preparing for a large-scale digital transformation. The outdated public procurement system will finally be a thing of the past, giving way to an innovative platform developed by the global IT giant, which is scheduled to launch in early 2027.

RA Finance Minister Vahe Hovhannisyan announced the expected fundamental changes on March 23 at the session of the National Assembly’s Committee on Financial Credit and Budgetary Issues. Presenting the 2021-2025 performance of the government program, the head of the department noted that the existing electronic platform for public procurement is hopelessly outdated and no longer meets the growing volumes of public expenditures and the pace of reforms. In order to solve this problem, the government has already held an international competition and signed a contract with a world-renowned technology company specializing in similar solutions.

Now the parties are discussing in detail the road map for the introduction of the new system, which will provide ample opportunities for in-depth analyzes and increasing the transparency of processes.

Despite the ambitious plans, the minister acknowledged the fact that there are some obstacles on the way to full digitization. In particular, some communities still prefer paper document circulation, but the government intends to complete the complete transition to electronic format already this year. Another acute problem remains the shortage of qualified professionals in the field of procurement.

For the comprehensive solution of these issues, the executive will present a large package of legislative initiatives next week, which is intended to prepare the ground for the full launch of the new platform from January 1, 2027.

The need for infrastructure modernization is directly dictated by the rapid growth of the country’s economy. According to the published data of 2025, the GDP per capita in Armenia reached 9,474 dollars, increasing by 10.7% in one year in dollar terms, and almost 2.5 times compared to 2017.

With economic growth of 7.2% recorded last year, the five-year average annual index was an impressive 7.9%.

The economic rise was logically reflected on the state treasury. In 2025, budget revenues exceeded 2.88 trillion drams, registering an increase of almost 12%. Due to this, the government managed not only to exceed the tax collection plan, but also to direct record funds to the development of the country. The capital expenditures of the budget increased by 26%, exceeding 702 billion drams.

At the same time, investments in economic and social sectors, including subsidies to communities, increased by almost a third compared to the previous year, exceeding 2018 indicators by 3.5 times.

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Within the framework of the dialogue between Armenia and Turkey, the parties are considering an unprecedented step, establishing mutual scholarships for students. This initiative is designed to strengthen confidence amid preparations for the full opening of land borders and the restoration of transport links.

On March 23, during a speech at the session of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly, RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan He described the current negotiation process with Ankara as extremely dynamic and promising. According to the head of the foreign political department, the final and main goal of these diplomatic efforts is the complete unblocking of the borders, the long-awaited commissioning of the Gyumri-Kars highway and railway, as well as the official establishment of bilateral relations.

The parties have already moved from political statements to practical steps “on the ground”. As the minister mentioned, the joint working groups are carrying out a thorough technical evaluation of the condition of the existing infrastructures on both sides of the border. Among the confidence-building measures already implemented, Mirzoyan singled out the abolition of state taxes and the introduction of the electronic visa system for holders of diplomatic and service passports, as well as the successful entry of Turkish airlines into the Armenian market. All this work is strengthened by regular direct contacts and mutual visits at the level of the leaders of the two states and sector ministers.

It should be reminded that the land border between the two neighboring countries was unilaterally closed by Ankara back in 1993, during the first Artsakh war. Only decades later, starting from 2021, Yerevan and Ankara started a new round of substantive negotiations for the regulation of relations with the participation of special representatives.

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