Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that the implementation of the TRIPP project would significantly expand trade and economic ties between Armenia and Iran while contributing to the establishment of a railway connection linking the Persian Gulf and the Black Sea.

Speaking to reporters after a government meeting on July 9, Pashinyan commented on remarks made a day earlier by Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Khalil Shirgholami, who said Tehran had concerns about the TRIPP project.

The prime minister said the initiative also serves the interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“By implementing the TRIPP project, we will open a railway connection from the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea, significantly expanding trade and economic opportunities between Armenia and Iran. It will also substantially increase the trade and economic opportunities of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The implementation of the TRIPP project sincerely and directly serves Iran’s interests,” Pashinyan said.

The prime minister added that Armenia is ready to hold open and transparent discussions with Iran on the issue.

“We are transparent and ready to answer any questions. It should be clearly defined what the concerns are about. We are confident that all concerns can be addressed,” he said. 

According to Pashinyan, Armenia will continue working on the TRIPP project with all interested partners.

“We will continue working with Iran, Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, the European Union, the countries of Central Asia and China, because this is a global project and we want to begin its implementation as soon as possible. I hope the first work on the ground will begin as early as this autumn,” he added.

Speaking at a press conference on July 8, Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Khalil Shirgholami said Iran’s concerns over the direct presence of the United States near its borders were entirely legitimate and should be addressed.

He added that the Armenian government had assured Tehran that implementation of the project would not create any threat or challenge to Iran stemming from a U.S. presence.

“We need to create a mechanism through which Armenia can fully realise its potential for unblocking regional communications, while at the same time clearly addressing concerns about possible risks or threats associated with a U.S. presence. 

The Armenia-Iran agenda should include managing the risks arising from the TRIPP project and eliminating potential challenges,” the ambassador said.

Armenian Ambassador to Greece Tigran Mkrtchyan has met with Greece’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy, Haris Theocharis, to discuss opportunities for expanding bilateral economic cooperation.

According to the Armenian Embassy in Greece, the meeting focused on ways to further develop economic relations between the two countries. 

Ambassador Mkrtchyan presented the European Union’s proposed Autonomous Trade Measures (ATM) for Armenia, noting that they would create entirely new opportunities for Armenian exports to EU markets and further strengthen Armenia-EU relations.

Deputy Foreign Minister Theocharis welcomed the outcome of Armenia’s parliamentary elections and stressed that Greece has supported, and will continue to support, the further deepening of Armenia-EU relations through all available means.

Theocharis and Mkrtchyan also discussed ways to introduce Armenian products to Greek importers and distributors.

Armenia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has denied reports that a Rescue Service employee was injured during the transfer of crocodiles from the residence of businessman and Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan to Yerevan Zoo.

Earlier, media outlets and social media users claimed that one of the crocodiles had severely injured the leg of a Rescue Service employee during the operation.

The ministry said no Rescue Service personnel were injured during the transfer. 

Yerevan Municipality told Armenpress that one of the crocodiles moved during the transfer and grazed the eyebrow of a Yerevan Zoo employee.

The employee was taken to hospital, where doctors treated a minor scratch before discharging him. 

“Claims that the employee was mauled, bitten or attacked do not correspond to reality,” the municipality said. 

Kima Avdalyan, spokesperson for Armenia’s Investigative Committee, told Armenpress that the agency had seized nine crocodiles kept at Tsarukyan’s residence and placed them in the custody of Yerevan Zoo. 

Earlier, the Investigative Committee had also seized three lions and four tigers from the property and transferred them to the zoo. One of the lions later died after failing to recover from sedation.

An unidentified individual entered the cemetery of the Armenian Surp Garabed Church in Istanbul’s Üsküdar district during the night of July 7-8, damaging six tombs and a fountain.

The information was reported by the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople. 

“The incident has deeply saddened members of the community, particularly those whose loved ones are buried in this cemetery.

The district council immediately notified the relevant authorities, which have launched legal proceedings to identify the perpetrator and bring them to justice.

The Patriarchate condemns this attack against sacred values and places of eternal rest.

 We thank the competent authorities, which continue their efforts to investigate the incident. We hope the perpetrator will be brought to justice,” the Patriarchate said in a statement, adding that it is closely monitoring developments.

Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan has received Hungary’s Ambassador to Armenia, Anna Maria Sikó, on the occasion of the completion of her diplomatic mission.

The information was released by the Public Relations Department of the Office of the President of Armenia. 

President Khachaturyan thanked Ambassador Sikó for her efforts to strengthen relations between Armenia and Hungary and expand bilateral cooperation during her tenure, wishing her success in her future endeavours.

Ambassador Sikó thanked the president for the meeting and expressed her appreciation for the cooperation and support provided by Armenia’s state institutions throughout her diplomatic mission. 

She expressed confidence that the mutual trust and partnership established during her tenure would provide a solid foundation for the further development and expansion of cooperation between Armenia and Hungary.

The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 9 July, USD exchange rate down by 0.17 drams to 367.12 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.32 drams to 419.32 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.0229 drams to 4.8216 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 1.5 drams to 491.61 drams.

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

Gold price down by 1080 drams to 47994 drams. Silver price down by 26.54 drams to 689.54 drams.

Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan participated via videoconference in a regular meeting of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC).

According to the Armenian government, the meeting’s agenda included around 40 items related to customs regulation and technical standards within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

 Following the meeting, the participants approved the agenda for the upcoming session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council.

A formal handover ceremony for humanitarian aid provided by the Armenian government to the Republic of Lebanon took place at the Port of Beirut on July 9.

According to Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ceremony was attended by Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan, Secretary General of Lebanon’s Higher Relief Commission, General Bassam Nabulsi, members of the Lebanese Parliament, and representatives of other competent Lebanese state authorities.

In his remarks, Kostanyan reaffirmed Armenia’s solidarity with the friendly people and government of Lebanon, stressing that the humanitarian assistance is another testament to the historic friendship, mutual trust and solidarity between the two nations.

He also noted that Armenia remains committed to contributing to initiatives aimed at addressing humanitarian challenges in Lebanon.

For his part, General Bassam Nabulsi expressed gratitude to the Armenian government for its support and solidarity during this difficult period for Lebanon, stressing that the assistance is highly valued by both the Lebanese government and its people.

The approximately 80 tonnes of humanitarian aid provided by Armenia include medicines and medical supplies, food products, and other essential items. 

The humanitarian cargo was transported to Lebanon by land through Türkiye after crossing the Margara checkpoint on the Armenia–Türkiye state border.

There is a growing risk of scam calls targeting the most vulnerable category of citizens -pensioners. The scheme relies on social engineering: criminals simulate calls from an official agency or companies managing pension savings, and under the pretext of an “accounting error”, they attempt to gain access to the victims’ money.

How the Scam Works: From “Recalculation” to Theft

The deception begins with an unexpected call: “An error was found during recalculation, you are entitled to a bonus payment, and we just need to confirm your details”. Alternatively, they may use high-pressure tactics: “You were overpaid, you must return the money immediately, or your benefits will be frozen, and your account will be blocked”.

The scammers then quickly switch the conversation to demanding action. They ask the victim to read out their passport or ID card number, the bank card number, where they receive their pension, and the SMS verification codes. In some cases, scammers lure victims to phishing websites that look exactly like official pension fund portals, prompting them to enter the required data there.

As soon as the criminals get the SMS code, they can log into the user’s online account, change the password, take out loans in their names, or drain all available funds from their accounts.

Important detail:

To look convincing, scammers use the actual names of the companies managing Armenian citizens’ pension accounts and may even fake their logos on messengers. Another dangerous tactic they use is number faking: a phone number resembling the official call center number of the management company may appear on the screen, tricking the person into trusting the call and not verifying the information.

The Legal Trap

The trap lies in the fact that the clients share the data and confirm the actions themselves. If a transaction is initiated by the account holder and verified via an SMS code, banking systems recognize it as legitimate. Once that happens, recovering the money becomes extremely difficult.

IDBank recommends:

Hang up immediately. Legitimate pension funds and management companies never resolve recalculation or refund issues over the phone. Any call demanding that you “correct your details” is a scam. Call back yourself. Find the official number on the management company’s website and call them directly. Do not call back the incoming number, even if it looks familiar. Never share SMS codes. No employee of a bank, pension fund, or government agency is authorized to ask for your one-time password, the three-digit code on the back of your card, or your online banking password. Do not click on links in messages. Check the address bar: official websites use the “.am” domain without any extra characters. Discuss this scam with your parents and elderly relatives. Generally, the older a person is, the more they tend to trust calls made on behalf of official authorities.

Remember: pension and social funds will never call demanding that you urgently “correct your data”, nor will they ask for SMS codes or direct you to third-party websites. Any such call is a major red flag. Your funds remain safe as long as you do not provide third parties with access to them.

THE BANK IS SUPERVISED BY THE CBA

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chaired a meeting to discuss the possibility of introducing mechanisms through the universal income declaration system to enable donations to civil society organisations (CSOs), media outlets and political parties.

The information was released by the Information and Public Relations Department of the Prime Minister’s Office.

In particular, the proposal envisages introducing a new system of social allocations or expenditures for CSOs, media outlets and political parties through the personal income declaration system. 

According to the presentation, the proposed mechanism is expected to create new incentives for individuals to submit income declarations, strengthen the financial independence of CSOs and media organisations, and enhance their transparency and accountability.

Participants also stressed the importance of the initiative for the development of institutional political mechanisms. Summing up the discussion, Pashinyan said the purpose of the proposed system is to enable citizens to support civil society organisations, media outlets or political parties of their choice while ensuring transparency in funding.

 The prime minister instructed the relevant officials to finalise the draft proposal, taking into account the comments made during the discussion.