Lions kept at the residence of businessman and Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan have been transferred to Yerevan Zoo.

The announcement was made by Prosperous Armenia Party spokesperson Iveta Tonoyan.

She said that during searches conducted at Tsarukyan’s reception residence, the animals kept there were sedated and transferred to the zoo. According to the spokesperson, the animals had been kept in the best possible conditions. She added that the animals were sedated by employees of the Environmental Protection and Mining Inspectorate.

Yerevan Municipality also issued a statement on the matter, saying that, at the municipality’s proposal, the animals kept at the private residence were transferred to Yerevan Zoo during the investigative actions.

According to the municipality, the animals will remain under the supervision and care of specialists.

The municipality also released a video showing that the transferred animals were lions.

Law enforcement authorities began searches early on July 6 at Tsarukyan’s residence and about 70 other premises linked to him. Later, the Investigative Committee announced that Tsarukyan had been detained on charges of large-scale fraud and money laundering.

The Armenia Alliance has announced that it will take up the parliamentary seats it won in Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections.

In a statement, the alliance said it considered it necessary to outline its position on the next stage of its political strategy following the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the election results.

“A parliamentary mandate is a weapon, and voluntarily giving it up would be irresponsible toward our state and our voters,” the statement said.

The alliance said it views parliamentary representation not as a position of office or personal comfort, but as an additional legal and political instrument for daily political engagement.

It added that representation in parliament would serve as a platform to protect citizens’ rights, raise public concerns, propose solutions, and strengthen engagement with both domestic and international stakeholders.

“Recognizing our responsibility to our homeland and our voters, the Armenia Alliance will send to parliament a principled and steadfast political team ready to assume its share of responsibility on the front line of political resistance,” the statement said.

Earlier on July 6, Narek Karapetyan, a representative of the Strong Armenia Alliance, announced that the alliance had also decided to take up the parliamentary seats it secured in the June 7 elections.

Following the June 7 parliamentary elections, three political forces won seats in Armenia’s National Assembly. The ruling Civil Contract party secured 64 seats, the Strong Armenia Alliance won 29 seats, and the Armenia Alliance obtained 12 seats.

On July 3, 2026, Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Court partially granted the Prosecutor General’s Office’s lawsuit seeking the confiscation of allegedly illicit assets from Armenia’s third president, Serzh Sargsyan, and persons associated with him.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, once the ruling enters into legal force, the following assets will be confiscated in favour of the Republic of Armenia:

* One parking space on Teryan Street in Yerevan’s Kentron district in its entirety;

* One parking space on Teryan Street in Yerevan’s Kentron district in its entirety;

* A 38% share of another parking space on Teryan Street in Yerevan’s Kentron district;

* Bank deposits totalling 202.998 million drams;

* Interest accrued on those deposits amounting to 74.716 million drams, as well as any additional interest accrued until the court ruling is fully enforced;

* 352.438 million drams.

The growing number of passenger cars remains the main cause of traffic congestion in Yerevan, while giving greater priority to public transport remains the city’s main strategy for addressing the problem, Mayor Tigran Avinyan said.

Speaking at a municipal planning meeting, Avinyan said Yerevan City Hall will regularly publish data collected by the city’s Traffic Management Center and provide updates on ongoing and planned transport projects.

“Residents should be informed not only about the changes already being implemented, but also about the large-scale projects aimed at improving traffic management and reducing congestion in the capital. We will present the public with specific measures and projects designed to ease traffic,” the mayor said.

Among the city’s immediate priorities are changes to traffic management at selected intersections, while the main focus remains on improving the public transport system.

Avinyan also stressed the importance of regularly publishing data collected by the Traffic Management Center to give residents a clearer picture of traffic conditions in the capital.

According to the mayor, the continued increase in the number of passenger cars is the main driver of congestion and is also affecting the efficiency of public transport. Without systemic reforms, he said, the growing number of vehicles is likely to worsen traffic congestion further, making gradual and well-planned solutions essential.

The city’s transport development plans include the introduction of AI-powered traffic lights and the expansion of dedicated bus lanes.

At the same time, Avinyan said any discussion of new traffic restrictions should take place only after residents are provided with effective alternatives.

“Before introducing any new regulation or restriction, we must ensure that public transport is faster and more efficient than travelling by private car. At the same time, we also need to develop park-and-ride facilities at the city’s entrances so that people have the option of changing the way they travel,” he said.

Armenian National Assembly Vice Speaker Ruben Rubinyan met with EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Magdalena Grono on July 6.

According to the Armenian parliament, the two exchanged views on issues related to regional security and stability.

They also discussed regional transport and logistics opportunities, as well as the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process.

A shipment of 30 railcars loaded with propane gas will be transported from Russia to Armenia via Azerbaijan.

According to Azerbaijan’s APA news agency, the shipment is scheduled to depart for Armenia on July 6 from the Balajari railway station.

Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan has appointed Karen Grigoryan as Armenia’s ambassador to Pakistan, concurrently with his current post as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.

According to a presidential decree, Grigoryan, who serves as Armenia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Arab Emirates, will also serve as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, with residence in Abu Dhabi.

The appointment was made upon the recommendation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in accordance with Armenia’s Constitution and the Law on Diplomatic Service.

The appointment marks another step in the development of Armenia-Pakistan relations after the two countries established diplomatic relations in 2025, ending decades without formal diplomatic ties. The move comes as Yerevan and Islamabad continue efforts to build bilateral cooperation following the normalization of their relations.

The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has highlighted Armenia’s contribution to an international cybercrime investigation after a German court sentenced a key member of a criminal call center network to seven years and six months in prison.

According to Armenia’s Prosecutor General’s Office, the convicted individual, identified as M.B., was extradited from Armenia to Germany in May 2024 following a decision by Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan. German authorities had requested his extradition to face charges of large-scale fraud committed as part of a criminal organization through a fraudulent call center scheme.

The German court also ordered the confiscation of €2.4 million in criminal proceeds. The defendant pleaded guilty.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the court found that victims in Germany had suffered losses of approximately €8 million. In addition, the supply of specialized software to other criminal groups used to carry out similar fraud schemes caused a further €42 million in damages.

The Prosecutor General’s Office said Armenia’s decision to grant Germany’s extradition request contributed to the effective administration of international criminal justice and to the fight against organized cybercrime.

A hyper-immersive exhibition titled “The Liangzhu Era: The World of Ritual Order”, combining physical and digital elements, will open in Yerevan on July 25.

The exhibition is organized through the cooperation of the Zhejiang Provincial Museum, the Belt and Road Cultural Association, the Artists’ Union of Armenia, and the Armenian-Chinese Partnership Center, with the support of the Department of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism of Zhejiang Province.

The Liangzhu Archaeological Site, dating back approximately 5,300 years, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019 and is regarded as one of the key archaeological sites documenting the origins of Chinese civilization.

The exhibition seeks to answer a central question: how can visitors from different cultural backgrounds not only learn about the significance of the Liangzhu civilization, but also experience its profound cultural heritage and form their own informed understanding of it.

The exhibition combines authentic archaeological artifacts with cutting-edge digital technologies to present a comprehensive picture of the Liangzhu civilization through an integrated physical and digital experience.

The exhibition will be available in Chinese, English, Russian, and Armenian. It will run in Yerevan through August 31, with professionally translated texts and interactive content presented through a unified narrative designed to be accessible to audiences from different cultural backgrounds.