Armenian Interior Minister Arpine Sargsyan received Gela Geladze, Head of Georgia’s State Security Service.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the sides highly valued the friendly and partnership-based relations established between Armenia and Georgia.

Sargsyan and Geladze also underscored the importance of the high level of effective cooperation between the law enforcement and security agencies of the two countries.

The heads of the respective agencies discussed a number of issues of mutual interest, reviewed ongoing programmes and outlined possible areas for further cooperation.

Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan received a delegation led by Seyed Hamid Pourmohammadi, Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Head of the Planning and Budget Organization.

According to the Armenian government, Grigoryan welcomed the delegation and, on behalf of the government, reaffirmed Armenia’s readiness to further develop its friendly relations with Iran.

The meeting focused on current issues on the Armenia-Iran bilateral agenda. The sides also reviewed ongoing cooperation in transport, energy, trade and economic relations, and other areas of mutual interest.

The interlocutors also discussed the modernization of the border checkpoint and measures to increase border crossing capacity, which they noted would directly contribute to the further development of bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

As co-chairs of the Armenia-Iran Intergovernmental Joint Commission, Deputy Prime Minister Grigoryan and Iranian Vice President Pourmohammadi underscored the importance of the commission’s work and agreed to continue discussions within that framework.

As tradition dictates, Ukraine marks the Day of the Armenian Icon of the Mother of God of Kamianets-Podilskyi every year on June 27. The icon has been venerated by believers of all three Christian rites in Kamianets-Podilskyi—Armenians, Ukrainians and Poles.

AnalitikaUA.net reported the development.

“A thread connecting centuries and nations” is how renowned Ukrainian scholar Iryna Hayuk described the Armenian Icon of the Mother of God of Kamianets-Podilskyi.

“This icon, perhaps more than any other artefact—with the possible exception of the Armenian Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lviv—embodies the history of Armenians on the territory of Ukraine,” Hayuk said.

The icon, which was brought from Crimea to Kamianets-Podilskyi and adorned at the request of the Armenian community of Venice, travelled across much of Europe after the city was captured by the Ottomans in the 17th century before returning to Ukraine following its liberation.

However, the miraculous icon had to wait many years for the restoration of the Armenian Chapel of St. Stephen. Only on June 27, 1791, was it solemnly consecrated and transferred to the restored church, on the day when the Armenian Archbishop of Lviv proclaimed a major feast.

The icon was revered by believers of all Christian communities in the city—Armenian Catholics, Orthodox Ukrainians and Catholic Poles—who sought its intercession for comfort and protection.

In 1920, however, when the Bolsheviks looted the church, the icon disappeared and was considered lost for nearly a century until it was discovered in 2006 at the Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of Arts in Kyiv.

“After its authenticity was confirmed through a thorough attribution process, a solemn presentation of the icon took place at the Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of Arts on June 27, 2012,” Iryna Hayuk said.

Armenian Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said that the second phase of the renovation of the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex is expected to be completed in December this year.

Andreasyan made the remarks to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during his visit to the construction site of the Kievyan Bridge.

According to the minister, weather conditions currently allow work to proceed at full pace. She noted that considerable time had been devoted last year to professional discussions on the technologies to be used in the renovation of the memorial complex, and that the necessary expertise has now been acquired.

The second phase of the project envisages the major renovation of three additional pylons of the Temple of Eternity. Renovation works at the museum section will also begin in parallel.

The memorial complex will remain open to visitors throughout the works.

The first phase of the renovation project was completed in April. It included the major renovation of the central, western and eastern sections of the memorial complex, as well as the pylons of the Temple of Eternity. A new drainage system was installed, and waterproofing works were carried out on the pylons and the foundations of the memorial wall.

The deteriorated waterproofing layer was removed, while the concrete framework of the pylons was reinforced and waterproofed using modern specialized materials. The rear and side stone slabs were replaced, and new paving was installed in the areas adjacent to the pylons.

A new pedestrian walkway was built along the memorial wall, the landscaped area was upgraded, and the irrigation network underwent major renovation.

Singer and People’s Artist of Armenia Raisa Mkrtchyan has died at the age of 84.

The news was announced by Artur Ispiryan, Director of the Public Radio Archive and a singer.

Raisa Mkrtchyan, a soloist with the Armenian State Television and Radio Variety Orchestra, was born on February 25, 1942, in the town of Sevan. She studied at the Romanos Melikyan Musical College in Yerevan and later at the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan.

From 1963 to 1968, she studied at the piano department of the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan. Since 1968, she had been a soloist with the Variety Orchestra of the Armenian State Committee for Television and Radio. Since 2002, she had also taught at the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan.

Alongside her studies, she performed with youth variety orchestras. She was the first performer of songs composed by Arno Babajanian, Konstantin Orbelyan, Alexander Ajemian, Eduard Balyan, Martin Vardazaryan and other composers. From 1968, she was a soloist with the Television and Radio Variety Symphony Orchestra.

She recorded more than 400 songs, a significant number of which are preserved in the Golden Collection of the Radio and Television archives. She also performed in numerous concerts in cities around the world.

In 2006, she was awarded the title of People’s Artist of the Republic of Armenia.

Mkrtchyan’s repertoire included works by Konstantin Orbelyan, Arno Babajanian, Robert Amirkhanyan, Alexander Ajemian, Alexey Ekimyan, Melik Mavisakalyan, Nikolai Petrov and other composers.

Throughout her career, she received numerous state awards, including the 1st Class Medal for Services to the Homeland and the Movses Khorenatsi Medal.

A delegation of Armenia’s State Revenue Committee (SRC) participated in the 147th and 148th sessions of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Council in the Kingdom of Belgium.

The State Revenue Committee said the sessions reviewed the annual summary reports of the WCO’s committees and other working bodies and approved a number of instruments related to capacity building, customs procedure facilitation and enforcement.

The participants also reviewed the implementation of the WCO’s 2025–2028 Strategy for the 2025–2026 period, approved the strategic performance indicators for 2026–2027, and outlined the organization’s main areas of activity for the coming year. The annual reports of the Policy Commission, the Audit Committee and the Finance Committee were also approved.

On the sidelines of the sessions, the SRC delegation held meetings with representatives of partner countries’ customs administrations and the WCO Secretariat. The sides discussed opportunities to expand bilateral cooperation and outlined plans for future joint initiatives.

The sessions also included elections for the Chair and Vice-Chairs of the WCO Council, as well as the leadership of the relevant committees and representatives of member states.

The 149th and 150th sessions of the WCO Council are scheduled to take place on June 24–26, 2027.

On June 17, 2026, the Prosecutor General’s Office concluded a settlement agreement in one of its illicit asset forfeiture cases, which was approved by the Anti-Corruption Court on June 26, 2026.

According to the Public Relations Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office, under the settlement agreement, 304.554 million drams will be returned to the Republic of Armenia.

On July 29, 2024, the Prosecutor General’s Office filed a claim with the Anti-Corruption Court seeking the forfeiture of assets of illicit origin from former Chairman of the Control Chamber of Armenia Ishkhan Serzhiki Zakaryan and persons affiliated with him.

By a ruling dated August 21, 2024, the Anti-Corruption Court admitted the claim for proceedings.

Within the framework of the case, on June 17, 2026, the Department for Illicit Asset Forfeiture Cases of the Prosecutor General’s Office concluded a settlement agreement with defendants Ishkhan Zakaryan and persons affiliated with him. Under the agreement, the defendants consented to return to the Republic of Armenia the full amount of 304.554 million drams, as sought following the amendment of the grounds and subject matter of the claim approved by the Anti-Corruption Court on June 15, 2026. The amount will be repaid within six months in accordance with the agreed schedule.

The Prosecutor General’s Office noted that, within the framework of criminal proceedings initiated on September 23, 2020, Ishkhan Zakaryan returned a total of 15 land plots covering approximately 71 hectares to the Republic of Armenia during 2023–2024. These included two land plots in Hatsavan community of Kotayk Province, 11 land plots in Lanjazat community of Ararat Province, and two land plots in Garni community of Kotayk Province.

In addition, he transferred 32 million drams to the Prosecutor General’s Office deposit account, representing the difference between the auction prices and cadastral values of the land plots.

On June 19, 2026, an application was submitted to the Anti-Corruption Court seeking approval of the settlement agreement.

On June 26, 2026, the Anti-Corruption Court issued a judgment approving the settlement agreement concluded on June 17, 2026.

Russia and Ukraine have carried out an exchange of civilians following their latest prisoner-of-war swap, the BBC reported, citing Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.

Seven Ukrainians, aged between 35 and 66, who had been detained during the occupation of Mariupol, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk regions, as well as Bucha district in Kyiv region, in 2022, have returned home.

Earlier, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova said that five residents of Russia’s Kursk region had returned home from captivity. Two other people from different regions were also transferred.

On Friday, Russia and Ukraine conducted another prisoner-of-war exchange under the “160-for-160” formula. Lubinets said he had met with Lantratova during the exchange.

The two ombudsmen agreed to continue reciprocal visits to prisoners of war and to exchange requests from Ukrainian and Russian citizens seeking copies of documents held in Russia and Ukraine, access to which has become impossible because of the war.