Why did they remove Amiryan’s surname? Karen Igityan

June: 27, 2026

Caucasian scholar Karen Igityan writes: “Why did they remove Amiryan’s last name? Everything is clear. He does not like the Aliyev regime, and therefore also the Pashinyan one. The Aliyev regime invented the “genocide committed by the Armenians of Baku” in 1918, and declared the Armenians, the leaders of the Baku commune, including Amiryan, guilty. In addition, the Azerbaijani propaganda machine declared Tadevos Amirov, the commander of the cavalry detachment, Arsen Amiryan’s brother, a separate enemy from the others.

Therefore, this “simple name change” has two implications. on the one hand, to remove Amiryan as a symbol of Baku Armenians and erase their role in the Baku Commune, which is an irritating factor for Aliyev and his “West Azerbaijanis”, and on the other hand, the Pope symbolizes the struggle against the Church, which is also understandable in the current political context of Armenia.

The man with the hat (fur hat) is Tadevos Amirov, the other photo is Arsen Amiryan.”



—

Why did the number of deaths in the army increase compared to 2025? Why did the Ministry of Defense

June: 27, 2026

On April 18 of this year, we sent a written request to the RA Investigative Committee, asking to provide statistics on how many deaths related to military service occurred in the army in 2026, how many were murders and how many were suicides.

On April 27, in its response to us from the investigative body had transferred the following data.

“Death of servicemen recorded in 2026 6 the incident was initiated in the main military investigative department of the RA Investigative Committee 6 criminal proceedings, of which 1-ը՝ According to Article 522 of the RA Criminal Code (causing a military serviceman to commit suicide by carelessness), 1-ը՝ Article 523 (making a military serviceman commit suicide), 3 o’clockwith Article 155 (murder), 1, according to part 3 of Article 532 (violating the rules of handling weapons, munitions, military equipment or other military property, materials, devices or objects that are more dangerous for the environment, which caused the death of a person through carelessness).

Moreover, Of the 3 murders, 1 of the criminal proceedings initiated under Article 155 is a case of sudden death, and 1 is a case of suicide, according to preliminary data obtained during the preliminary investigation.

Read also

  • Baku, which has been cooperating with “Thales” for a long time, sees risks when the issue concerns Yerevan. Who laid the foundations of “Thales Group”-Armenia cooperation?
  • Who is to blame for the fact that the army is perceived as hard labor? Are the “invitations” to the opposition parties to participate in the 25-day training camps political or…?
  • Pashinyan broke his revolutionary promise: the armed forces should not be a political factor. Following the election processes

But after this other cases of death in the army were also recorded, and as in the case of some of the ones mentioned above, the RA Ministry of Defense did not issue an official statement regarding one or two of them.

We have tried to bring together the recorded deaths, non-statutory cases and not only from the beginning of the year until now, based on the reports of the RA Investigative Committee and the RA Ministry of Defense, according to the chronology.

AND SO:

■ of 2026 on January 14 The Ministry of Defense released a message that “on January 14, at around 09:50, a soldier of the N military unit of the Ministry of Defense was found Shield of Khachatur Petrosyan Deanwith a gunshot wound.”

Later, the Investigative Committee reported that «initiated on January 14, 2026 in connection with the death of a serviceman during the preliminary investigation of the criminal proceedings, a public criminal prosecution was initiated against one person under the 2nd and 3rd points of part 2 of Article 522 of the Criminal Code (causing a military serviceman to commit suicide by carelessness)”.

■ On February 7 The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia issued a message that “military unit N of the Ministry of Defense was discovered the body of contract soldier Davit Armen Manukyan”.

The investigative committee also reported that «contractual soldier death case on the occasion initiate is criminal proceedings», and that “a preliminary investigation is being conducted to find out the circumstances of the incident.”

■ According to the Ministry of Defense, on February 26 the body of serviceman Narek Hamleti Hakobyan was found.

The Investigative Committee later reported that “on February 26 found against 1 person during the preliminary investigation of the criminal proceedings initiated in connection with the death of a serviceman a public criminal prosecution was initiated under Article 155, Part 2, Clause 7 of the Criminal Code (murder).” The person was detained.

■ Martin there were media reports that reservists were stabbed and hospitalized in Vardenis.

Later, the RA Investigative Committee announced that a public criminal prosecution was initiated against the person conscripted in the training camp as part of the criminal proceedings initiated in connection with the injury of the conscripted reservists in the training camp. He was prosecuted under Article 520, Part 3, Clauses 2 and 3 of the Criminal Code (violence or threat of violence against a subordinate) and Article 166, Part 2, Clause 1 (causing serious harm to health).

■April: 2-in RA Investigative Committee issued a message that «Ministry of Defense on the training ground place had case criminal proceedings have been initiated in this regard, under the features of Article 550, Part 3 (military official negligence, which negligently caused the death of a person) and Article 532, Part 3 (violation of the rules for dealing with weapons, munitions, military equipment or other military property, materials, devices or objects posing a greater threat to the environment, which negligently caused the death of a person) of the Criminal Code. Contractual the soldier died is, whose name was not released.

It should be noted that the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia did not issue any message about this.

■ RA Ministry of Defense issued a message that “On April 14, serviceman Narek Arshaki Hakobyan died.”

The Investigative Committee also informed that “criminal proceedings were initiated in connection with the death of a serviceman on April 14, according to Article 523, Part 1 of the Criminal Code. (making a military serviceman commit suicide)”.

■ The Ministry of Defense reported that “on June 2 around 00:10, it was found in the N military unit of the Ministry of Defense soldier Aramais Meruzhani Gevorgyan Dean.”

The investigative committee also informed that “June 2-in In connection with the death of a serviceman, criminal proceedings have been initiated under Article 522, Part 1 of the Criminal Code. (soldier carelessly of suicide delivering)»:

■ On June 11, the RA Investigative Committee reported “stingy” information that “hunis 10-in Ministry of Defense officer N:.A:.-in: death case criminal proceedings have been initiated in this regard, a preliminary investigation is underway.” Moreover, the Ministry of Defense did not issue any message this time either.

On June 13 168.amsent a written request to the RA Investigative Committee to find out:

– where did the incident happen

– how related is it to the service?,

– to what extent do the information circulated in the press correspond to reality? the case of the officer’s death occurred at the Baghramyan military training ground during tank exercises, and that he died as a result of a shot from behind.

In other words, we tried to understand what the preliminary investigation has found so far.

In the response letter sent to us by the RA Investigative Committee within 5 days noted.

“In response to your request of June 13, 2026, we inform you that on June 10, criminal proceedings have been initiated in connection with the death of Defense Officer N.A., and a preliminary investigation is underway.

Based on the provisions of Article 186, Part 2 of the RA Criminal Procedure Code and Article 8, Part 1, Clause 3 of the RA Law “On Freedom of Information”, it is not possible to provide information regarding the other questions you mentioned, because they contain preliminary examination data that is not subject to publication.

In other words, the RA Investigative Committee keeps secret even the location of the incident and how it is directly related to the service. Can we assume that information circulated in the press can be subject to investigation?

By the way, according to our information, the father of the deceased officer is also a military man, and it is his wish that the defense department did not release a message, especially when there is a problem of finding out the circumstances of the death.

■ On June 23 the press wrote, that “Cotton during exercises in the training unit A serviceman was injured.”

The RA Ministry of Defense reported that the serviceman is under the supervision of doctors. his life is not in danger.

“We cannot disclose health and other personal data of the serviceman, because the relevant laws (on personal data and medical secrecy) do not allow it,” added the spokesperson of the RA Ministry of Defense. Thank God that we are not dealing with a case with a fatal outcome, but no matter how much we respect the right to protect personal data, which the current authorities often violate in various cases, we cannot but have various suspicions and some assumptions regarding the concealment of the circumstances of the cases.

■ Yesterday, the RA Investigative Committee announced that “on June 26 recorded contract soldier of R.Kh in case of death criminal proceedings have been initiated” and that “a forensic medical examination has been appointed during the preliminary investigation of the criminal proceedings, and other necessary investigative and procedural actions are being carried out”.

From the RA Investigative Committee, we again failed to find out where the incident took place, to what extent it is related to the service. At the same time, information is circulating in the media that we are dealing with suicide again.

“We do not provide information, we do not comment on what we have reported. I don’t know what the sites write, where they get that information from. But that is not my problem, the Investigative Committee does not comment beyond what has been said.” 168.amLater, Kima Avdalyan, the spokesperson of the President of the Central Committee, said in a conversation with

And once again there was no message from the Ministry of Defense, at least at the time of writing the article.

In other words, from the beginning of the year to this moment, June 27, it was recorded in the army 8 deaths, and several non-fatal cases. This is in the case when as RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan had announced In 2025, we had a connection with the service 6 deaths of which 1– of lightning, 1of electrocution, 2 – suicide, 2– due to health problems, that is, there was no case of murder in 2025.

But the problem here is that first of all, incidents in military training centers have become frequent, and the RA Ministry of Defense and the RA Investigative Committee have become overly secretive, which was not the case before. What is the reason, is this a political directive?

It is not at all about whether or not to publish data containing pre-examination secrets. But there are serious problems in the army, which, of course, have their reasons, and which seem to be deepening, based on statistics.

Has the RA military leadership found out its roots, reasons, and what is being done to overcome them?

Does RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan also see the role of “unwritten laws” “developed” by his political team and the fact that soldiers are often left close to people who are definitely not the best example for them? And this is the case when 2026 has been declared by the Ministry of Defense of Armenia as the year of combating the criminal subculture in the army.

Suren Papikyan, perhaps, does not want the non-statutory relations in the army to deepen, to have death cases, on the other hand, who should prohibit the entry of “harmful” people into the army, be they military or non-military, or tiktok-visitors.

Who should control the person who is in a state of inebriation will not be on duty, not to give weapons to random people and raise positions, so that they do not threaten the sympathizers of the opposition forces, or wait impatiently for a meeting with the weapons in their hands. Recently, user Armen Poghosyan, from the close circles of the government, made another such post on the social network, then removed the relevant post.

Does the Minister of Defense rule out that his own people would like him to fail in this and other issues… After all, the military parade took place, it did its “work” in the elections in favor of Nikol Pashinyan, a military parade where the RA military leadership and army were not at the forefront.

—

Considering everyone as a spy and traitor is typical of totalitarian systems, Pashinyan

June: 27, 2026

Regardless of the results of the elections, today we live in a country where the Constitution no longer works, the universal constitutional rights of people do not work. There are cases when a person is forbidden to speak by the court. Property rights are not protected in Armenia, and it is dangerous when Pashinyan says: I will take away this property, I will make him a “bum”. The country, where the property right does not work, has no future, there will be no private investment in Armenia, no business will have confidence. 168TVof « expressed such an opinion during the program political scientist Stepan Danielyan.

“The judicial system does not work in Armenia. At one time, Pashinyan ordered to blockade the courts and persecute the judges, now he says that they will go after the judges who, in his opinion, will judge wrongly. Freedom of conscience does not work. The authorities decide who should be the Catholicos, and the Catholicos are addressed by name. Pashinyan says: if you are dissatisfied with me, make a revolution, in the event that all people’s rights were violated before the elections, and these rights continue to be violated,” said the political scientist.

“First of all, Pashinyan thinks about reproducing in any way, because he knows that if the government changes, many crimes will be put before him. Every month is a matter of life for him. People who voted for Pashinyan will turn against him because these economic bubbles will burst. For example, the increase of pensions in the form of election bribes is not in the budget, health insurance cannot be extended, the export ban to Russia will continue. This will lead to a situation where we will soon have serious social problems,” said Danielyan.

Read also

  • “Pashinyan’s main bet is on Turkey and Azerbaijan. the opposition should not bring people to the streets.” Political scientist
  • These are in a panic. The USA acts in coordination with the Russian Federation. Washington will work with any new force in Armenia. Stepan Danielyan
  • Even many Europeans do not believe in the European perspective. Stepan Danielyan

According to the political scientist, Pashinyan understands that there will be an explosion, and he wants to somehow manage that explosion and prolong the time with an atmosphere of fear. “Pashinyan accuses a considerable part of his opponents of espionage and treason. That person says that the opposition is an agency network, accusing Gagik Tsarukyan, Samvel Karapetyan, the Catholicos and the reverends. When all freedoms are taken away, it is a characteristic of a totalitarian system.

If human freedoms do not work, the judicial system is not independent, everyone is arrested and silenced, it is a textbook totalitarian system. What is the main charge in totalitarian systems, that a significant part of the public is accused of treason or foreign espionage? It was like that in Franco’s Spain, in the Soviet Union, in Hitler’s Germany.”

“They say that Russia is the enemy, not Turkey or Azerbaijan, and that enemy country keeps spies here, and we arrest them so that Armenia becomes sovereign and comes under Azerbaijan, hands over the territories to Turkey and Azerbaijan. The opposition is being pressured so that it has no resources. If any businessman supports the opposition, as they support the KP with their “My Step” foundation, he will be arrested and deprived of his rights,” said Stepan Danielyan.

Details in the video.




—

“What does it mean to be a heroic taxpayer when you clean your dirty shoes every day?

June: 27, 2026

During the past session of the government, Nikol Pashinyan clearly instructed to control the so-called “black market” of phones, after which the Minister of High Technologies and Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan said that the phone identification or IMEI system will be implemented in Armenia.

Media researcher Samvel Martirosyan commented on this decision of the government, stressing that the government decided to register the IMEIs of everyone’s mobile phones.

“The IMEI is the phone’s unique identification number, like a car license plate number, which is a unique, 15-digit number that makes you very controllable from the phone’s perspective.

This makes us much more controllable, because not only are you monitored by the SIM card, but also your phone is always physically clear that this is your phone, plus, according to the project, some organization is created, and not a government one at that, which is given too much data, that is, your phone’s IMEI, SIM card, passport number, plus also the movement of the border. had noted Samvel Martirosyan.

Read also

  • The hand is the continuation of the soul. How does art therapy reveal a person? Christine Babayan
  • Pashinyan is facing the reality. the psychologist about the reasons for Pashinyan’s “noise”.
  • They have gone to the bank and are already revealing their whole being. psychologist

Founding President of “Psychologists and Lawyers” Association, human rights activist Khachatur Marozyan by definition, all this is a direct interference in a person’s personal life by the state and the head of the state.

“In general, recently, some states have started a process by which they want to make a person, a citizen, totally controllable, that is, to appropriate a person.

If we put the freedom of a person, his fundamental rights aside, what is left of a person, if Nikol Pashinyan says: “I am the state”, this means that that person will do whatever he wants, here is another question: how should we not allow it? In our country, only a person’s personal life was left untouched, in some sense, they want to take this under total control. He saw that our society is weak and depressed in some way, he tried to make that decision, it privatizes a person detail by detail, turns a person into a robot.”– 168.amKhachatur Marozyan said in a conversation with

Here, our interlocutor sees one dangerous thing: from such interference in human life by the state and its leader, public dissatisfaction can grow so much that it explodes at once, which can be uncontrollable with its unpredictable consequences.

“Our nation will die one day, Sevak says, isn’t it, that ‘Heroism is born there, when all possibilities end?’ Now people have a vacuum, a gap that needs to be filled, and after that we will see dissatisfaction. People are being dispossessed today, property is taken away, and personal rights are taken away. Now they are sitting at the top, they see that there is no dissatisfaction among people, that’s why they do what their hearts want, but I am sure that it is not possible to completely destroy a person,” stressed Khachatur Marozyan.

According to our interlocutor, when Nikol Pashinyan said: “Proud citizens, I bow before you”, they should have understood that he would praise a person so much that he would turn him into a “balloon” and immediately go crazy.

“What does it mean to be a hero taxpayer when you clean your dirty shoes every day on the dignity of that taxpayer?” All this will lead to a critical situation,” Khachatur Marozyan emphasized.

—

What is opposed to what? A significant part of our society survives from the Russian Federation

June: 27, 2026

Nikol Pashinyan mentioned the other day that Russia’s restrictions on imports from Armenia, as well as on the export of Armenian goods through its territory to other EAEU countries, will cause at least very serious concern in a number of EAEU member states.

According to him, the Eurasian Economic Union should clearly answer the question whether it exists or not.

“We say that there is, and we, as a participating state, consider that some misunderstanding happened. If the Eurasian Economic Union says: you know what, I’m gone, well, if they’re gone, what can we do? We exist, we are in the Eurasian Economic Union and we work there. Now the Eurasian Economic Union must say whether it exists or not. If he directly or indirectly says that there is none, then what should we do?” he added.

Could this situation be a sign that anything is possible – go further than the limitations of the moment? 168․amanswered this question economist Hayk Farmanyan.

Read also

  • Last time they paid a fine of several billions from the state budget due to unjustified deprivation of the license. What to expect this time?
  • A new stage of the security crisis. Deadlock in US-Iran dialogue
  • EU voyages in the South Caucasus. After the elections held in Armenia, Brussels is becoming more active

“The problem is very serious, we can face very serious consequences, and our authorities do not realize all this, do not understand that the economy of our country can collapse in the true sense of the word… A significant part of our society, in the truest sense of the word, survives at the expense of money transfers received from the Russian Federation, which amounts to about 4 billion dollars annually.

What is opposed to what? When they say that we are going to Europe, they do not understand that they can be members of the European Union in one case, when at least 40 percent of the country’s exports go to the European Union countries, and only 7 percent of your exports go to them at the moment,” added the economist.

He noticed that even though the authorities are trying to settle the situation with peasant “scrupulosity”, there is no prospect of settlement.

“Russia has not yet applied the sanctions of 2 heavy artillery. the first is the ban on money transfers and the increase in gas prices. I consider these to be the heavy artillery that can happen,” explained the specialist.

Hayk Farmanyan responded to the observation, and in this case, can Azerbaijan and Turkey consider an alternative and a way out, with which the authorities are trying to regulate relations, and we see, for example, cargoes coming through the territory of Azerbaijan.

“If there is any Armenian who sees Azerbaijan as an alternative, I have nothing to say, that is the solution to the issue. I have nothing to say, Azerbaijan is also solving the issue, Turkey is also solving the issue. If there is any intelligent Armenian who can see it as an alternative.”

—

168: A new stage of the security crisis. Deadlock in US-Iran dialogue

June: 27, 2026

The US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed recently was violated for the first time since its signing. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that on June 26, US forces struck Iranian missile and drone storage facilities, as well as coastal radar sites.

Washington said it was a response to an Iranian attack on a merchant ship in the Strait of Hormuz, so it was necessary to protect freedom of navigation.

On the evening of June 26, US President Donald Trump announced that Iran fired at least four drones at ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, one of which hit the upper deck of a cargo ship.

For its part, the Iranian Tasnim agency reported on the attacks on American military facilities in the region. US Vice President JD Vance stated that Washington “will respond to violence with violence”.

Read also

  • What is opposed to what? A significant part of our society survives at the expense of remittances from the Russian Federation
  • Counting months to go
  • EU voyages in the South Caucasus. After the elections held in Armenia, Brussels is becoming more active

The IRGC claimed to have repelled an attack by US forces and warned that the US action “will not go unanswered”, promising a “crushing blow”. The statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran states that last night’s airstrikes by the US Army on several coast guard facilities on the southern coast of Iran are a clear violation of the UN Charter, as well as the first point of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Iran and the United States.

“Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemns the airstrikes carried out by the US military last night on the facilities on the southern coast of Iran. “Iran considers the strikes on several coast guard facilities as a clear violation of Article 2, Clause 4 of the UN Charter, as well as the first clause of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed between Iran and the United States on the cessation of hostilities,” the statement said.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry emphasizes that at the same time Israel’s attack on Lebanon, which was coordinated with the US, is a clear violation of the first point of the memorandum of understanding.

“Iran, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, will defend its sovereignty, security and national interests with all its might. Defensive strikes by Iranian armed forces against US positions also took place within those frameworks. “It is obvious that the responsibility for the created situation lies with the USA and those parties that in some way participate in the attacks against Iran,” the statement said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that Iran calls on the countries in the southern part of the Persian Gulf to observe the norms of international law and the principle of neighborliness in relation to not allowing the use of their territories to carry out attacks on Iran.

Russian orientalist Viktor Nadein-Raevsky 168.amtold that the recent incidents in the Strait of Hormuz between the United States and Iran finally eliminated the optimistic expectations formed after the recently signed memorandum of understanding.

According to him, as predicted by many, this escalation shows that diplomatic agreements have not become a security mechanism, and the level of trust between the conflicting parties remains low.

“What happened shows that the fundamental contradictions between the two states continue to prevail over the negotiation process.

It is not difficult to predict that the situation in the Middle East predetermines a phase of instability, where any technical or careless incident can turn into a full-scale military conflict. An increase in tensions in the Persian Gulf basin can be expected, with all its consequences, including an impact on global energy supply chains. There is no news here for the neighboring regions, Iran will continue to focus on the issue of increasing the influence of Israel or the USA in the South Caucasus, while simultaneously thinking about border security. This positioning of Iran will be maintained in the near future, as long as there is no stability in the deals with the USA,” said Victor Nadein-Raevsky.

According to him, it should be noted that the US-Iran negotiations are entering a deadlock, where it is still too early to talk about a “final agreement”.

“The memorandum has become only a diplomatic protocol without real mechanisms. Therefore, global actors should be prepared for prolonged uncertainty,” the analyst said.

Let’s remind that the delegation led by Iran’s Vice President Seyed Hamid Pourmohammadi was in Armenia. The Vice President of Iran met with Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan in RA, during the meeting, Grigoryan and Pourmohammadi discussed issues related to the modernization of the border checkpoint and increasing the border crossing capacity. They also referred to the progress of cooperation in transport, energy, trade and economic relations and other areas of mutual interest. Pourmohammadi also met with Nikol Pashinyan.

“The interlocutors discussed the implementation of projects aimed at the development of Armenia-Iran border infrastructures. In particular, issues related to the construction of the second bridge and the new terminal, consistent development of cooperation in the customs sector and customs procedures. Both sides emphasized the development of cooperation in the field of energy carriers.

Reference was made to the joint road construction projects, as well as the steps aimed at the further development of cooperation in agriculture, mining, infrastructure and other fields.

Thoughts were also exchanged on the processes of unblocking regional channels and new opportunities,” the message said.

—

Fwd: If 5 years remain, RA will become a small Republic of Yerevan. Raffi Hov

If 5 years remain, RA will become a small Republic of Yerevan


Raffi
Hovhannisyan
 strongly criticizes the current authorities:
naming them Henchmen of Baku, who consistently concede
are state interests. According to the speaker, the last elections took place forged,
and the country’s leadership does not have the people’s mandate to close the Artsakh issue or to open a new one territorial
concessions
 to goHovhannisyan
warns that if this policy continues, Armenia will turn into Yerevan
formed around a small, independent 
of satrapy: He is a call
makes the opposition stand united, with a re-party front,
in order to prevent the ultimate destruction of the state. Highlighting in the interview
is also Azerbaijanincreasing aggression and:
ambitions to the sovereign territories of Armenia through the distortion of history
the presentation

 

Details in the video.

—

Armenia putting more distance between itself and Russia

Eurasianet

June 25 2026

EU seems ready to throw Yerevan economic lifeline.

Jun 25, 2026

Fresh off a convincing victory in a fiercely contested parliamentary election, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is wasting no time in trying to integrate Armenia firmly into the West’s security and economic architecture. 

Pashinyan announced during a cabinet meeting on June 25 that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen would soon visit Yerevan for talks focusing on expanding Armenian agricultural exports to EU member states. As part of a Russian pressure campaign to undermine Pashinyan’s re-election chances, Moscow threatened import bans on a wide variety of Armenian food products. The Kremlin followed through on its threat after Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party achieved a decisive electoral victory.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan recently traveled to Brussels to lay the groundwork for a deal in which the EU would pick up the agricultural export slack created by the Russian ban.

“There is a possibility that Armenia will have exceptional opportunities in this regard,” the official Armenpress news agency quoted Pashinyan as saying, referring to a pending agricultural export deal. “I hope that we will manage to finalize the relevant project with the President of the European Commission, and during her visit to Yerevan.”

The June 7 parliamentary election was widely seen as a referendum on Armenia’s future geopolitical orientation: Pashinyan since 2023 has steered the country westward, putting increasing distance between Armenia and its longtime strategic ally Russia; his main election opponents all held pro-Russian positions. 

In the security realm, a clear sign of Armenia’s affinity for Western integration is a rapidly improving relationship with Ukraine. Pashinyan met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Yerevan on the sidelines of an EU meeting in May. And on June 25, Armen Grigoryan, the secretary of Armenia’s National Security Council, was among the participants at an international gathering in the Polish city of Gdansk dedicated to promoting Ukraine’s recovery from its ongoing war with Russia.

Yerevan’s engagement with Ukraine has touched a raw nerve in the Kremlin. Yuriy Ushakov, an aide to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, denounced what he described as “Armenia’s political and foreign economic mischief,” as posing a threat to Russian-led economic and security organizations, specifically the Eurasian Economic Union and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Russia’s refusal to uphold its CSTO treaty obligations to come to the defense of Armenia during its conflict with Azerbaijan is widely seen as sparking Pashinyan’s efforts to change Armenia’s geopolitical orientation.

Glossing over this fact, Ushakov tacitly threatened Armenia, suggesting that Yerevan could share the same fate as Ukraine, which withstood a Russian blitz in 2022 and has ground down the Kremlin’s military machine since then.

“Looking at the situation around Ukraine, it is clear that all this can lead to a tragedy,” the Interfax news agency quoted Ushakov as saying, hinting that Russia could potentially use its troops stationed in Armenia to try to halt Yerevan’s westward shift.

Emboldened by a strong showing in the June 7 election, the Armenian government shows no signs of bowing to Russian pressure. Armenian and French officials on June 25 discussed deepening bilateral trade and strategic ties, Armenpress reported. Earlier, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan said Armenia expects to fully normalize relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan by 2030, enabling the South Caucasus to become “a key connecting link between Europe and Central Asia” in trade routes that bypass Russia.


—

Russia Orders Total Ban on Fish Imports From Armenia

The Moscow Times

June 26, 2026

Russia has suspended all seafood imports from Armenia after imposing a partial ban earlier this month, the state-run news agency TASS reported Friday, citing Russia’s agricultural safety agency.

Rosselkhoznadzor restricted seafood imports from all but two of Armenia’s fish processing plants on June 1 after the facilities allegedly refused to undergo health and safety inspections.

In a statement on Friday, the agency said it uncovered safety violations at those two plants — MF Export and Invest Plus — and moved to ban the import of their seafood products as well.

“A decision was made to temporarily suspend product certification for these remaining enterprises,” TASS quoted Rosselkhoznadzor as saying.

The move follows previous Russian restrictions on the import and transit of most Armenian food, seeds, flowers, wood and fertilizer due to what officials identified as the “systematic detection” of pests. Russia has also restricted the sale and import of Armenian mineral water and alcoholic products over various alleged health and safety violations.

While Moscow maintains that its mounting trade restrictions are based strictly on sanitary concerns, the measures increasingly resemble an economic pressure campaign targeting Yerevan as it pursues closer ties with the European Union.

Sergei Dankvert, the head of Rosselkhoznadzor, has denied claims that the trade bans are politically motivated.

Armenia’s central bank estimates that Russia’s import ban affects roughly 2% of the South Caucasus country’s GDP. The resulting oversupply of goods redirected away from Russia could cause local prices in Armenia to decrease by 0.6%, policymakers said.

Friction between traditional allies Russia and Armenia has grown since Azerbaijan regained control of the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023. Armenia accused Russia and its peacekeeping forces of failing to deter Baku’s military offensive and, in 2024, froze its participation in a Moscow-led regional security bloc.


—

Iraq nominates first Christian Armenian as envoy to Washington

The National

June 25 2026

Iraq has appointed a Christian Armenian as its new ambassador to the US, a position that is generally held by a member of the country’s Muslim majority, officials told The National on Thursday.

Krikor Der-Hagopian, 49, was an adviser on international relations to former prime minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani and has close ties with current Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi.

He will replace veteran diplomat Nizar Al Khairallah, who served as deputy foreign minister before being posted to Washington. Baghdad has submitted Mr Der-Hagopian’s papers to Washington and “we are awaiting the response from the American side”, an Iraqi official told The National.

Mr Der-Hagopian served as head of the Directorate of International Relations under Mr Al Sudani’s government from 2022 to 2026. He has built relationships with the majority of Iraq’s political actors and has extensive knowledge of the country’s diverse groups.

He is a “competent and able person, and the new prime minister has no prejudices and has Iraq’s interest in mind”, the Iraqi official said.

It is not clear when the new ambassador will assume his post. “It is in the hands of the American side now as to how soon they give him the go-ahead,” the official said.

Iraq is facing mounting pressure from the US to strengthen ties with Washington while distancing itself from Iran and acting against Tehran-aligned Iraqi armed factions.

Renad Mansour, director of the Iraq Initiative at London’s Chatham House, told The National that Mr Der-Hagopian is seen as a key interlocutor between Baghdad and Washington.

Iraq-US relations are at a particularly fragile moment, with recent sanctions and threats contributing to what officials fear could be one of its lowest points. Mr Al Zaidi’s choice of ambassador could be seen as a way to “please the US”, Mr Mansour said.

Mr Der-Hagopian has held senior roles in Iraq’s presidency and prime minister’s office and worked on US relations during Mr Al Sudani’s administration, providing continuity as the new Prime Minister navigates complex external pressures, he said.

The Armenian community is one of the smallest in Iraq. Armenians began arriving from Iran several centuries ago and settled between Baghdad and Mosul.

There are no reliable statistics, but about 25,000 Armenians were believed to be living in Iraq before the US-led invasion of 2003. Since then, many have sought safety in Europe, with some returning to Armenia.

Iraq’s Armenian community tends to keep a low profile. Culturally, they consider themselves part of Iraq but maintain ties with Armenia.


—