Preliminary intelligence indicates that the suspects behind the assassination plot targeting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have been based outside Armenia since 2024.

Pashinyan revealed some details of the ongoing investigation into the plot while speaking at a press briefing on Friday.

He said that the suspects have been “roughly” identified by law enforcement agencies. 

“I believe that we have roughly identified the circle of individuals. Essentially, the people we believe are in that video have not been in Armenia since 2024. This is operational information, but we do not have evidence. We have their names, and efforts were made to locate them, at which point it was confirmed that they are not in Armenia. Previously, they were most likely under our scrutiny for other matters. In particular, they could be individuals involved in illegal mercenary activities. But this is just operational information,” the Prime Minister said.

Earlier this week, Armenian law enforcement agencies launched a criminal investigation to identify and apprehend individuals who made death threats in an alleged assassination plot against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in a video shared online.

The video shows a masked man speaking, while four others—also wearing masks—stand behind him, brandishing what appear to be AKS-74U assault rifles.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan again dismissed claims from the Strong Armenia Alliance that Azerbaijanis would settle in Armenia if his Civil Contract party is re-elected.

Strong Armenia leader Samvel Karapetyan had recently claimed that Pashinyan’s government had allegedly made a commitment regarding the “resettlement” of Azerbaijanis in Armenia. “If this is not true, let Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stand up and say it is false,” Karapetyan said.

“It is false,” Pashinyan responded at a press briefing on Friday.

When asked whether he guarantees that no resettlement of Azerbaijanis will occur in Armenia during his tenure, Pashinyan said:

“I give guarantees, yes. I guarantee it, and this is connected to the fact that I say the Karabakh issue is closed; the Karabakh issue will not continue. There will be no topic of return to Karabakh, no topic of return to Nakhchivan, no topic of return to Baku, no topic of return to Sumgait, no topic of return to Kirovabad, no topic of return to Yevlakh, and so on. Yes, I guarantee it. It’s a nonsensical issue, it’s a conflict issue, it is not a peace issue. And it is so obvious. Again—this is false, and yes, I guarantee it.”

Days after Armenia’s domestic defense industry shipments were announced, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that arms exports from the country would continue.

“Yes, there are deals, including long-term contracts, and those contracts will be implemented,” Pashinyan said at a press briefing.

Recently, Armenia’s Minister of High-Tech Industry, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, announced that three companies had exported Armenian-made weapons worth millions of dollars to two countries, describing the process as “unprecedented.” He did not specify which companies carried out the exports, what types of weapons were shipped, or the recipient countries.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has reaffirmed that he guarantees the authenticity of the recording circulating on the internet, in which former President Robert Kocharyan, currently running for parliament, allegedly appeals to Russia for help—a claim he has denied as fake.

Earlier, a recording was published online in which, allegedly, the second President of Armenia and leader of the “Armenia” alliance, Robert Kocharyan, addressing what media reported to be Russian leader Vladimir Putin, says in Russian: “You brought me into Armenia’s political field, now I have problems; please ensure my exit from this field.”

Kocharyan has denied making the statement to Putin or any other leader, saying that the recording is fake and AI-generated.

Speaking at a press briefing, Pashinyan argued that the recording is authentic.

“I guarantee that this is a real, original recording; moreover, it is not a telephone conversation, clearly, but a voice message. It corresponds 100 percent to reality—I guarantee it. Robert Kocharyan himself left this voice message on a phone and sent it through an intermediary,” Pashinyan said, expressing surprise that civil society, investigative journalists, and, in general, no one has subjected it to scrutiny.

According to Pashinyan, from a legal perspective, the recording contains an instance of political activity in Armenia orchestrated by another country, which could primarily have political consequences.

Addressing the possibility of giving a legal assessment to the recording, he said he is not sure that it is necessary. “I am not convinced that there is a question of a legal assessment because when we say agent, we must understand that there are several layers—there is a foreign agent [of influence], who lobbies for the interests of a country. Our legislation, I am not sure, provides for such a thing, but at the very least, it deserves a political evaluation,” Pashinyan added.

As for potential criminal liability in other cases pertaining to parliamentary candidates, Pashinyan said law enforcement authorities will provide the legal assessment. Top “Strong Armenia” candidate Narek Karapetyan is under investigation over citizenship disclosure claims, while Prosperous Armenia’s Andranik Tevanyan is investigated on espionage charges.

“It is foreseen, and if I am not mistaken, an announcement was made that a criminal case has been initiated; it will be clarified through the criminal case,” Pashinyan said.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has dismissed concerns about a potential mass deportation of Armenian citizens from Russia, emphasizing that existing regulations protect those legally residing there.

Speaking at a press briefing, Pashinyan was asked about concerns over Russia’s potential mass deportation of Armenian citizens amid the current phase of Armenian-Russian relations.

He expressed his belief that such worries are unnecessary, noting that appropriate regulations are in place and will continue to operate.

“On the other hand, during my campaign I have met many Armenian citizens who have returned from Russia and say they are happy to be back and plan to stay in Armenia. And 2025 was the first year when emigration from the Republic of Armenia stopped, and return migration began,” Pashinyan said.

He said it is normal for any country to deport foreigners residing there illegally.

He added that for years there have been cases of Russia deporting Armenian citizens illegally residing there, in some instances forcing people to change their first or last names to resolve the issue.

“Those who are there legally cannot be deported, while those who are there illegally can not only be deported but are obliged to be,” he explained.

The Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, Hakob Arshakyan, led a delegation to Saint Petersburg, Russia, to participate in the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly (CIS IPA) council, plenary, and committee sessions, the parliament’s press service reported.

The delegation includes Armenian MPs delegated to the CIS IPA: Alexey Sandikov, Shirak Torosyan, and Gegham Nazaryan.

Valentina Matviyenko, Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, and the Chair of the CIS IPA Council, chaired the council session on May 21 and presented the body’s observer mission reports, including preparations for observing the June 7 Armenian elections.

Hakob Arshakyan, greeting the council members, noted that the parliamentary elections scheduled in Armenia for June 7, 2026, will be held under the observation of several international organizations, including the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the CIS, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie, and the European Parliament.

“This reflects our country’s commitment to the principles of transparency in the electoral process and to democratic standards,” Arshakyan said.

He recalled that the long-term mission of the CIS IPA had recently been in Armenia.

“The periodic invitations of the mission reflect the stable nature of our cooperation and the Armenian side’s interest in an independent international assessment of the elections. The upcoming visit of the main CIS IPA delegation to Yerevan, scheduled for June 4–8, will be an important part of international monitoring,” Arshakyan emphasized.

He also noted that in May, a pre-election mission from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly was in Armenia, during which its representatives held meetings with government bodies, parliamentary forces, civil society organizations, and media outlets. Discussions focused on electoral legislation, the pre-election environment, and the organization of the elections.

“In conclusion, I would like to emphasize the importance of international monitoring as one of the factors that strengthens confidence in the electoral process,” Arshakyan said.

During the council session, attention was also paid to the assembly’s current activities, upcoming programs, and the main directions of cooperation.

Armenia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs is establishing a modern cyber laboratory aimed at boosting the police’s technical capabilities and enhancing the detection of cybercrime.

The ministry said in a press release that, with the support of the U.S. Embassy in Armenia, the Department for Combating Cybercrime of the General Department of Criminal Police has received the first batch of modern equipment and software.

“The received technical equipment is intended for the study, processing, and analysis of electronic data and will support the operations of the cyber laboratory being established within the department,” the ministry said.

It added that the new set of tools will enhance the detection of cybercrimes and the effectiveness of combating other types of offenses using information technologies, while also contributing to the introduction of new mechanisms for ensuring public safety.

The National Security Service (NSS) has conducted a search at the office of the “Mother Armenia” party, whose leader, Andranik Tevanyan, is facing criminal proceedings on charges of treason and espionage.

Tevanyan is running for parliament on the Prosperous Armenia Party ticket, led by Gagik Tsarukyan.

Andranik Tevanyan told journalists that during the search, NSS officers seized computers, phones, technical equipment, and analytical materials from the party office.

“They now also want to search our apartment; the search will continue there,” Tevanyan said.

He described the operation as an obstacle to their election campaign and dismissed the criminal proceedings initiated against him by the Investigative Committee as absurd.

According to investigators, in 2024, Tevanyan allegedly leaked classified data from a parliamentary hearing to a foreign intelligence service. He was not a lawmaker at the time and is said to have obtained the information illegally from the hearings through another individual. He denies the charges.

The Prosecutor General’s Office said it submitted a motion to the Central Election Commission seeking approval to initiate criminal proceedings against Andranik Tevanyan.

The original version of this article has been updated to include information from the Prosecutor General’s Office. 

The examination board has reported that Dentistry, General Medicine, and Law continue to be the most sought-after specialties among university applicants, with Design emerging as a growing favorite.

Yerevan State University leads in overall applicant demand, followed by several other major institutions.

Karo Nasibyan, Deputy Director of the Evaluation and Testing Center, said at a press conference that, according to the results of the second phase of university admissions in Armenia, 16,482 applicants have registered. As a result, the Evaluation and Testing Center will conduct exams for 21,130 applicants.

Nasibyan noted that, for the first time, fewer exams will be conducted during the summer second phase of admissions than were held in January–February.

“As you know, for several years now, applicants have had the opportunity to take exams both in January–February and in the summer. Typically, more exams are held in the summer than in winter, but this year the situation has changed. This summer, we will conduct 21,130 exams, compared with 23,472 exams held in January–February. This is because graduates who took the exams earlier were satisfied with their results and chose not to participate again in the summer,” Nasibyan explained.

Although the results of the January–February exams were satisfactory for many graduates, and they did not wish to participate in the summer exams, they were still required to register to confirm that they would retain their scores, as well as their chosen university and specialty. Despite awareness campaigns, some applicants still failed to register within the prescribed period, which ran from April 15 to May 10.

“We informed applicants through multiple channels and even sent several SMS reminders a few days before the registration deadline. Nevertheless, it turned out that 70 applicants did not register. This is a recurring issue, and resolving it is beyond the authority of the Evaluation and Testing Center. Only a decision by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports can allow them to participate in an additional exam phase,” Nasibyan explained.

Exams will take place from June 12 to June 30, covering subjects including Biology, Geography, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Armenian Language and Literature, Armenian History, Russian, and Foreign Languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Persian). Additional exams will follow.

Regarding the choice of specialties among applicants, Nasibyan noted that trends are largely consistent with previous years.

“Competition remains particularly high at Yerevan State Medical University for the Dentistry program, with a ratio of 2.9 [applicants] per available place. General Medicine is the second most in-demand program, with a ratio of 2.3 per place. Law at Yerevan State University follows, with a ratio of 2.1 per place. I would also like to note that Design has seen a significant rise in popularity among applicants this year,” Nasibyan said.

In terms of overall applicant demand, Yerevan State University ranks first, followed by the Armenian State University of Economics, the National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia, the National Polytechnic University of Armenia, and Yerevan State Medical University, among others.

HayPost press release 

On May 22nd, 2026, a souvenir sheet with one postage stamp dedicated to the theme “World Famous Armenians: 125th Anniversary of Alex Manoogian” has been put into circulation.

The postage stamp of the souvenir sheet with the nominal value of 500 AMD depicts the prominent American-Armenian businessman, inventor, benefactor, long-serving president of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), public figure and the National Hero of Armenia Alex Manoogian (1901-1996).  

The souvenir sheet depicts the inscriptions “ARMENIAN BUSINESSMAN, INVENTOR, BENEFACTOR” and “125th ANNIVERSARY” in Armenian and English languages.

Alex Manoogian invented the world’s first single-handled Delta faucet. With his support, dozens of Armenian schools and cultural centers have been founded and funded around the world.

Date of issue: May 22, 2026 

Designer: Vahagn Mkrtchyan

Printing house: bpost Philately & Stamps Printing, Belgium

Stamp size: 40,0 x 30,0 mm S/sheet size: 60,0 x 60,0 mm Print run: 15 000 pcs