Hayk Sargsyan, deputy of the ruling “Civil Contract” faction of the RA National Assembly, has severely criticized the living conditions prevailing in the armed forces, demanding to ensure the possibility of daily bathing for servicemen.

In a conversation with journalists in the parliament on April 6, the MP said that he has been asking the Minister of Defense to solve the issue of hygiene in the army for two years in vain. According to him, the problem was particularly aggravated back in 2024, when the case of a soldier’s death from pneumonia, which was probably caused by bathing in cold water, was discussed in a closed meeting.

Sargsyan emphasized that the practice of bathing once a week has generally been preserved only in a number of underdeveloped states, while daily bathing is considered the norm in dozens of armies of the world. The deputy noted that this change does not require additional financial costs.

Although conditions have improved in some newly built military units, most servicemen continue to bathe only once a week.

Since the problem is not solved for a long time, the politician came up with a unique proposal. The leadership of the Ministry of Defense should themselves switch to this hygiene regimen and bathe once a week until proper living conditions are ensured for the soldiers.

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Hayk Sargsyan, deputy of the ruling “Civil Agreement” faction, publicly commented on the current state of his relations with RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, as well as the news about possible criminal prosecution. According to the politician, their once close friendship was effectively terminated due to the state status of the head of the government, and the statements about pending investigations are groundless.

During a briefing with journalists in the parliament on April 6, Sargsyan admitted that he considered Pashinyan his elder brother until May 2018. However, after the appointment of the latter as the prime minister, it became impossible to maintain the previous format of communication. The deputy considered this situation natural, stressing that the permanent connection was objectively cut off. At the same time, he expressed his belief that if Pashinyan leaves his post decades later, their friendly relations will be restored.

The parliamentarian separately referred to the recent harsh statements of the prime minister, which allowed the possibility of criminal cases to be initiated. Sargsyan categorically denied such a scenario, noting that no proceedings were initiated during the past months. He emphasized that the emergence of fabricated cases in post-revolutionary Armenia is unacceptable, and called on the media to avoid noisy headlines, because there are no real legal processes or even similar discussions about him.

Reference: the cooling of relations within the ruling power

Relations between Hayk Sargsyan and the leadership of the “Civil Contract” party noticeably worsened at the beginning of 2026. The decision of the party administration not to include the deputy in the pre-election lists received public attention. Commenting on this situation, Nikol Pashinyan announced zero tolerance for any manifestation of corruption among teammates. In response, Sargsyan categorically denied his involvement in illegal transactions, noting that his tough stance on a number of acute issues could cause dissatisfaction among some individuals within the political force.

An additional factor in the tension was the mention of Sargsyan’s name by the prosecutor during the court hearings in the case of Hovik Aghazaryan, another former deputy of the ruling party. Despite the information noise created around this process, the General Prosecutor’s Office of Armenia officially confirmed that Hayk Sargsyan does not have the status of an accused in any of the current criminal investigations.

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Against the background of the unprecedented expansion of the US-Israeli military campaign in the Middle East, the Iranian media confirmed the death of the intelligence chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), General Majid Khademi.

According to Iranian press reports, a high-ranking military officer was the victim of another joint US-Israeli airstrike. This attack continued the series of targeted targeting. earlier, on April 2, the official Tehran announced that Kamal Kharazi, the chairman of the Strategic Council of Foreign Relations of Iran, was severely wounded and his wife was killed as a result of a similar bombing.

The large-scale military operations launched by the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic on February 28 have now gone beyond the borders of the country, turning into a major regional conflict and involving Lebanon and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. As a result of the current military campaign, key figures of Iran’s top military and political leadership have already been killed, including the country’s spiritual leader, Ali Khamenei.

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A sharp debate took place between the deputies of the ruling faction in the Armenian parliament over the demographic situation in the armed forces and the conscription mechanisms. While the leadership of the sectoral commission announces the increase in the number of conscripts and the improvement of service conditions, there are also alarms about the catastrophic reduction of staff due to the mass renunciation of citizenship by young people.

Chairman of the Standing Committee on Defense and Security of the National Assembly Andranik Kocharyan harshly criticized the legislative initiative of his colleague, Hayk Sargsyan, which offered a mechanism to get rid of the army in exchange for money. Kocharyan emphasized his principled position against such practice, noting that the draft was so problematic that not only the faction voted against it, but also the author himself. Turning to the demographic question, the head of the commission assured that the military conscription indicators have been steadily increasing in the last two years.

He attributed this positive trend to the stabilization of the peaceful environment and legislative reforms, which allowed to reduce the death rate and increase security in the troops, thereby restoring the confidence of mothers in the army system.

The parliamentary opposition also joined the debate, categorically rejecting the initiative to get rid of the service on a paid basis. As Gegham Manukyan, deputy of the Hayastan faction, stated, such an approach is not only unconstitutional, but also carries the risk of deep division within the society, even individual families, due to financial inequality. According to the opposition figure, the problem of the lack of conscripts requires a complex analysis, not commercialization of debt to the state.

Manukyan denied the argument that young people avoid military service en masse only because of the danger of military operations, citing Israel and Iran as examples, where the number of volunteers in times of escalation exceeds the real requirements of the army many times over. At the same time, the deputy agreed with the existence of the problem of serious social disparity in military conscription between the capital and marzes, stressing, however, that it should be solved by methods that unite citizens, not separate them.

A deputy presented a diametrically opposite picture Hayk Sargsyanpublishing alarming statistics on the downsizing of the army. According to his data, in the last 14 years, the number of conscripts has decreased more than three times, from 44 thousand in 2010 to 14 thousand in 2024. The parliamentarian claims that the armed forces lose about 30 percent of potential draftees every year because wealthy families en masse change their sons’ citizenships before they reach adulthood.

Sargsyan warned that more than 2,800 young people refused their Armenian passports in 2025 alone, stressing that his rejected project was directed against this “loophole” intended for the rich. In addition, the politician pointed out acute social injustice. according to his statistics, the main burden of the country’s defense falls on the marzes, where 50 percent of the conscripts go to serve, while in the capital, this figure is only 10 percent.

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The agreements signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan are an important step, but it is not enough. it is necessary to strengthen each subsequent step. This was stated by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, during a joint briefing with the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, within the framework of his state visit to Tbilisi.

“I especially want to emphasize that Georgia plays an extremely important role. Mr. Prime Minister, you spoke about the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The agreements we signed are an important step, but it is not enough, it is necessary to strengthen each subsequent step. These meetings and visits are aimed at achieving that goal. We started the dialogue with Armenia through the mediation of Georgia, and I am grateful to the Georgian government for this support,” he said.

Ilham Aliyev According to him, for many years, Azerbaijan has been a reliable partner for many countries and peoples in terms of ensuring energy security. According to him, today Azerbaijani natural gas is exported to 16 countries, and this export starts from Georgia.

“Today we discussed new opportunities and new investment programs both in Azerbaijan and Georgia. It is possible to consider joint investments in third countries. We discussed scale, regional security and the current situation. Today’s meeting was no exception. We also referred to the new reality created in the South Caucasus. The countries of the region must continue to be oriented towards peace, stability and security, because these principles are being violated in many parts of the world, but in our region they must remain steadfast. There should be no losses, and such events should not affect our region. We act as a region of peace, stability and cooperation,” he added.

It should be noted that earlier during a joint briefing with the President of Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze again drew attention to the ongoing peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, welcoming it.

“Once again, we want to welcome the ongoing peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Georgia firmly supports peaceful coexistence, constructive cooperation and new initiatives in the region. If necessary, we are always ready to make our positive contribution to the development of these relations. We are ready to contribute to the dialogue and the peace process. The cooperation of our countries in the South Caucasus creates new prospects for the entire region,” Kobakhidze emphasized.

The head of the Georgian government also noted that there are global political changes, and these changes increase the importance of the “Middle Corridor”, including the Black Sea and the South Caucasus, as a strategic area.

“Our countries, as bridges connecting Asia and Europe, play a key role in terms of connectivity, and in this context we attach special importance to the development and modernization of transport and logistics infrastructure. “Georgia and Azerbaijan have repeatedly proven that they are reliable and responsible partners, including in international energy and transport projects,” stated Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.

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Relations between Yerevan and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) remain frozen, and Armenia’s political leadership does not rule out the possibility of final withdrawal from the military alliance in the future.

Andranik Kocharyan, the chairman of the Standing Committee on Defense and Security of the National Assembly, announced this in a briefing with journalists on April 6. Answering the question about the possibility of officially severing ties with the structure, the politician urged not to make drastic predictions in the conditions of global instability, noting that “you should never say never”.

According to him, the further sequence of Yerevan’s steps will be dictated exclusively by national interests and the imperative to ensure the security of the state. The deputy also reminded about the allies’ inaction at critical moments, raising a rhetorical question whether the CSTO acted as such when Armenia needed its protection.

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During the last five years, the employees of the regional administrations of Armenia received more than 4.3 billion drams as bonuses. However, the distribution of these huge state funds is accompanied by serious problems of transparency. some governors avoid disclosing the actual incomes of their management staff, citing tax returns, and available statistics reveal a huge financial gap between the incentives of high-ranking officials and rank-and-file employees.

According to the inquiries of “Hetk” periodical, the leadership of Syunik and Vayots Dzor, out of the ten marzes of the country, actually refused to provide complete information regarding the 2021-2025 bonus payments. Vayots Dzor Marz Governor Vahagn Arsenyan and Syunik Marzpetaran explained that the incomes of high-ranking persons are reflected in their annual declarations.

However, this argument has a purely formal nature, because in the official documents, the data of which 2025 will be published only at the end of May 2026, the basic salary and bonuses are not separated. In addition, Armavir and Shirak governorates hid the exact number of awarded employees, which makes it impossible to calculate the average indicators of the departments.

The dynamics of payments by regions creates a contradictory picture. In 2025, the total fund of awards decreased in Gegharkunik, Aragatsotn, Lori and Kotayk, but increased noticeably in Ararat, Armavir, Tavush and Shirak. At the same time, the averaged figures hide the deep disparity within the marzpets themselves. A clear example is the situation in the Kotayk region, where in 2025 the governor of the region Aharon Sahakyan and his two deputies received a total of more than 25 million drams in bonuses, while 81 rank-and-file employees received about 77 million drams together.

As a result, the management received an average of almost 8.5 million drams, while ordinary employees received less than one million. It is noteworthy that, compared to 2024, the bonuses of the heads of the Kotayk regional administration have increased sharply against the background of a tangible reduction of the remuneration fund of subordinates.

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The ruling “Civil Agreement” faction of the Armenian Parliament has nominated Martin Galstyan for the post of Central Bank President. The profile committee has already approved this initiative, highly appreciating the regulator’s efforts to maintain macroeconomic stability in the face of global crises. The final decision will be made at the May plenary session of the National Assembly.

The issue of nomination of the candidate was discussed at the meeting of the Standing Committee on Financial, Credit and Budgetary Issues held on April 6. Speaking before the deputies, Martin Galstyan summarized the work done by the structure since 2020. He emphasized that macroeconomic stability has no alternative and is one of the fundamental preconditions for the development of the society and the state.

The candidate paid special attention to the strategic steps of the Central Bank, which allowed the country’s financial system to withstand periodic external shocks. In particular, he noted the efficiency of foreign exchange interventions and competent use of state reserves in order to stabilize the markets. Galstyan expressed his belief that the main key to successfully facing any challenge is the presence of a high-quality professional team, stressing the desire to make the RA Central Bank one of the best in the world.

During the professional discussion, he also answered the parliamentarians’ questions regarding the inflation rate, bank liquidity, monetary policy directions and future joint legislative reforms. Based on the results of the discussion, the commission voted in favor of proposing Galstyan’s candidacy to the National Assembly, urging to include the issue in the agenda of the May 5 session.

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