Four suspects have been arrested in an ongoing investigation into drug smuggling allegedly involving Iranian nationals, authorities have announced.

The State Revenue Committee said in a press release that it received information that an Iranian national had been plotting to smuggle 10 kg of marijuana across the land border into Armenia. Further investigation identified the suspects, who were already in Armenia. They were arrested by the Investigative Committee after being taken into custody at a hotel in Yerevan and were remanded in pre-trial detention by a court on drug smuggling charges.

The investigation later revealed that the alleged smugglers intended to sell 3 kg of the smuggled marijuana in Armenia to other accomplices. The two buyers, Armenian citizens, were also arrested.

Confiscations were made during searches.

To ease the impact of Russian import restrictions on Armenian goods, the government has introduced a new support program for greenhouse farmers.

The new relief program was adopted at a Cabinet meeting on Thursday.

Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan, while presenting amendments to the greenhouse farming development support program, noted that the discussion is driven by the need to provide additional benefits to businesses exporting greenhouse products in order to mitigate the impact of restrictions imposed by Russian authorities.

The minister said that within the greenhouse farming development support program in Armenia, 20 agreements have been signed, and greenhouse facilities covering 91.5 hectares have been established or are being established. Of these, 34.5 hectares have already been completed and have produced output this year.

“If, based on monitoring results conducted until July 1, 2026, the greenhouse has been built and has produced and sold agricultural goods during 2026, the draft proposes extending the maximum loan repayment period of eight years by six months, and, in addition to the existing 12-month grace period, providing an additional six-month grace period for both principal and interest payments,” Papoyan said.

He clarified that this applies to greenhouses for which the grace period has effectively already expired.

“We are proposing that these greenhouse farms will not pay principal and interest for the next six months, and this payment burden will be shifted to a later period. The government will continue to meet its obligations to banks,” the economy minister explained.

Papoyan specified that greenhouse operators can apply for these benefits until September 1 this year.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, commenting on the program, noted that monitoring shows the Armenian economy is demonstrating a fairly strong pace of adaptation.

“We want to encourage this adaptation through such programs, and this monitoring will continue,” Pashinyan said, urging businesses to take advantage of opportunities to access new markets.

The prime minister also once again called on businesses to take steps to bring product quality in line with standards, adding that products meeting standards will unquestionably receive state support.

Papoyan also reported that, for example, between June 1 and 17, flowers were exported from Armenia to Georgia, Uzbekistan, the UAE, Iran, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Latvia, Romania, the Czech Republic, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.

Ahead of the parliamentary elections held on June 7, Russia imposed restrictions and bans on the import of numerous Armenian goods, which remain in effect today. The move prompted exporters to look for new markets, including in the EU. The EU has since announced support measures. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, following a phone call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, announced immediate financial assistance of more than €50 million, along with other support measures to facilitate trade, including steps to expand export opportunities for Armenian goods.

Russia has cited phytosanitary violations as the reason for the ban, which has been widely viewed by the EU as “economic coercion.”

Armenia’s international reserves have reached a record-high level, Vice Governor of the Central Bank Armen Nurbekyan told lawmakers.

“We have a record-high level of reserves this year. It is already more than approximately $5.7 billion,” he said at a plenary session of parliament.

According to him, the Central Bank has purchased around $1.1 billion in foreign currency this year alone.

“Only this year, we have already purchased approximately $1.1 billion in foreign exchange,” Nurbekyan noted.

NATO agreed on Thursday to modernize its nuclear capabilities and strengthen ‌its nuclear planning capacity, the alliance’s senior body for nuclear deterrence said in a statement.

All NATO allies except France ⁠are members of the Nuclear Planning Group, which serves as a forum for consultation and decision-making on nuclear deterrence, Reuters reported.

Defense ministers taking part in the meeting “recalled that the strategic nuclear forces of ‌the ⁠Alliance remain the supreme guarantee of Allied security and underpin NATO’s extended deterrence architecture,” the statement ⁠said.

“NPG Ministers agreed to continue enhancing NATO’s nuclear deterrence mission by modernizing ⁠NATO’s nuclear capabilities, strengthening its nuclear planning capacity, and adapting ⁠to achieve its security interests,” the group said.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said during a meeting of NATO defense ministers that Europe should take responsibility for its own defense, while the United States will reassess its military presence in Europe over the next six months by conducting a corresponding review. The BBC reports that Hegseth also confirmed that the United States will reduce its participation in NATO Response Force units. The U.S. defense secretary once again stated that the United States wants Europe to invest more in its own defense and rely less on Americans. “Make no mistake, this will be a real review. It will be conducted in a way that allows Europe to play the leading role in assuming primary responsibility for its own defense,” Hegseth said.

The UK Ministry of Defence has announced that the United Kingdom will deliver 150,000 drones and 350 air defense missiles to Ukraine by the end of the year. RIA Novosti reports that the aid package for Kyiv will include, in particular, Martlet lightweight multirole missiles, LMM drones and ground-based radar systems. The total value of the assistance to be provided to Ukraine will amount to £752 million (nearly $1 billion). The package is part of the £2.26 billion loan announced by London in 2024. The United Kingdom is financing the assistance through profits generated from frozen Russian assets. The support package was announced by UK Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry Dan Jarvis during a meeting of NATO defence ministers and a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in the Ramstein format.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has expressed outrage that none of the defendants in criminal cases related to vote-buying during the 2021 snap parliamentary elections have received prison sentences, saying that this reflects a “crisis” in the criminal justice system.

“We need to understand on what grounds these cases were dismissed and why the defendants were not sentenced to imprisonment. Otherwise, it means that our criminal justice system is greenlighting those who distribute electoral bribes,” he said at a press briefing.

According to the Prime Minister, he will give a political assessment of the situation, while the legal assessment should be made by lawyers.

Pashinyan also recently stated that it will be a priority for him to ensure that by the time of the next general elections in 2026, all individuals involved in vote-buying cases are held accountable and imprisoned.

Throughout the campaign for the June 7 parliamentary elections in Armenia, as well as after the vote, law enforcement agencies have made multiple arrests and launched numerous criminal investigations into alleged vote-buying involving representatives of the “Strong Armenia” and “Armenia” alliances and the “Prosperous Armenia” party. The law enforcement agencies have been regularly releasing audio recordings obtained through surveillance, allegedly capturing suspects discussing vote-buying schemes.

The Armenian State University of Economics (ASUE) has achieved a major international milestone, becoming the first university in Armenia to have its educational program join the CFA Institute University Affiliation Program.

Following a comprehensive assessment conducted by the CFA Institute, ASUE’s Bachelor’s degree program in Finance has been recognized as significantly aligned with the CFA Program’s content, ensuring that students are well-prepared for further professional development in finance, investment, banking, and capital markets, ASUE said in a press release.

The CFA Institute highly commended the program’s alignment across several key areas, including professional ethics, quantitative methods, economics, financial statement analysis, corporate finance, equity and fixed-income investments, derivatives, and portfolio management. This affiliation enables ASUE to join the CFA Institute’s international network of partner universities, which comprises the world’s leading higher education institutions training finance and investment professionals.

“One of the most significant benefits of joining the University Affiliation Program is access to CFA Institute student scholarships. For 2026, ASUE has been allocated 3 CFA Program Student Scholarships, which provide students with the opportunity to participate in the CFA Program under privileged conditions and begin their journey toward one of the world’s most prestigious financial professional credentials, the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). The CFA Program Student Scholarship reduces the CFA exam registration fee to $600 and waives the one-time program enrollment fee, providing a benefit of approximately $1,000 for new candidates. In addition to scholarships, ASUE students will have access to CFA Institute educational resources, study materials, industry analyses, and opportunities offered by the international professional community. ASUE students who are interested in the CFA credential and wish to take advantage of the scholarship opportunities allocated to the university can apply here. Applications will be evaluated based on academic performance, motivation to participate in the CFA program, and vision for professional development,” the university said.

The CFA credential is considered one of the most prestigious professional certifications in finance and investment worldwide. ASUE’s membership in the CFA Institute University Affiliation Program demonstrates the university’s commitment to providing an education aligned with international standards and preparing competitive specialists for both the Armenian and international labour markets. This achievement is an important step toward implementing ASUE’s internationalisation strategy, continuously improving its educational programs, and creating new professional opportunities for students.

CFA Institute is the leading global association of investment professionals, setting the standards for professional excellence and ethical conduct in the financial industry. There are more than 200,000 CFA charterholders worldwide across 164 countries, and the CFA designation is widely regarded as the ultimate industry standard for investment and finance professionals.

Armenian Grandmaster Shant Sargsyan has defeated five-time World Chess Champion and FIDE’s top-ranked player, Magnus Carlsen, at the World Team Rapid Chess Championship in Hong Kong, the Armenian Chess Federation reported.

Armenia’s Sargsyan faced Carlsen in the seventh round of the championship and secured a victory over the Norwegian grandmaster.

Hong Kong is hosting the 2026 World Team Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships.

Sargsyan is ranked 74th in the FIDE world rankings as of June 2026.

Armenia has exported hundreds of tonnes of agricultural produce and nearly two million flowers so far this month, while exports of apricots have also begun, Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan said on Thursday amid efforts to diversify export markets.

Speaking at the Cabinet meeting, Papoyan said Armenia exported 411 tonnes of greenhouse-grown vegetables and strawberries, as well as around 1.8 million flowers, between June 1 and June 17.

By export volume, the main destinations were Georgia, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Latvia, Romania, the Czech Republic, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

According to Papoyan, exports of apricots have also begun.

“We have exported 162 tonnes of apricots. The first shipments were sent yesterday to Ukraine and Georgia,” the economy minister said.