Armenian citizens have no reason to worry about the possible price increase of natural gas at the moment, because the existing supply agreement with Russia is valid at least until the end of the coming winter.

Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure during the briefing held in the National Assembly on June 11 Davit Khudatyan assured that the possibility of gas price changes in the near future is excluded due to the existing contract. At the same time, the head of the department did not specify what price policy will be in effect after the winter, when the agreement expires.

According to the minister, the Russian side has no reason to unilaterally terminate the contract. He assured that Yerevan receives the energy carrier according to the approved schedule and agreed price, and the working relations with the partners remain in the normal course.

Khudatyan urged not to artificially create the impression that Armenia is more interested in increasing the gas price, adding that the authorities manage all possible risks, and the real picture is much more stable than in public perceptions.

These statements of the Armenian official follow the last warnings from Moscow.

Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation at the end of May Dmitry Peskov stated that in case of Armenia leaving the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and moving towards other economic blocs like the European Union, Russia will stop granting privileges and sell gas to Armenia exclusively at market prices.

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The Chairman of the RA State Revenue Committee Eduard Hakobyan clarified the nature of the tax charge brought against the leader of the “Prosperous Armenia” party Gagik Tsarukyan, also referring to the political context of the activation of the legal process in the post-election period.

In the briefing held after the government session on June 11, the SRC chairman informed that the criminal case initiated against Tsarukyan refers to the concealment of particularly large amounts of taxes in the field of diesel fuel import and sale. Eduard Hakobyan According to him, the investigated episodes cover the period of 2019 or 2024, but the actual criminal case was initiated a long time ago.

According to him, now the Investigative Committee has just reached a milestone, when an objective need to charge has arisen. On June 9, it became officially known about the initiation of public criminal prosecution against the PAP leader.

To the journalists’ question whether the indictment immediately after the parliamentary elections is a coincidence and whether it is related to the prime minister during the pre-election campaign Nikol Pashinyan with the warnings issued, the head of SRC noted that it is difficult to consider it a coincidence.

Hakobyan explained that the head of the government is naturally aware of the current legal processes, therefore, when making similar statements, he relies on the available factual data, which makes these campaign emphasis completely logical.

Let’s remind that earlier information was spread in the Armenian media that it was against the background of criminal prosecution Gagik Tsarukyan tried to leave the country. Speaker of the “Prosperous Armenia” party Iveta Tonoyan categorically denied these rumors, describing them as news speculation. According to his explanation, the leader of the party had previously planned a two-day short trip with the lady, exclusively for personal and family purposes.

According to Tonoyan, at the passport control point of the airport, when the employees informed about the need to clarify some circumstances, the politician, in order to avoid unnecessary comments, voluntarily refused to leave and returned home. This incident took place in the context of the criminal case initiated against Tsarukyan and the establishment of an official ban on his absence from the country by law enforcement agencies.

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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced at the briefing after the government session that without mass bribing of the voters, none of these political forces would have been able to overcome the passing threshold of the parliamentary elections.

On June 11, the head of the government also severely criticized the judicial system for years of inaction regarding election violations.

In his speech at the briefing, the Prime Minister expressed his belief that the electoral success of certain forces is due exclusively to illegal financial interventions. Pashinyan placed a significant part of the responsibility for the created situation on the judicial system of the country.

According to him, the persons who organized the distribution of electoral bribes during the previous elections not only did not end up in prison, but also continued their criminal activities unimpeded during the completed election process.

The prime minister has publicly questioned the appropriateness of state funding of law enforcement and judicial bodies when criminals are free to roam the streets and commit repeat crimes.

Pashinyan emphasized that the public has the right to know the truth and promised to personally achieve clear clarifications from the responsible courts regarding the inaction of the judiciary.

According to the results of the June 7 parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s “Civil Contract” party retained power in Armenia, but failed to obtain a constitutional majority.

The formally ruling “Civil Agreement” party did not pass the 50 percent threshold (49.81%) according to the voting results, but the peculiarities of the national legislation still allow it to form a one-man government. This is due to the redistribution of the votes received by the forces that did not manage to overcome the threshold of passing to the parliament (4% for parties and 8% for alliances).

Apart from him, although with a large margin, the opposition “Hzor Armenia” (23.29%) and “Hazor Armenia” (9.94%) blocs are confidently entering the highest legislative body. As for the “Prosperous Armenia” party with 4% of the votes it received, it fluctuates on the borderline of the transient threshold, and its final appearance in the parliament is still under question.

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On June 10, criminal proceedings were initiated in connection with the death of the officer of the Ministry of Defense N.A., a preliminary investigation is being conducted. This is reported by the Investigative Committee.

Earlier, the media reported that an officer died yesterday during tank exercises at the Baghramyan military training ground.

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Edgar Chatoyan, the director of Arpi Trpanchyan secondary school in Orgov village of Ashtarak, gave details of the incident of giving drugs to a 12-year-old student through sweets on May 29, NEWS.am reports.

“On May 29, an excursion took place, 21 students accompanied by 7 teachers went to the nursery of the APT charity company in the village of Karin. The excursion was legal, on my order, permission was given, it went normally. At approximately 17:15, the children returned from the excursion. The child went home accompanied by his parents. Students of the 5th-8th grade took part in the excursion.

At 21:50, the parent called the principal and said that the child was not feeling well, and the next day, I think, he was taken to the hospital. As of yesterday, the child is at home, his condition is good. At the moment, the most important thing is the child’s health. Thank God, at the moment the child’s condition is assessed as good. I hope that the case will be revealed very quickly,” he said.

Referring to the giving of drugs to the child, the school director said that they do not have any information about it. “The case is being investigated by law enforcement agencies. There has never been such a story in our settlement before. Even the school did not fall into any unpleasant history.

When I learned that there is such a situation, I invited all the teachers to understand and discuss. Since the company is charitable, all the children were treated with sweets. Lavash, cheese, cucumbers were served. If there was, it could not affect only one child. I will refrain from asserting any hypothesis. But I can say that all the children were under supervision.

To the question, maybe other people approached the children during the excursion, the director responded. “During that excursion, the company accepts the students of one school, sends them on their way, and accepts the children of the other school, that is, contact with other children is excluded.

He took the transport, which belonged to the charity fund, and brought it back after the excursion. Three of the 7 teachers, who are from other villages, got off the bus on the way, near their village, but the other teachers were with the children.

It would be disobedience not to stand by the parent’s side. We are all in contact with parents, we are also in personal contact. It is a very good family, working, suffering. The father works, the mother is a housewife, the children are normal children. That child has a brother, he studies in the same school, he was transferred to the 4th grade, there is also a small child at home.”

Edgar Chatoyan answered the question: do the child’s relatives blame the school? “There were some conversations, but a person can say one thing in an emotional state, and something completely different when he has sobered up a bit. And in order not to harm the child, we did not enter into unnecessary discussions. It would be wrong for us to react to emotional words. At this moment, that family needs support, not conversation. It will not relieve the created situation.” He also informed that the teachers were invited for questioning, but not him.

It should be noted that the child’s relatives stated that they are not able to answer other questions at the moment, they expect the law enforcement officers to conduct an effective investigation and find out all the circumstances of the incident. Relatives said they had no other details.

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In the second and third readings, the State Duma adopted a bill that multiplies the state fees for migration services.

The fee for formalizing Russian citizenship and leaving citizenship has increased 12 times, from 4,200 to 50,000 rubles.

The fee for formulating the status of residence in the Russian Federation has increased five times (from 6 thousand to 30 thousand rubles), and for issuing a temporary residence permit – eight times (from 1900 to 15 thousand rubles).

The fee for attracting foreigners to work has also increased, due to which the amount for one person is now about 15 thousand rubles.

The initiator of the fee increase was the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation. State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin explained that in this way the authorities want to “influence the level of arrivals”. “It should be a well-established and accomplished person,” he said, describing how the State Duma imagines the desired migrants.

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The RA Investigative Committee submitted a petition to the court regarding the application of detention as a preventive measure against the former chairman of the SRC, Gagik Khachatryan, but the court rejected it. This was reported by the Investigative Committee, adding that the court, however, rejected the petition.

It should be noted that a few days ago, the CC announced that for abusing official authority, aiding it, laundering particularly large amounts of money by the group and aiding them, criminal prosecution was initiated against 7 persons under the relevant articles of the RA Criminal Code: Armen Ashotyan, who held the position of RA Minister of Education and Science in 2009-2016, Gagik Khachatryan, who held the position of RA Minister of Finance, the latter’s son, Artyom Khachatryan, “Yerevan V. Brusov State University of Linguistics and Social Sciences” against Artur Avagyan, former vice-rector of the SNOC, Vigen Sargsyan, former chairman of the SNOC management board, Gayane Gasparyan, former rector of the same SNOC, as well as Harutyun Tadevosyan (former owner of “Yerevan-mall”) related to the latter.

The case is related to the illegal expropriation of property worth 208 million drams, money laundering proceedings of Brusov University. Decisions have been made to arrest the accused who are at large for trial.

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As I have been receiving non-stop calls from various media colleagues asking me to comment on the statements and accusations made by Nikol Pashinyan, I have to respond.  PAP spokesperson Iveta Tonoyan wrote about this on her Facebook page, responding to Nikol Pashinyan’s statements about PAP leader Gagik Tsarukyan in a briefing after the government session.

In particular, he noted: “Unfortunately, recently in the Republic of Armenia, such an unhealthy atmosphere has been formed, where everyone can say or write what they want without feeling responsible. However, it is at least strange and unacceptable when this practice is adopted by the country’s prime minister.

At a time when the PAP and other political forces are busy with the processes of disputing election results, recounts and protecting the vote of every citizen, trying to restore justice, the country’s prime minister brings incomprehensible labels and assessments to the public agenda.

After all, what is there to deny?։

The expression about giving Stoika, the conversation about going to a deal with the government, which someone put into circulation the day before and I have already denied it, but today it has already reached the discussion during the Prime Minister’s briefing. PAP President Gagik Tsarukyan’s connections with the outside world, about which the whole world is aware? Yes, we have wide and open international cooperation, and we have never hidden it. Our partnership relations, official meetings and mutual visits with the United Russia Party of the Russian Federation have been publicly presented many times.

PAP is a member of the family of conservatives and reformists in Europe, implementing various programs and mutual visits. We have very good relations with a number of political, social and business circles of the Arab world, which everyone is aware of. We have partnership ties and cooperation programs with various influential US circles, which we have also talked about publicly.

Now, in the end, what should I deny or comment on?”

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