April 17, 2026
Leader of the “Strong Armenia” party, businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan paid an unprecedented amount of bail. more than 10 million dollars. This was announced by Karapetyan’s lawyer Aram Vardevanyan during the session at the RA Anti-Corruption Court.
Let us remind that in 2025 on December 30, the court changed the businessman’s restraining order and the detention was replaced by bail and house arrest. However, the amount of the bail was not known.
“The amount of the bail is unprecedented in the history of Armenia… 4 billion drams (approximately 10.6 million dollars),” said the lawyer.
It should be noted that at the moment, the court session in the case of changing Samvel Karapetyan’s restraining order to house arrest is underway in the RA Anti-Corruption Court.
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“Hundreds of thousands of citizens will vote for the opposition on June 7.
April 17, 2026
Eduard Sharmazanov wrote: “It is the height of insolence when the country’s ruler calls hundreds of thousands of RA citizens who did not elect him “dogs and shangyals”.
The “bastion of democracy” of Nikolism is reaching new heights.
Sensing the fiasco awaiting him, Pashinyan notes: “I can’t believe it, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, if I say now, you know what, if Strong Armenia, the Armenia Alliance, the strong RPA, the Armenia Alliance and the PAP can pass to the parliament, then I will cross my mind that there are so many dogs and scumbags in the Republic of Armenia that I can vote for them.”
Do you understand… the person holding the position of RA Prime Minister literally calls RA citizens who vote for the opposition “dogs and dogs”.
The capitulant is following the path of his “educated and constructive partner” Aliyev.
Aliyev called the Armenians of the world fascists and enemies, Nikol called the citizens who voted for the opposition “dogs and shangyal”.
Hundreds of thousands of citizens will vote for the opposition on June 7. Who are you to call a citizen of Armenia a “dog and shangyal”?
Time will put everyone in their place.
The day will come and the good will come, we will see who is “dog and shangyal””.
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It is interesting: when will the Armenian opposition eventually come out of the CP formation?
April 17, 2026
Vahe Davtyan, doctor of political sciences, professor, energy security specialist, writes: “It is interesting: when will the Armenian opposition finally leave the boundaries of the narratives created by the CP?”
Criticism is undoubtedly necessary. However, remaining within the framework of the previously given agenda, it inevitably reproduces the authors of that agenda. Without its own independent Project, such criticism turns into a form of political reproduction of the authorities. It does not destroy the dominant discourse, but only ensures its continuous circulation.
In this sense, the opposition is increasingly resembling a significant part of the expert community of the post-Soviet area, endlessly interpreting events and statements without integrating them into a single worldview.
The problem, therefore, is not the lack of facts or arguments, but the inability to go beyond the meta-level of analysis. In this case, the meta-level of politics, where not reactions, but meanings and directions are formed.
The consequence of this is the gradual erosion of the political process. Politics is reduced to the level of everyday, almost domestic debate, losing its strategic dimension and ability to project the future.
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We will have a strong Armenia very soon. Samvel Karapetyan spoke
April 17, 2026
There will be changes, very soon we will have a strong Armenia, Samvel Karapetyan, leader of the “Strong Armenia” party, said this in the courtroom.
“Lawyer Vardevanyan presented all the illegalities that exist in these accusations, so I have nothing to add in that regard. I just want to record that all the illegalities of our legal system, I am sure, are directed against me, against all the members of our team, in order to try to stop the dream of our people to have a strong Armenia. But I assure you, they will not succeed, everything is moving forward. There will be changes, very soon we will have a strong Armenia,” said Samvel Karapetyan.
To remind, the issue of Samvel Karapetyan’s restraining order is being examined in the court today.
Karapetyan’s defense attorney Aram Vardevanyan lobbied to abolish the house arrest applied to him, proposing to increase the amount of bail already set. According to the lawyer, Karapetyan is ready to pay about 400 million drams in addition to 4 billion drams, noting that no violations have been recorded in the last 10 months.
It should be noted that, parallel to the court session, Karapetyan’s supporters are holding an action in the court yard, demanding his release.
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The Strait of Hormuz is open to all commercial ships. Foreign Ministry of Iran
April 17, 2026
The Strait of Hormuz is open, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced.
This decision is valid during the period of the ceasefire in Lebanon.
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Hybrid attacks on Armenia by two supposedly rival hacking groups
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‘Hint of discontent’: Armenia’s foreign minister skips Antalya diplomatic for
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Jerusalem and Armenian Patriarchates stress unity for the protection of Christ
On April 16, 2026, during Bright Week, the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre, led by Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, visited the Armenian Brotherhood at the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem on the occasion of their Paschal celebrations.
During the visit, Patriarch Theophilos III and Nourhan Manougian exchanged official greetings, emphasizing the importance of continued cooperation between the Churches.
In their remarks, both leaders highlighted the need for unity in addressing ongoing challenges, particularly in safeguarding the pilgrimage status of the Holy Places and ensuring the protection of Christians in the region. They stressed that collaboration among Christian communities remains essential for preserving their presence and rights in the Holy Land.
Special reference was made to the recent difficulties caused by war, which has temporarily subsided following a ceasefire. The Churches, they noted, continue to pray for the preservation of peace, drawing strength and hope from the light of the Risen Christ.
The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of the Christian Churches in Jerusalem to stand together in defense of their faithful and their sacred heritage.
Source: Patriarchate of Jerusalem
https://orthodoxtimes.com/jerusalem-and-armenian-patriarchates-stress-unity-for-the-protection-of-christians-in-the-holy-land/
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Yerevan says release of Armenian prisoners key to ‘genuine reconciliation’ wit
Armenian Parliamentary Speaker Alen Simonyan has said that the release of Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan and clarification of the fate of missing people should be achieved in order to ‘achieve genuine reconciliation’.
The remark was made at the Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Istanbul, Turkey.
Azerbaijan has officially acknowledged holding 19 Armenian detainees, including former political and military leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh, who are serving sentences on various charges.
In January, Azerbaijan handed over four Armenian prisoners. Following the release, Azerbaijani government sources communicated to pro-government media that there was ‘no possibility’ that former Nagorno-Karabakh leaders and ‘individuals who committed crimes against the Azerbaijani people’ would be released.
As for missing persons, Armenia has around 1,000 people unaccounted for since the conflict with Azerbaijan began in the late 1980s,, while Azerbaijan reports approximately 4,000 missing. In June 2025, Armenia and Azerbaijan’s commissions on missing persons held a meeting.
Simonyan’s Thursday speech focused heavily on the peace process, stating that ‘after decades of suspicion and ill will, a new era of confidence-building has dawned’ on Armenia and Azerbaijan.
He highlighted progress on regional connectivity, particularly the Trump Route (TRIPP), describing it as a ‘milestone’ with the ‘potential to promote stability, economic cooperation, and prosperity across the South Caucasus and beyond’.
Simonyan also pointed to the start of limited trade between Armenia and Azerbaijan in late 2025 — the first since the early 1990s — calling it an ‘encouraging sign of normalisation’.
Referring to the Washington summit in August 2025, where a peace treaty was initialled and an agreement on the Trump Route was reached, Simonyan said that ‘peace has prevailed in our region, marking a truly monumental achievement’.
He added that Armenia’s vision ‘is grander’ and included inviting Turkey to take part in regional peace efforts.
‘To this end, we are eager to deepen our relationship with Türkiye’, Simonyan said.
Armenia and Turkey have been engaged in a renewed normalisation process since 2022, including meetings of special envoys on normalisation at their shared border and in their respective capitals. However, diplomatic relations have not yet been established, and the land border remains closed.
In 2022, the sides agreed to allow third-country nationals and diplomats to cross the land border, but Turkey has since stated progress in the Armenia–Azerbaijan peace process is a precondition for further achievements in the normalisation process with Armenia. Turkey originally closed the border in 1993 during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.
This year, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Special Envoy Ruben Rubinyan will sit out the Antalya Diplomacy Forum taking place 17-19 April, in which they have participated since 2022. Instead, Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan is expected to represent Armenia.
The Foreign Ministry has declined to comment on the decision in response to media inquiries. While Rubinyan, attending the forum in 2025, met his Turkish counterpart Serdar Kilic during the event.
On the sidelines of the IPU assembly, Simonyan also met with Azerbaijani Parliamentary Speaker Sahiba Gafarova. According to the Armenian readout, the sides ‘stressed the importance of continuing constructive parliamentary dialogue to further strengthen trust between the two societies’.
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Turkish Press: Armenia says it is ready to open border with Türkiye, awaits An
April 17 2026
Armenia says it is ready to open border with Türkiye, awaits Ankara’s move
Armenia is politically and technically ready to open its border with Türkiye at any time, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan said, but added that the next step now depends on the Turkish side.
The normalization process between the two countries remains stalled on the ground despite recent diplomatic momentum.
Speaking to CNN TURK during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Kostanyan said the current focus is on the Alican border gate, while technical work also continues on reopening railway links between the two neighbors.
“We are politically and technically ready to open the border at any moment,” Kostanyan said. “However, I think this question should be directed to the Turkish side.”
Kostanyan said Armenia and Türkiye had already agreed since 2022 to open the border for diplomatic passport holders and third-country nationals, and that both sides had repeatedly reaffirmed that understanding.
He said Armenia now expects those agreements to be implemented in practice.
Armenia says normalization progress hasn’t yet changed ground reality
Kostanyan said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s official visit to Türkiye on June 20 gave new momentum to the relationship.
He described it as a historic visit and said it was the first official prime minister-level visit from Armenia to Türkiye with a bilateral agenda since Armenia’s independence.
But he said that despite that political progress, the situation on the ground in Armenia-Türkiye relations remains unchanged.
“Unfortunately, Armenia-Türkiye relations on the ground are still in the same condition as one, two, three years ago,” he said.
He said Türkiye’s completion of infrastructure work had been important, but added that Armenia is now waiting for implementation in the field.
Alican border gate prioritized as railway work continues
Asked whether Alican and Akyaka could open at the same time, Kostanyan said the current discussion is focused on Alican.
He added that technical experts from both sides met last year to discuss the possibility of reopening railway links, and that expert groups are continuing their work and are expected to meet again in the near future.
Kostanyan said the worsening regional security environment should serve as an added motivation for Armenia and Türkiye to open the border.
“This should strengthen stability in the region,” he said.
He also noted that the border, closed since 1993, has occasionally opened for humanitarian purposes, including after the earthquake, when it was used for search and rescue teams and aid deliveries to Türkiye and Syria.
He said the border has too often opened only in times of crisis and argued that it should be fully open in times of prosperity as well.
Iran war and Hormuz crisis raise urgency of border opening
Kostanyan linked the importance of the Armenia-Türkiye border directly to the regional fallout from the war involving Iran.
He said Armenia has not yet faced major immediate difficulties because of the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. blockade, despite its large trade volume with Iran.
But he warned that over the longer term, the consequences could affect the whole region, including both Armenia and Türkiye.
“For this reason, in this context, the opening of the border between Armenia and Türkiye is very important,” he said. “This could be an important gain for both countries and a very important factor for stability not only in the South Caucasus but in the wider region.”
Asked about Iran’s warning that it could halt maritime trade in the Gulf and Red Sea if the blockade continues, Kostanyan said such developments would create turbulence not only for the region but on a global scale.
He said Armenia hopes negotiations between the parties will produce positive results.
Armenia says diplomacy is only way forward
Addressing the broader regional crisis, Kostanyan emphasized that stability remains critical for Armenia’s national interests.
He characterized the United States as a strategic partner while identifying Iran as another vital collaborator for the nation. Regarding ongoing regional tensions, Kostanyan expressed Armenia’s hope that all parties can reach a final agreement, maintaining that diplomacy is the sole path forward.
“We believe that the only way to overcome differences is through a diplomatic solution,” he affirmed. He further noted that Armenia appreciates international efforts to bring opposing sides together to seek resolutions for long-standing and complex issues.
Border opening seen as economic and logistics opportunity
Kostanyan said direct trade, tourism and connectivity could create major opportunities for the region.
He said new economic and logistical networks stretching between Europe, Central Asia and China could be important for regional development.
He also referred to the project he called TRIPP, or “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity,” saying that agreed terminology should be preserved.
According to Kostanyan, the agreements reached in Washington on Aug. 8 are important and backed by the U.S., and all sides need to remain committed to that peace declaration.
He said the two key elements of that declaration are inclusiveness and preserving the agreed terminology.
Armenia says no legal obstacle to peace deal with Azerbaijan
Turning to Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, Kostanyan said he sees no legal obstacle to signing the agreed peace treaty between the two countries.
He said constitutional questions are an internal Armenian matter.
“Since 2018, discussions on a new constitution have continued, and the government plans to publish the draft text soon,” he said.
He also said the upcoming June 7 parliamentary election in Armenia will be the first election held in a period of peace with Azerbaijan, and described that as notable given the deterioration in the wider regional security environment.
Kostanyan said relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan are moving in a positive direction and that the calm border carries symbolic and practical importance.
He also said it was meaningful that the foreign ministers of the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to peace when the developments around Iran began.
Armenia says transport opening already agreed
On the issue of the Zangezur corridor, which he referred to by its new name, the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity,” Kostanyan said he does not view it as a demand because an agreement had already been reached on Aug. 8.
He said both Armenia and Azerbaijan attach great importance to reopening communication lines and that the process is drawing interest from Türkiye, the broader region and global actors.
He added that Armenia is working with the United States on implementation and said a joint Armenian-American initiative is planned.
According to Kostanyan, the implementation framework was adopted on Jan. 13, feasibility studies are underway, a U.S. company has taken on the process, financing work is continuing, and presentations for international investors are expected soon.
Armenia says it is ready for diplomatic ties and ambassadors
Asked when diplomatic relations with Türkiye would be formally established and when ambassadors might be appointed, Kostanyan said Armenia is ready.
He said if the matter depended only on Armenia, the process could have been completed even yesterday.
“If it depended only on Armenia, this process could have been completed even yesterday,” he said.
He added that Armenia is determined to achieve full normalization with Türkiye and said that many names would be ready to seek an ambassadorial role once diplomatic relations are established.
For now, he said, normalization must move forward as a two-sided process.
https://www.turkiyetoday.com/region/armenia-says-it-is-ready-to-open-border-with-turkiye-awaits-ankaras-move-3218272
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