Latest news with #Yerevan
Russia Today
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Armenia hints it may leave Russian-led military alliance
Armenia will likely quit the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said. Yerevan suspended its participation in the organization a year ago, claiming that it had failed to adequately support the country during its conflict with Azerbaijan, which ended with the forcible repatriation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Russia and Armenia were among the former Soviet republics which founded the CSTO in 1992; it also includes Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Russia has argued that the CSTO could not have considered Baku's military operation in the area as aggression against an alliance member, due to Armenia never recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh as its own territory. Moscow also pointed out Yerevan's repeated rejection of the territorial compromise proposals with Baku which were suggested by Russian authorities. Pashinyan said during a press conference on Wednesday that 'regarding the issue of leaving or not leaving the CSTO, I will say that it is most likely that Armenia will leave the CSTO rather than unfreeze its participation.' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said previously that being in the alliance is a 'sovereign decision' for Yerevan to make. 'The membership in the CSTO brings certain benefits to Armenia… the CSTO is an organization that has repeatedly demonstrated its efficiency,' he argued. Yerevan has become increasingly pro-Western under Pashinyan; during the press-conference, the prime minister reiterated that 'Armenia wants to be a member of the EU,' reflecting a law signed earlier this year indicating this intention. However, he acknowledged that it will be 'a complicated process' as the country would need to meet certain standards and get approval from all member states. Tensions have been high in Armenia in recent weeks following the arrest of two senior clerics of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) and one of its key supporters, Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan. They have been accused of plotting to overthrow Pashinyan's government after urging people to protest the prime minister's decision to hand over several border villages to Azerbaijan. Peskov said last month that Moscow was 'interested in the preservation of law and order in Armenia' and that members of the large Armenian diaspora in Russia have been following the events in the country 'with pain.'
Free Malaysia Today
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Armenia detains 7 opposition figures on suspicion of terrorism
Prime minister Nikol Pashinyan has brought Armenia closer to the west. (Sputnik/Kremlin/EPA Images pic) YEREVAN : Police in Armenia arrested seven people associated with a pro-Russian opposition party on suspicion of terrorism following a slew of raids on their homes today amid a wider government crackdown ahead of parliamentary elections. The people are affiliated with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), also known as Dashnaktsutyun, a group part of the pro-Russian parliamentary coalition headed by Robert Kocharyan, a former president of the South Caucasus country. Armenia's investigative committee said police had arrested seven individuals and charged one of them with preparing a terrorist act. Reuters was not able to determine the identities of all seven of the people. ARF said in a statement that raids were ongoing at several MPs' homes as of early this morning and that at least one politician and the son of another had been arrested. Today's arrests follow criminal indictments levied earlier this week against three politicians of the Armenia Alliance, the larger umbrella coalition of which the Armenian Revolutionary Federation is a part. Opposition groups have decried the investigations as politically motivated. The arrests come on the same day as a meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Abu Dhabi, where the two are working to finalise a peace agreement to end nearly four decades of conflict. Pashinyan, who swept to power during street protests in 2018, has brought Armenia closer to the west and distanced the country from traditional ally Russia. But recent weeks have seen a widespread clampdown on Pashinyan's political rivals and critics, including opposition figures, a leading Christian cleric and a former president. Several prominent figures in Armenia, including the cleric, archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, are accused of orchestrating a coup to usurp power, something they deny.
Reuters
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Armenian police detain seven opposition figures on suspicion of terrorism
July 10 (Reuters) - Police in Armenia arrested seven people associated with a pro-Russian opposition party on suspicion of terrorism following a slew of raids on their homes on Thursday amid a wider government crackdown ahead of parliamentary elections. The people are affiliated with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), also known as Dashnaktsutyun, a group part of the pro-Russian parliamentary coalition headed by Robert Kocharyan, a former president of the South Caucasus country. Armenia's Investigative Committee said police had arrested seven individuals and charged one of them with preparing a terrorist act. Reuters was not able to determine the identities of all seven of the people. ARF said in a statement that raids were ongoing at several MPs' homes as of early Thursday morning and that at least one politician and the son of another had been arrested. Thursday's arrests follow criminal indictments levied earlier this week against three politicians of the Armenia Alliance, the larger umbrella coalition of which the Armenian Revolutionary Federation is a part. Opposition groups have decried the investigations as politically motivated. The arrests come on the same day as a meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Abu Dhabi, where the two are working to finalise a peace agreement to end nearly four decades of conflict. Pashinyan, who swept to power during street protests in 2018, has brought Armenia closer to the West and distanced the country from traditional ally Russia. But recent weeks have seen a widespread clampdown on Pashinyan's political rivals and critics, including opposition figures, a leading Christian cleric and a former president. Several prominent figures in Armenia, including the cleric, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, are accused of orchestrating a coup to usurp power, something they deny.
Al Arabiya
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Armenian police arrest seven opposition figures on suspicion of terrorism
Police in Armenia arrested seven people associated with a pro-Russian opposition party on suspicion of terrorism following a slew of raids on their homes on Thursday amid a wider government crackdown ahead of parliamentary elections. The people are affiliated with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), also known as Dashnaktsutyun, a group part of the pro-Russian parliamentary coalition headed by Robert Kocharyan, a former president of the South Caucasus country. Armenia's Investigative Committee said police had arrested seven individuals and charged one of them with preparing a terrorist act. Reuters was not able to determine the identities of all seven of the people. ARF said in a statement that raids were ongoing at several MPs' homes as of early Thursday morning and that at least one politician and the son of another had been arrested. Thursday's arrests follow criminal indictments levied earlier this week against three politicians of the Armenia Alliance, the larger umbrella coalition of which the Armenian Revolutionary Federation is a part. Opposition groups have decried the investigations as politically motivated. The arrests come on the same day as a meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Abu Dhabi, where the two are working to finalize a peace agreement to end nearly four decades of conflict. Pashinyan, who swept to power during street protests in 2018, has brought Armenia closer to the West and distanced the country from traditional ally Russia. But recent weeks have seen a widespread clampdown on Pashinyan's political rivals and critics, including opposition figures, a leading Christian cleric and a former president. Several prominent figures in Armenia, including the cleric, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, are accused of orchestrating a coup to usurp power, something they deny.
Russia Today
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Armenian opposition lawmaker arrested
An Armenian court on Wednesday ordered the arrest of opposition lawmaker Artur Sarkisyan on charges of participating in a conspiracy to stage a violent coup. The move is seen as part of a broader crackdown by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's government against his critics. Sarkisyan, a member of the nationalist Dashnaktsutyun party, was placed in pretrial detention for two months, one day after the parliament revoked his legal immunity. He dismissed the allegations as a mischaracterization of his involvement in recent mass anti-government protests. Since 2024, the Caucasus country has witnessed a wave of demonstrations largely connected to the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC). Protesters have accused the Pashinyan government of compromising national interests in its dealings with neighboring Azerbaijan, a longtime rival. Authorities recently detained two AAC bishops and businessman Samvel Karapetyan, accusing them of orchestrating the alleged coup plot. The government has also moved to nationalize Karapetyan's energy assets. On Thursday, law enforcement reportedly searched multiple properties linked to Dashnaktsutyun figures, detaining Arsen Martoyan, head of the party's Yerevan city committee, along with the son of another opposition MP, Gegam Manukyan. The Kremlin has called the unrest in Armenia a domestic issue and has said Russia should not get involved. Moscow has offered legal support to Karapetyan, a dual Russian citizen, if he requests it. This week, an appeals court upheld Karapetyan's pretrial detention, originally imposed in mid-July. Pashinyan came to power following a wave of anti-government protests in 2018 that pressured his predecessor, Serzh Sargsyan, to resign. His current term as prime minister is set to expire next summer, when Armenians are scheduled to vote in parliamentary elections.
