ARMENIAN NEWS: BREAKING NEWS 28.06.2018

The National Assembly (NA) of Armenia may hold a special session by July 15, said Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting of the government.

PM Pashinyan said that they could make a respective proposal to convene a special session of parliament before July 15, when the NA will go on summer vacation.

“We had a conversation with the NA President on this topic,” he said. “And we have agreed that we can show such an initiative until July 15, if it’s substantiated that there is its pressing need.”

Nazik Amiryan, the wife of Armenian MP Mavel Grigoryan, turned herself in to police on Wednesday. Amiryan is suspected of acquisition and possession of weapons.

Her husband Manvel Grigoryan was detained on June 16 on suspicion of embezzlement and illegal acquisition and possession of weapons and ammunition.

The Azerbaijani side reports another large-scale drills from 2 to 6 July, Azerbaijani media reported referring to the Defense Ministry press service.

Commenting on the reports, spokesperson for Armenia Foreig Ministry Tigran Balayan said under Part 5 of the OSCE Vienna Document, Azerbaijan was obligated to notify about these exercises at least 42 days in advance; but this was not done. In his words, Azerbaijan’s holding of these maneuvers in violation of OSCE commitments is an ongoing trend, and it has a negative impact on regional military transparency and predictability.

Vachagan Ghazaryan, former deputy head of the State Protection Service of Armenia, was arrested on late Wednesday night. The Special Investigation Service (SIS) confirmed this information which Armenian News-NEWS.am had received.

Criminal charges were filed Wednesday against him, and for withholding—in his declarations submitted to the Commission on Ethics of High-Ranking Officials of Armenia—the information on the real amount of his money, as well as for getting enriched unlawfully.

The U.S President Donald Trump will meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, Fox News reported.

Earlier Trump said that they might meet in Finland after the NATO summit which is slated for June 11-12.

Two Azerbaijani MPs were among the PACE members who were deprived of the access to the Assembly for involvement in corruption and violation of ethical standards.

PACE published the report of the independent investigative body on allegations of corruption in the Assembly. The report includes the names of 29 deputies who were found guilty of violating ethical norms of an act of corruption, among them are Muslim Mammadov and Elkhan Suleymanov.