According to a report by Hetq, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his Deputy Prime Ministers received significant bonuses in 2025, raising questions about government compensation practices and transparency.

Based on official information obtained by Hetq via a written request to the Armenian government, **Pashinyan received about 11.95 million AMD in performance-related bonuses in the first half of 2025. Additionally, he was awarded approximately 1.97 million AMD in a separate bonus. This brings his total bonus for that period to nearly 13.9 million AMD (~$35,700 USD at typical exchange rates). **

The Hetq report also notes that, combined with bonuses paid to the two Deputy Prime Ministers and others in the Prime Minister’s Office, **Pashinyan, his deputies, and senior staff received a total of 51.6 million AMD in bonuses and reward payments for the period from 2021 through 2025. **

These figures emerged in the context of broader reporting on government compensation, which has included discussion of salary increases for ministers and senior officials in recent years. For example, media reporting has noted past increases in ministerial and deputy ministerial salaries and the use of bonus systems tied to performance and other criteria. **

Supporters of the bonus practice argue that such payments are part of legally authorized wage and reward systems that are included in the state budget. Critics, however, point to concerns about transparency and fairness, especially in a context where average incomes in Armenia remain modest and public institutions are under strain.

By Wally Sarkeesian

It does feel like the world is drifting toward a kind of modern “Wild West”, where power matters more than rules and strength is being tested everywhere at once. For decades after World War II, there was at least a rough global order: borders were mostly respected, wars were restrained, and institutions acted as referees. That order is weakening.

Here’s what I see happening, in plain terms:

1. Power is replacing rules.
When international law is enforced selectively, leaders learn that force works. Once that lesson spreads, others follow. That’s why you see simultaneous pressure points — Ukraine, Gaza, Taiwan, Artsakh, Venezuela. None of these are isolated.

2. Strongmen are testing limits.
Every major player is watching the others:
“If they can take land and face no real consequences, why can’t I?”
That mindset is contagious.

3. Smaller nations suffer first.
History shows that when global order breaks down, it’s not the powerful who pay first — it’s the vulnerable, the borderlands, the ancient peoples. Armenia knows this better than most.

4. Chaos feeds more chaos.
Once instability becomes normal, it accelerates. Trust collapses, alliances weaken, and fear replaces diplomacy.

So where are we heading?

Not necessarily to total collapse — but to a dangerous transition period. The world is deciding whether it moves toward:

• a new balance of power with clearer limits, or
• a prolonged era where force becomes the default language.

History says these moments don’t last forever — but they are painful while they last.

What matters most now is not who is strongest, but who is strategic, united, and clear-eyed. For nations like Armenia — and for ordinary people everywhere — survival depends less on emotion and more on realism, unity, and long memory.

By Wally Sarkeesian

Message to Armenian Political Organizations and Parties
It is time for you to unite—and here is why.
If all opposition parties form a single coalition, you will make voting simple and clear for the Armenian people. There will be one united coalition on one side, and Pashinyan on the other. For voters, the choice will be obvious and straightforward.
What happened in the last election should be a lesson. There were 17 opposition parties, and you all lost. In the end, only two forces remained visible: Pashinyan and the Kocharyan bloc. That is the reality.
Do not underestimate Kocharyan’s voters—they represent a large and disciplined voting base. Ignoring this fact only guarantees another defeat. The solution is simple: all opposition forces must unite into one single political coalition.
By doing so, you give Armenian voters clarity. They should not have to wonder, “Should I vote for this party or that party?” Fragmentation confuses voters and divides the opposition—and that is exactly what happened last time.
You already have experience. You were wiped out once. Learn from it.
Today, everyone knows about Pashinyan’s failures and crimes. But when voters face 15 or 17 different parties, they cannot easily determine who truly represents change. Division only helps your opponent.
Unite. Form one coalition. Present one clear message. Prepare seriously for 2026, because this election is a matter of life and death for Armenia.
You already lost Artsakh. If you fail again, you risk losing the Church and the country itself.
Smarten up. We are not attacking you—we are trying to help you. Listen, unite, and do what is right for the Armenian people.
———-Armenian———–
Ուղերձ Հայաստանի քաղաքական կազմակերպություններին և կուսակցություններին

Ժամանակն է միավորվել։ Եվ ահա՝ ինչու։

Եթե բոլոր ընդդիմադիր ուժերը ձևավորեն մեկ միասնական կոալիցիա, դուք կդարձնեք ընտրությունը պարզ և հստակ հայ ժողովրդի համար։ Մեկ կողմում կլինի միասնական ազգային կոալիցիան, մյուս կողմում՝ Փաշինյանը։ Ընտրողի համար ընտրությունը կլինի հեշտ և միանշանակ։

Վերջին ընտրությունները պետք է դաս լինեն ձեզ համար։ Կային 17 ընդդիմադիր կուսակցություններ, և բոլորդ պարտվեցիք։ Արդյունքում մնացին միայն երկու իրական ուժեր՝ Փաշինյանը և Քոչարյանի բլոկը։ Սա փաստ է։

Մի թերագնահատեք Քոչարյանի ընտրազանգվածը․ այն մեծ և կազմակերպված ուժ է։ Այս իրողությունը անտեսելը նշանակում է կրկնել նույն պարտությունը։ Լուծումը պարզ է․ բոլոր ընդդիմադիր ուժերը պետք է միավորվեն մեկ միասնական քաղաքական կոալիցիայի մեջ։

Այդ կերպ դուք ընտրողին կտաք հստակություն։ Մարդիկ չպետք է կանգնեն երկմտանքի առաջ՝ «ո՞ւմ ընտրել»։ Քայքայված ընդդիմությունը միայն օգնում է ձեր հակառակորդին։ Դա հենց այն է, ինչ տեղի ունեցավ նախորդ ընտրություններում։

Դուք արդեն ունեք փորձ։ Մի անգամ արդեն լիովին դուրս մնացիք քաղաքական դաշտից։ Սովորեք այդ սխալից։

Այսօր բոլորը գիտեն Փաշինյանի ձախողումների և հանցագործությունների մասին։ Բայց երբ ընտրողը տեսնում է 15–17 տարբեր կուսակցություն, նա չի կարող հասկանալ՝ ով է իրական փոփոխության կրողը։ Պառակտվածությունը միայն խորացնում է պարտությունը։

Միավորվեք։ Ստեղծեք մեկ կոալիցիա։ Ներկայացրեք մեկ հստակ ուղերձ։ Լրջորեն պատրաստվեք 2026 թվականի ընտրություններին, որովհետև այս ընտրությունը կյանքի և մահվան հարց է Հայաստանի համար։

Դուք արդեն կորցրել եք Արցախը։ Եթե կրկին ձախողվեք, կկորցնեք նաև Եկեղեցին և պետությունը։

Խելքի եկեք։ Մենք ձեզ չենք հարձակվում․ մենք փորձում ենք օգնել։ Լսեք, միավորվեք և արեք այն, ինչ ճիշտ է հայ ժողովրդի համար։

By Wally Sarkeesian

My response to Mr. Shahan Kalfayan’s on keghart ridiculous defense of war criminal Pashinyan:
The claim that Pashinyan was “democratically elected” is a myth.

In the first election, he effectively blocked serious opposition and rushed the country into a snap election, giving people virtually no time to organize or respond. That was not free choice – it was political manipulation.

In the second election, after the war, the situation was even worse. Once again, it was a snap election. More than 52% of eligible voters did not vote, and Pashinyan received only about 37% of the total electorate. Calling this a popular mandate is simply dishonest.

Low turnout, rushed elections, suppressed alternatives, and a traumatized population do not equal legitimacy.

If Armenians truly want the truth, the path is clear: remove him from power, arrest him, and conduct a full, independent investigation. Only a serious inquiry – with international-level financial and intelligence oversight – can uncover the full scope of his actions, including possible coordination with Azerbaijan and Turkey, political deception, and abuse of power.

By Wally Sarkeesian

Those of Us Who Lived in the U.S. Long Enough Witnessed the Shift — Before and After the USSR Fell

When the Soviet Union existed, the West was restrained. There was a balance of power, and the U.S. had to behave more carefully. After the USSR collapsed, that restraint disappeared — and the U.S. moved from competition to constant wars and interventions. At the same time, America hollowed itself out at home. Once a country of small businesses and opportunity, it’s now dominated by corporate giants like Walmart and Home Depot that crush local enterprise. Try opening a small coffee shop today and surviving — that’s the real test. America didn’t lose its soul overnight; it lost it when power went unchecked and corporations replaced communities.

By Wally Sarkeesian

Dr. Margaret Simonian, PhD, received the Global Australian Awards 2025, in the Health and Life Sciences category. This award recognizes Australians who are making an extraordinary impact worldwide. The award was celebrated and presented on December 4th in Los Angeles, followed by an award celebration/presentation in Sydney, Australia, on December 11th

Born in Iraq to Armenian parents, as a young adult Simonian migrated to Australia by herself during the Iraq War. Her resilience, tenacity and courage helped her forge a future in a new country, culture and language.

Margaret, having excelled in her field in Australia, is today recognized as one of the leading experts in the world and has made significant contributions to both research and academic teaching. The objective of her work is to enhance diagnostic accuracy and support personalized treatment strategies for cancer patients undergoing radiological, radiosurgical and other therapies. 

A research Scientist at UCLA for many years, Dr Simonian earned her Doctorate in Advanced Medicine from the Australian School of Advanced Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. Dr Simonian has served as a Research Scientist at Macquarie University and later as a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Neurology at Harbor–UCLA Medical Center. 

Margaret, having excelled in her field in Australia, is today recognized as one of the leading experts in the world and has made significant contributions to both research and academic teaching throughout her career.  The objective of her work is to enhance diagnostic accuracy and support personalized treatment strategies for cancer patients undergoing radiological, radiosurgical and other therapies. More specifically, Her research focuses on the application of proteomics, molecular biology and radioproteomics in biomarker discovery, as well as in advancing drug development and therapeutic strategies for diseases including brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), brain tumors, and liver and prostate cancers

Notably, Dr Simonian’s pioneering work on brain AVMs, which began at Macquarie University and continued at UCLA, was the first worldwide to employ proteomics to identify protein targets for vascular and molecular therapies following radiosurgery. This groundbreaking research has resulted in numerous publications and continues today at Macquarie University. Her proteomics research on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is also among the few studies conducted at an international scale.

Dr Margaret Simonian exemplifies the power of science, resilience and global contribution. Through pioneering research, international collaboration and a deep commitment to advancing medical knowledge, she has helped open new frontiers in the treatment of complex and life-threatening diseases.

Her journey, from arriving in Australia alone to becoming a globally respected research scientist, reflects the very best of Australian opportunity and determination.

https://globalaustralians.org/media-releases/australians-honoured-for-global-impact-in-2025

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/globalaustralians_congratulations-dr-margaret-simonian-mphil-activity-7411179195768320000-7OJu?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAlE_NgB85ysxTEZopTB9wVgdbNJt_pTZrE

By Harut Sassounian

Last week, I came across a disturbing 8-page document described as a “White Paper” titled “Clarifying Church-State Relations in Armenia: A Rebuttal to the Narrative of Religious Persecution under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.” It is dated Sept. 5, 2025.

This is a blatant attempt by the Pashinyan regime to whitewash its shameful attacks on the Armenian Apostolic Church, making unfounded allegations about Church leaders and the political opposition.

Strangely, this document, prepared at the request of the Prime Minister, is posted only on the website of “Save the Persecuted Christians,” an organization based in Washington, D.C. It is not even posted on the Prime Minister’s website. Most probably, the public relations firm Mercury Public Affairs, hired in April by the Armenian government, prepared the White Paper.

This propaganda document makes a number of baseless statements against the Armenian Apostolic Church and the political opposition. For example, it claims that those opposed to Pashinyan are accusing him of making “a deliberate effort to ‘Islamize’ Armenia by bringing in 300,000 Muslim Azeris.” No source is provided for this claim. Even if someone had made such an allegation, the White Paper generalizes it to the entire opposition. Nevertheless, it is a fact that Pashinyan has made endless concessions to Pres. Aliyev, including handing over Artsakh to Azerbaijan, ceding parts of the territory of the Republic of Armenia, changing the constitution, agreeing to disband the Minsk Group of mediators, and reducing the defense budget.

The White Paper further asserts that “the use of incendiary language and misinformation undermines democratic discourse and distracts from Armenia’s urgent security and governance challenges.” This is precisely what Pashinyan and his partner, Anna Hakobyan, have been doing for months through embarrassing posts on their Facebook pages. Furthermore, the White Paper accuses businessman Samvel Karapetyan of having “direct ties with the Kremlin,” thus appearing to excuse his arrest and justify the confiscation of his multi-million-dollar business interests in Armenia. Karapetyan had simply expressed his support for the Catholicos. Armenia’s Prime Minister does not respect freedom of expression, which is the bedrock of any democratic society.

In another objectionable statement, the White Paper criticizes the Catholicos for publicly calling for Pashinyan’s resignation, adding: “Yet, no law-enforcement measures have been taken in response to these statements.” Is expressing one’s opinion a crime?

More importantly, the White Paper misrepresents Armenia’s constitution by stating that “Pashinyan’s government has promoted a policy agenda that emphasizes civilian supremacy over clerical institutions, in line with constitutional principles of secular governance.” On the contrary, the constitution provides for separation of Church and State, which bars the government from meddling in internal Church affairs. Those who say that the Church is meddling in politics are mistaken. Clergymen have the same rights as every other citizen — to vote and run for office. Furthermore, any Armenian, including clergymen, who sees that political leaders are leading the country to destruction, has a patriotic duty to speak up to save the country.

Pashinyan ordered the arrests of three high-ranking clergymen under the pretext that they were engaged in illegal acts He sent police onto the grounds of Holy Etchmiadzin, posted pornographic words referring to his sexual organ on his Facebook page, confessed that he was married neither by the Church nor by secular authorities, urged his followers to “converge” on Etchmiadzin and “liberate” the Catholicosate, and attended Mass celebrated by defrocked “priests” who are desecrating the Church. That alone is sufficient reason to excommunicate Pashinyan from the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Meanwhile, Pashinyan’s partner, Anna Hakobyan, on her Facebook page described high-ranking Armenian clergymen as “the country’s chief pedophiles” and “black-vested maniac perverts.” This is a wholly inappropriate way of addressing the clergy, particularly without presenting any evidence for such claims. She would have been sued for libel if Armenia’s judges were not under Pashinyan’s thumb.

The White Paper desperately tries to argue that Pashinyan is against the Catholicos but not against the Armenian Church by claiming that the public trust in the Church is “high, around 60%, whereas confidence in its top leadership drops sharply.” While the approximate 60% figure is accurate, the White Paper presents no evidence that public confidence in Church leadership is low. The White Paper does not mention that Pashinyan’s approval rating plummeted from a high of 82% when he came to power in 2018 to a little over 10% now.

The most troubling aspect of the White Paper is that it was probably prepared by Mercury Public Affairs, a Washington PR firm hired by Pashinyan’s government for $600,000 a year to promote Armenia’s interests in the U.S. Congress and the Administration and to counter the lobbying and PR firms retained by Azerbaijan and Turkey. I infer Mercury’s involvement because the signed contract mentions that it was hired to “provide strategic communications and media relations services to Client [Republic of Armenia].”

However, rather than targeting Azerbaijan and Turkey or defending Armenia’s interests in Washington, Pashinyan has decided to use the expensive services of the PR firm to attack the Armenian Apostolic Church and its leadership.

Source: www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

Pashinyan is an agent, I will publish the document, the screens, the recordings. Karapetyan’s revelation You can read the full article at this address: https://yerkir.am/hy/article/2025/11/24/302986

Former Defense Minister Arshak Karapetyan has released a scandalous video in which he spoke about how the US special services recruited Nikol Pashinyan back in 1999 and used him as an agent. He showed the folder on the table and noted that he could substantiate his words with written evidence that he had recently obtained.

“If someone wants to know who the person is who is considered an agent of influence by several states, then it is the leader of our country,” Arshak Karapetyan declared. “If that is not the case, then let him just explain how Ararat Mirzoyan was appointed Foreign Minister. This is in the case that the acting head was Armen Gevorgyan, well, let him say why he did not appoint Gevorgyan, but Mirzoyan. Let him say and we will see who was under the influence. If they continue, then they will tell me what really happened. They say: sovereign government, sovereign government. They were not a sovereign government then, nor now. Let them not sing songs,” Karapetyan said.

He said that he warned Pashinyan back on August 14, 2020, that a war was coming. “I noticed that he was taking screenshots, I myself started doing it myself, and I have all the conversations with him recorded. And perhaps it is time for us to start disseminating these recordings, including the recording when I tell him to trust my own intelligence data. I had to record myself to protect myself, I was the head of intelligence for 10 years. They can’t record me, I won’t respond,” Karapetyan noted.

“We have a report from one of the US embassy employees to his superiors that Pashinyan was recruited by that country’s intelligence agency back in 1999, as the editor of a newspaper,” the former minister presented and said that in that report, the embassy employee also described Nikol Pashinyan as an agent, wrote that he has low human standards, is terribly selfish, stingy, is in a psychologically unstable state, and in the end concluded that that’s exactly what they need him for. He also noted that Pashinyan received money from the US government in exchange for providing secret information.

Karapetyan also noted that he has accurate data that no weapons have been purchased in these years, that he will give everything to the Turks. And he called for a fight against this government. You can read the full article at this address: https://yerkir.am/hy/article/2025/11/24/302986

©️ 1991 – 2025 Yerkir Daily

By Wally Sarkeesian

We Live in the Future — But Our Politics Is Stuck in the Past.

We live in the 21st century with AI, quantum computing, blockchain, satellites, global markets, and massively networked societies…

…but we are still running our political life on the mental software of the Middle Ages. trusting one Man to lead us.

Kings were simply renamed “Presidents” and “Prime Ministers.”
Royal courts were renamed “Cabinets.”
Priests became “Media and Influencers.”
Empires became “Blocs and Alliances.”

The structure never fundamentally evolved.
The costumes changed — not the architecture.

Humanity upgraded the hardware… but never updated the Operating System.

---

Why this matters now

When one person controls the fate of an entire nation, it only takes one:

• corrupt ego
• foreign pressure
• compromised elite network
• wrong decision
• psychological imbalance

…to destroy decades of progress.

One-person rule is inherently fragile.

Modern nations should never be dependent on a single individual.

---

Switzerland is the living proof

If you walk in the street in Switzerland and ask:
“Who is the President?”
Most citizens cannot answer.

That is not weakness — that is maturity.

The system is stronger than the individual.

But if you ask in unstable regions:
“Who is the dictator / the strong man leader?”

Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia and so on…personality cults
Everyone instantly knows.

That is structural immaturity.

The more famous your leader is, the weaker your institutions are.
The more boring your government is, the stronger your democracy is.

---

Armenia urgently needs this evolution

Armenia is surrounded by existential forces.
Armenia cannot afford political systems that depend on the psychology of one man.

Armenia should have been the FIRST nation to adopt a Switzerland-style model: direct democracy, distributed power, referendum-driven checks, weak central executive, strong canton/local autonomy.

Small nations with high threats MUST not concentrate power.

---

The future of democracy is distributed

The next generation political model will be:

• Networked decision making
• Liquid democracy (delegate on specific issues, revoke instantly)
• AI-assisted corruption auditing
• Zero “single-point-failure” leadership power

This is the real future.
Not personality cults.
Not strong-man fantasies.
Not savior leaders.

---

Conclusion

We cannot solve modern problems with medieval political software.

Societies must upgrade the governance OS the same way we upgraded technology.

Modern hardware requires modern leadership structures.

And the most advanced political systems in the world… are the ones where leadership becomes almost invisible — because the system itself is what is strong.

We don’t need stronger leaders.
We need stronger systems.

Medieval Software. Modern Hardware.
Time to update the OS of democracy.