If Nikol Pashinyan had defended Armenia’s state interest as zealously as he defends his own government today, the state would be in a completely different state than it is today.

The conclusion that he loves and values ​​his own government more than the state is true, but it does not fully express the internal logic of what is happening. And the cause and effect of what is happening today is that Nikol Pashinyan manages to maintain power by fundamentally manipulating the meaning of concepts that are vital for the state and society.

In particular, he has completely changed the places of internal and external enemies and putting the state under the feet of external enemies, he protects his own government with his teeth from the political opponents he has declared an enemy.

“I will kill”, “I will disgust”… and other such hysterical outbursts, with which he threatens his political opponents, are actually the complexes pushed out of his subconscious, which arose from the humiliations inflicted on him by external enemies who are no longer “guarantors of peace”. In other words, by being “killed”, “dismissed” by Azerbaijan, but retaining power in return, he sublimates his own humiliation.

But from the state’s point of view, the problem is neither aesthetics nor Pashinyan’s psychological state. More importantly, this reality expresses the crippled state of Armenia’s political system, electoral process and, as a consequence, statehood.

The change of places of internal and external enemies proves that the real external enemy is fighting alongside Pashinyan’s government and for him against the non-governmental parties participating in the Armenian elections. He is fighting not for Pashinyan’s innocent eyes, but for his own interests, and his own interests imply preserving his power at all costs.

Armenia has directly handed over the government, which rips the throat out of every pickup about sovereignty and independence, to foreign administration and wants to reaffirm its status as a satrap on June 7.

This fundamentally changes the meaning and significance of the election, and there are exactly two weeks left to explain it to the public. The June 7 election is not about ideas, not about programs, not about personalities.

On that day, the citizens of Armenia will have to answer a simple question: do they agree that Armenia should be led by people with Armenian names promoting the interests of Azerbaijan, or do they still want to give an opportunity to save something from the statehood of Armenia? This is as obvious a dilemma as it would be if the ballot paper number 16 in the elections had written “Azerbaijan Yes” instead of KP.  

Harutyun Avetisyan

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia has denied the publication of The Insider periodical regarding Russian interference in the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia, spying activities by Russian diplomats in Armenia.

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement stressing that the publication is false and called The Insider a “foreign agent that carries out the orders of its foreign curators”.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that “this publication is a provocation aimed at exerting psychological pressure on Russian diplomats and instilling fear in Armenian society before the elections.”

The statement states that the authors of the publication made many factual errors and inaccuracies in presenting the biographical data of the representatives of the Russian diplomatic mission.

The Russian Foreign Ministry added that the screenshots published by The Insider are not reliable, stressing that the periodical could not present any convincing facts to confirm the reliability of the publication.

On May 19, The Insider published an extensive article about the possible influence of Russia in the parliamentary elections to be held in Armenia on June 7, the coordination of the work carried out in the direction of Armenia in the administration of the President of the Russian Federation, and the officials sent to Yerevan.

“After the recent failures in Moldova and Hungary, the Kremlin directed its resources to Armenia, where parliamentary elections are scheduled for June 7. The Kremlin is hoping to prevent incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Pact party from winning after he began deepening ties with the European Union and the United States. The Insider has revealed who coordinates the Armenian direction in the administration of the Russian president, which officers of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), the General Intelligence Department (ГРУ) and the Federal Security Service (ФСБ) were sent to Yerevan and how the Armenian opposition candidates are connected with the special services of Russia,” the newspaper wrote, noting that the first and second secretaries of the Russian Embassy in Armenia, as well as the representative of Rosatom in Armenia, are also involved in the process.

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According to Andranik Tevanyan, the leader of the “Mother Armenia” party, the second candidate of the PAP pre-election list, there is a theory that the accusation against him is at the behest of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He said that today in a briefing with journalists before the pre-election march near Matenadaran.

On May 20, during the pre-election campaign in Vanadzor, Pashinyan announced that tomorrow the National Security Service will submit a report to the Investigative Committee of RA on the charge of treason against Andranik Tevanyan. After that, Andranik Tevanyan announced live that Nikol Pashinyan is a state traitor, serving the interests of Turkey and Azerbaijan.

“There is a hypothesis spreading in the social media that this attack against me is due to Zelensky’s dictation. “Zelensky, who turned Ukraine into ruins and turned his country into a small coin in the hands of foreign forces, during his visit to Yerevan, according to widespread information, set the task of taking action against me,” said Tevanyan.

He reminded, not in 2024. The “Mother Armenia” party made a humanitarian visit to Donbas, and according to his information, that visit was quite difficult in Ukraine.

According to him, neither before nor after Pashinyan’s announcement, any legal process was done with his involvement. Instead, he reminded that lawyers are preparing lawsuits against Pashinyan on two counts: defamation, defamation of good reputation and abuse of authority.

He stressed that he and the team are ready for any scenario and are ready to use any tools, political and legal.

According to him, he expected everything, but it was unexpected that such an accusation would be made against him.

“I personally won’t forgive him for this, because labeling him like that… They can do anything, it’s a political struggle, especially the government that owns these illegal actions is ready for anything. Isn’t this monkeying around? I was presented with a terrible accusation yesterday. Do you agree? What am I doing here today, what press conference and march am I doing?” he said, adding that they will not deviate from the path of struggle, they will do everything to achieve a change of power through elections on June 7.

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One of the longest-lasting, predictable axes of the post-Soviet region, the Yerevan-Moscow strategic alliance, is experiencing its deepest historical crisis. What was described as a “strategic partnership” for years has now reached an apparent impasse, where the accumulated problems between the parties have reached a critical point.

The 8th European Political Community Summit held in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, seems to have become a turning point in Armenian-Russian relations, and especially in terms of the perceptions of the Russian elite. After this summit, the Russian side sharpened its rhetoric, offered inappropriate, inclusion of the issue of Armenia’s European aspirations in the upcoming session of the EAEU, hints about depriving it of economic privileges.

In essence, the Russian side presents an ultimatum: choose the EAEU or leave the EAEU, because the EAEU is incompatible with the EU. This is announced by the Russian side at the level of Deputy Foreign Minister Galuzin, Foreign Minister Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister Overchuk, Shoigu and Russian President Putin.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Mikhail Galuzin in his last reference, he said that in Moscow they cannot accept the policy pursued by the leadership of Armenia, that is, to maintain membership in the Eurasian Economic Union, until, so to speak, it passes to the membership of the European Union.

According to him, discussions on EU membership often have a populist character, and similar processes have taken place in other countries in the past. “Attracting Armenia to the EU is a populist slogan. the same tactics were used in the case of Ukraine and Moldova,” he said.

Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Sergey Shoigun stated that the leadership of Armenia has recently been taking steps that do not correspond to the spirit of allied relations with Russia.

“It is no secret that the leadership of that country has recently been taking steps that do not correspond to the spirit of allied relations with the Russian Federation,” Shoigu said at the meeting of the special working group held today, according to the Russian “Interfax”.

According to him, Armenia regularly joins the position of the European Union on international platforms, and also actively works towards changing standards and harmonizing customs and trade regimes with the EU, “which may not correspond to the commitments undertaken by Armenia within the framework of EAEU”.

“Joint military exercises are being conducted, in recent years, the Armenian leadership has taken a number of steps that are definitely not friendly in nature. That’s how we evaluate joining the International Criminal Court’s charter, handing over Russian citizens to third countries,” he said.

Shoigu criticized Yerevan’s provision of the opportunity for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to speak at the summit of the European Political Community.

According to the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Zelensky’s speech contained threats against the Russian Federation, including threats to attack the Victory Parade.

“It is nothing but a mockery of the memory of more than one and a half million Armenians who fought against Nazism, that absolute evil, not sparing their lives,” Shoigu stated. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov also announced that the European Union is pulling Armenia into its orbit, and thus Yerevan risks losing all its benefits within the EAEU framework.

RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan In a conversation with journalists, referring to the statements made by the Russian side, he said that the issue of Armenia leaving the EAEU cannot be discussed until Armenia has presented such an application and desire, and Armenia has not presented such a desire.

Mirzoyan responded to the observation, “Is it possible to freeze the membership of Armenia in EAEU until Armenia takes a decision?”

“There can be no such thing. it is an organization determined and guided by the consensus votes of RA, how can such a thing be?” In another reference, Mirzoyan said that they are interested in maintaining normal close partnership relations with Russia, both bilaterally and within EAEU frameworks. He considers that these relations are mutually beneficial and believes that this partnership continues normally. “We are working in that direction so that everything continues normally,” he said.

Despite RA’s assurances that they continue constructive membership in EAEU, the Russian side has begun to apply small sanctions to Armenian businesses. Yesterday it became known that “Rosselkhoznadzor” introduces temporary restrictions on the import of flower products from Armenia, the service announced, which will come into force on May 22. The ban will remain in effect until the inspection of the greenhouses is completed and the results are analyzed.

The decision was made to protect Russia’s phytosanitary safety and export potential. “Despite the guarantees given by the Food Safety Inspectorate of Armenia, detection of quarantine species for the EAEU continues. 135 cases were registered out of 96.2 million imported flower products. This is 77% of the total number of cases detected during 2025,” the statement said.

A few days ago, Russia announced that it has strengthened the phytosanitary control of quarantine products imported from Armenia.

“Rosselkhoznadzor” is going to inspect a number of Armenian enterprises, whose product delivery to Russia was previously suspended due to the suspicion of importing fake fish products of European origin,” the service announced after the talks between its head Sergey Dankwert and the head of the Food Safety Inspection Authority of Armenia, Tigran Petrosyan.

And earlier, in April, the Russian side announced another restriction on Armenian goods. The sale of “Jermuk” mineral water has been banned in the Russian market.

Attempts by the official circles of Armenia to mask the crisis of relations with theses about “mutually beneficial economic partnership” no longer reflect the harsh reality of the bilateral agenda.

According to our information, deep alarm is currently brewing in the RA political elite and especially in the business community, as the political ultimatums issued by Moscow are gradually turning into targeted sanctions.

The huge Russian market for Armenian capital, which has been the main feeding vein of the economy for years, is gradually ceasing to exist as a reliable market. Armenian business is already feeling the first “trial” blows of Russia’s warnings.

In this context, the restrictions applied by “Rosselkhoznadzor” to Armenian flower products, fish products or “Jermuk” should be considered not as a separate phytosanitary issue, but as a classic manifestation of Moscow’s toolkit.

The Russian side demonstrates the absolute economic vulnerability of Armenia, making it clear that the price of the change in the foreign political vector and European aspirations will be paid by the Armenian exporters, and ultimately by the Armenian people.

Local business circles are facing a challenge, because it is not possible to reorient the volumes of finished products exported to the Russian Federation to the market regulated by the strict standards of the European Union in a situation where there are many problems in the European markets as well.

Obviously, these economic “precautionary steps” by Moscow represent only a small part of Moscow’s leverage. The hidden concerns of the RA authorities are related to much more strategic areas, such as energy dependence, cheap gas supplies, management of the Armenian nuclear power plant and possible restrictions on the expected transfers from Russia.

Armenian-Russian relations have entered a stage where Moscow’s position is more than clear. the political and security rapprochement with the West will automatically lead to the cancellation of the economic privileges on which Armenia’s current economic stability is anchored.

According to our information, the Armenian authorities actually attach certain strategic hopes to the prospect of the “opening” of the Azerbaijani and Turkish markets, which was indirectly evidenced by the recent unprecedented visit of Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafaev to Yerevan.

Within the framework of this visit, the high-ranking Azerbaijani official had meetings with Armenian business circles to discuss bilateral trade opportunities. The RA authorities are trying to consider this as a real opportunity to get rid of Russian economic dependence, although the business community, according to our information, is extremely suspicious of these plans to replace the huge Russian market with the Azerbaijani one.

The RA authorities do not even consider the European markets from the point of view of solutions for the near future.

Thus, Yerevan today stands on the threshold of extremely dangerous and uncertain expectations, where the lack of an effective and visible strategy to resist Russian economic attacks and the foggy prospect of trade alternatives with Turkey and Azerbaijan put the Armenian economy under an unpredictable geopolitical test.

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During pre-election meetings, Nikol Pashinyan convinces RA citizens at every step of what a happy life he has given us. War fears from the 1990s have been overcome, peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan is now established, because there is no shooting on the border, you just need to own the Pashinyan peace and the map of Armenia, which, according to the announcement, is 29,743 square kilometers.

It should be noted that on one occasion Pashinyan confess is that the occupied territories of more than 200 square meters are an integral part of it, and they have not been restored, and it is still a question of how much they will be restored.

Anyway, let’s assume that we actually have 29,743 square kilometers of territory under our control on the ground, which Pashinyan assures that he has also recognized Azerbaijan, because he himself has recognized the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, although there have been and are other statements from Baku from time to time.

But is this a guarantee of concluding or confirming the final peace agreement, are the problems in the demarcation and demarcation process resolved, even if Pashinyan is ready to hand over the “enclave” villages? Of course not. And once again, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Tofik Zulfugarov “understands” about this from Baku.

Given to Azerbaijani minval.az in the interview he first noted that without amending the RA constitution and holding a corresponding referendum, it is premature to talk about a full peaceful settlement.

“The main thing for us is what will happen during the referendum, if it is announced at all,” the former official emphasized.

Then Zulfugarov referred to the propaganda assurances of official Yerevan and Nikol Pashinyan to recognize each other’s territorial integrity.

According to him, Yerevan is merely trying to present the fact of mutual recognition of the territorial integrity as the final fixing of the borders that are beneficial for it, although the process of demarcation and demarcation has not yet been completed.

“Well, Pashinyan is coming with that badge on his chest… They want to receive that “badge” – the mutual recognition of territorial integrity, and present it as the final recognition of all demands.” said the former foreign minister of Azerbaijan, adding that during the Soviet period, the administrative borders between the union republics were changed more than once, so “Especially which period’s borders should become the basis for future settlement, still remains a fundamental question.”

It should be noted that on various occasions Zulfugarov, in his words, tried to be a realist explain իրականությունը՝ «the concept of an internationally recognized border is applicable in the event that when neighboring states demarcate their borders, after which they sign a corresponding document, which means that the border is recognized by both states.”

“If such a process does not exist, then the concept of an internationally recognized border cannot be used in the case of this or that state that has unfinished processes related to this issue,” years ago. In an interview given to one of the Azerbaijani media, the Azerbaijani diplomat emphasized, adding that the UN recognizes the state and not this or that border, and that “The declaration of Alma Ata does not specify any coordinates of this or that border.” Naturally, the exclusion of the Declaration of Independence from the RA constitution was considered a condition for signing the peace treaty.

Referring to the “Trump’s Way” project, Zulfugarov stated that, for now, Armenia avoids concreteness and instead of discussing transit conditions, proposes to focus exclusively on demarcation issues.

“Instead of presenting the conditions under which transit of goods and people will be carried out, they say: let’s conduct delimitation and demarcation. And this is a sign that the Armenian side is trying to delay the process and fix its own interpretations of the future borders. In general, one should assess the situation without emotions, neither in a positive nor a negative light. The approach should be exclusively realistic. I am not a pessimist, I am a realist,” said the diplomat.

It should be noted that Nikol Pashinyan has stated that in the places where communication construction will begin, it is assumed and logical that demarcation and demarcation should take place in that area first.

And Zulfugarov a month ago had noted that Azerbaijan will continue to strive for the implementation of the “Zangezur Corridor” and it is not important whether it will be within the framework of the TRIPP project or the November 10 document or any other format, that is, the question remains open.

Regarding the border demarcation process, let us remind that during the meeting held in Aghveran on April 29, the border demarcation commissions of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed and exchanged the draft texts of 3 guidelines on the procedure for demarcation works. Currently, the RA government at e-draft.am from May 15 to May 31, discussed the 3 guidelines, where the procedure for creating the demarcation map is presented, it is noted that the working map is created in the form of rectangular columnarization of the UTM projection in the WGS-84 coordinate system.

168.amis still last year reported, that Azerbaijan has switched to mapping its borders using the WGS-84 system and “production” of its own maps with the support of Turkey. We informed that it is from 2009 started The transfer of topographic and cadastral maps of the RA state scale series to the WGS-84 world coordinate system.

As for Baku, Aliyev’s political other, “Western Azerbaijan” to the program then let us inform you that on June 18-19, the “Return to Western Azerbaijan” conference-festival will take place in Ordubad, Nakhichevan, the organizers of which are the plenipotentiary representative of the President of Azerbaijan in Nakhichevan, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Nakhichevan State University and the “Western Azerbaijan” community.

In the part of the conference, scientists, researchers and public figures will present reports on the “historical” realities of “Western Azerbaijan”, the heritage and the prospects for the return of “Western” Azerbaijanis.

It should be noted that this is the third such conference, the second, however, անցկացվել է in 2024.

In other words, it is a fact that, by and large, peace does not change much in Aliyev’s plans, the problem is in delivery.

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