Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Lithuanian counterpart Kęstutis Budrys signed a strategic partnership agreement between the two countries in Yerevan on Tuesday.

Speaking at a joint press conference with FM Budrys following their meeting, Armenian FM Ararat Mirzoyan said that the partnership format will allow for further deepening of political dialogue and cooperation between the two countries, as well as a more comprehensive approach to sectoral cooperation.

“Bilateral visits, meeting each other, and holding detailed discussions in our capitals provide a special opportunity to advance our political dialogue and cooperation,” Mirzoyan said.

“This visit is taking place at a highly symbolic time—the 35th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations—and at this very moment, taking into account all previous developments, we were able to sign a document that elevated the level of our relations,” he said.

Mirzoyan also said that during the meeting they discussed matters pertaining to the South Caucasus region, as well as the geopolitical situation.

“We had the opportunity today to discuss the prospects for our economic cooperation, particularly in the fields of information technology, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity, where Lithuania has extensive experience and where we also have certain expertise and knowledge,” said the Armenian Foreign Minister, adding that cooperation between Armenia and Lithuania is also reflected in Armenia–EU relations and in international platforms.

“We are grateful to our Lithuanian partners for the support they have provided in deepening Armenia–EU relations,” Mirzoyan said.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said on Tuesday, after meeting his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan, that diplomatic and political relations between the two countries are stronger than ever before.

The foreign ministers signed a strategic partnership agreement between Armenia and Lithuania.

FM Budrys said the agreement will further expand cooperation in multiple areas.

Speaking about the EU visa liberalization process for Armenian citizens, the Lithuanian FM said that the move offers great opportunities for countries.

“We hope that we will help Armenia speed up this process, so that Armenia can move into a visa liberalization stage, and then, with very few restrictions, your citizens will be able to travel throughout the entire EU,” the Lithuanian FM said at a joint press conference with FM Mirzoyan in Yerevan.

Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said Lithuania is ready to share its best experience in several future-oriented fields such as information technology, artificial intelligence, and others.

FM Budrys also stated that Lithuania fully supports the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“We hope that it will open the door to new economic opportunities for everyone. By opening borders and infrastructure, people-to-people ties will become more active, and the level of security will increase, which you all deserve here,” FM Budrys said.

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Tuesday lauded what he described as the “effective outcomes” of the inaugural Armenia-EU Summit held earlier in May in Yerevan.

Mirzoyan addressed the issue during a joint press conference with his Lithuanian counterpart, Kęstutis Budrys, responding to a question about perceptions in the EU regarding Armenia’s approaches following the summit.

He said that Armenia is moving closer to the EU every day.

“Armenia’s approaches have always been dynamically presented both to the EU and to partner member states. This summit was no exception. It is no secret that Armenia is moving closer and closer to the EU every day. There are all the opportunities for this, and there is the number one prerequisite for it — the European aspirations of the Armenian people, which were expressed, for example, through last year’s civic initiative that eventually turned into a law adopted by the National Assembly,” the Armenian FM said.

Last year, the Armenian parliament adopted a bill on EU integration, calling on the government to launch the process of EU accession.

The inaugural Armenia-EU Summit took place on May 5, a day after the 8th European Political Community Summit, which was also held in the Armenian capital.

Armenia does not intend to create tensions in its relations with Russia, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan reiterated on Tuesday.

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Lithuanian counterpart Kęstutis Budrys, Mirzoyan stressed that Armenia and Russia remain partners linked by many ties and are committed to continuing constructive dialogue.

“Armenia does not intend to create tensions in its relations with Russia. We are partners connected by numerous ties and are committed to conducting healthy discussions and developing these mutually beneficial relations in a healthy environment,” Mirzoyan said.

According to him, as in all relations around the world, there are issues, but it is necessary to find solutions through constructive discussions.

Mirzoyan also emphasized the importance of respecting each other’s right to make independent decisions in bilateral relations.

“We fully understand, and it is not from Russia that we need to be told, that membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and membership in the EU are incompatible. It is impossible for us to remain in the EAEU and become an EU member at the same time. We will continue moving closer to the EU, and when the time comes for us to make a decision about belonging to one or another group, we will make that decision. There is nothing new here, and once again, this is not something we need to be told from outside,” the minister added, stressing that Armenia is inclined to continue positive, healthy cooperation in all directions based on mutual respect and interests.

Russian officials have recently stated that Armenia should choose between remaining a member of the Eurasian Economic Union and pursuing potential European Union membership. Russian President Vladimir Putin also suggested that the Armenian authorities hold a referendum on the issue.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stated on several occasions that Armenia does not intend to leave the Eurasian Economic Union as long as the processes of European Union integration and EAEU membership do not conflict with each other.

Upon a joint initiative of the European Union Delegation to China and the Embassy of Armenia, Beijing-based Ambassadors of the European Political Community countries met on Tuesday 19 May 2026 to discuss the future of security and prosperity of the European continent in the context of China’s role in global affairs, the European Union Delegation to China said in a press release.

“The representatives of the European Political Community countries agreed on the paramount importance of Europe’s strategic resilience. In the era of heightened geopolitical tensions, they also agreed on the need to maintain channels of communication and engagement with China open. The meeting was an opportunity to share assessments of opportunities and challenges regarding the political and economic relationship with China,” the European Union Delegation to China said.

The European Political Community brings together leaders of around 50 European countries in a spirit of unity and shared purpose. It provides a political platform to foster political dialogue and cooperation to address issues of common interest, as well as strengthen the security, stability and prosperity of the European continent. 

Since its establishment in 2022, the European Political Community has met eight times. During the most recent summit in Yerevan, Armenia on 4 May 2026 leaders discussed cooperation in strengthening democratic resilience, advancing connectivity and reinforcing economic and energy security. The summit took place ahead of the first-ever EU-Armenia bilateral summit.

The meeting in Beijing was attended by representatives of: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, European Union Delegation, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, the UK and Ukraine.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Kęstutis Budrys, accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Mnatsakan Safaryan, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial. Minister Budrys laid a wreath at the memorial and paid tribute to the memory of the victims of the Genocide,” reads the statement.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has called on Armenians to fully embrace the Republic of Armenia as their permanent homeland, arguing that continued focus on returning to former settlements risks treating the country as a “stopover” rather than a final home.

“We must ultimately acknowledge that the process of searching for a homeland is over. We have found our homeland, and that is the Republic of Armenia,” Pashinyan said at a campaign event for the Civil Contract party in the town of Spitak.

According to him, if the idea of returning to former places of residence continues to exist in people’s subconscious, then the Republic of Armenia will be perceived not as a homeland, but as a stopover.

“If in our subconscious there is constantly the idea that we must return to Van, Mush, Karabakh, Nakhchivan, then we begin to treat our country as a stopover,” he said.

Pashinyan compared it to the feeling of being at a stop during a journey, when a person cannot fully relax or feel secure.

“The entire meaning of today’s political process is that we are changing the understanding of the Republic of Armenia as a stop into the understanding of a place of destination. We have arrived, people,” the Prime Minister stated.

He also addressed Armenians forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, noting that they too should change the feeling of being in a “stop” and settle in Armenia.

“Now they have come here, and we want those people to settle down, to become settled like us, to change the feeling of a stopover into the feeling of a destination,” said Pashinyan.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Tuesday that material released by law enforcement shows what he described as a “criminal-oligarchic” approach and a disregard for citizens by the Strong Armenia alliance, after the Anti-Corruption Committee published wiretapped conversations allegedly linked to vote-buying and other election violations.

Speaking to citizens at a campaign event for the ruling Civil Contract party in Tashir, Pashinyan said that the recordings released by the law enforcement agency as part of an ongoing criminal investigation showed the Strong Armenia alliance’s real attitude toward citizens, as well as toward displaced persons from Karabakh.

“Today the Anti-Corruption Committee has published another recording, which relates to the ‘Strong Armenia’ alliance. There is nothing new in the fact that money is being distributed, but there are two very important aspects I want to draw your attention to. The first is that in that party’s headquarters they discuss both giving and receiving money, and they compare and draw parallels between this and immoral acts. They compare the process of giving money to a citizen with entering into a relationship with a prostitute,” said Pashinyan.

According to him, this rhetoric shows the Strong Armenia alliance’s real attitude toward people.

“This is the real picture. And what is most notable is that those people supposedly protect our brothers and sisters displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh from us. Look at what they say in their offices and how they speak about our people from Karabakh, using the most vulgar and outrageous sexually explicit language.

This is the most typical feature of criminal oligarchy — treating people as goods, treating people as commodities subject to buying and selling,” Pashinyan said.

Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee announced on Tuesday that it had opened a criminal investigation into alleged vote-buying and other election-related violations involving a candidate running for parliament on the Strong Armenia alliance ticket.

In a press release, the Anti-Corruption Committee said several individuals were detained after authorities uncovered a scheme in which voters in Lori Province were reportedly offered financial incentives, including rent payments, to influence their votes ahead of the elections. The scheme was allegedly organized by a member of the Strong Armenia alliance.

The law enforcement agency said the suspects, in order to avoid detection and reduce the traceability of their actions, allegedly used intermediaries and vehicles belonging to them, mainly distributed funds in cash, involved employees of affiliated companies and individuals from their circle in the receipt and distribution process, and, to make monitoring of financial flows more difficult, planned to use Russian bank cards for financial transactions.

The Anti-Corruption Committee also released audio recordings reportedly obtained through surveillance, showing conversations between suspects discussing the scheme.

In the explicit recording, two men are heard discussing the alleged scheme, with one saying, “That’s life, you pay them and [expletive] them.” Another man is heard insulting Karabakh Armenians.

The Insider has published an extensive report on Russia’s possible influence over Armenia’s parliamentary elections scheduled for 7 June, the coordination of work on Armenia within the Russian presidential administration, and the officials sent to Yerevan to oversee the process.

The Insider opens its article with the following introduction:

“After recent failures in Moldova and Hungary, the Kremlin has redirected its resources towards Armenia, where parliamentary elections are scheduled for June 7. The Kremlin hopes to prevent incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party from winning after he pursued closer ties with the European Union and the United States. The Insider has identified who oversees the Armenia portfolio in the Russian presidential administration, which officers from the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), the GRU, and the FSB were sent to Yerevan, and how Armenian opposition candidates are linked to Russia’s intelligence agencies.”

The outlet reports that the information campaign against Pashinyan is coordinated by the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation for Strategic Partnership and Cooperation (USSP), established in 2025, which is headed by Vadim Titov, a former Rosatom official who is closely linked to Sergey Kiriyenko, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Presidential Administration.

“Titov’s start in the post was not especially successful: ahead of elections in Hungary, he flew to Budapest with his aide, Yegor Kvyatkovsky, also a Rosatom official, but the campaign ended in a crushing defeat for Viktor Orban. Now, however, Titov has a new chance to prove himself.

The direct handlers for Armenia from the Russian presidential administration are Valery Chernyshov, head of the USSP department for developing interregional and sociocultural ties, and his deputy, Dmitry Avanesov. Both come from the security services. After serving at a Russian military base in Abkhazia, in 2013 Chernyshov was invited to join military intelligence. He taught the basics of sabotage work at advanced training courses for GRU officers in the village of Zagoryansky in the Shchyolkovo District, at Military Unit 36360. In the presidential administration, he first oversaw Georgia before being reassigned to Armenia,” the report states.

Dmitry Avanesov graduated from the Peter the Great Military Academy of Strategic Missile Forces and holds the rank of colonel. In 2012, he underwent training at the FSB’s Moscow Institute of New Information Technologies under a programme on “systems for assessing, analysing and forecasting the state of national security.” Both men have visited Yerevan on multiple occasions, where they held meetings with local Kremlin allies.

“In the Russian government, the Armenia portfolio is handled by Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, who on a near weekly basis warns Yerevan of major economic problems if it continues moving closer to the EU and the U.S,” The Insider notes.

Continuing its report, the outlet notes that among the most active groups in Armenia are the Gorchakov Fund for Public Diplomacy Support, which promotes narratives aligned with the Kremlin; the National Research Institute for Communications Development, headed by Vladislav Gasumyanov, a career officer of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service; and the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, described as an analytical centre linked to Russian intelligence. It also points to “numerous pseudo-political analysts, experts, councils, and organisations financed by the Kremlin.”

“Long-familiar figures, including senators Konstantin Kosachev and Konstantin Zatulin, are in the front ranks of the propaganda campaign against Pashinyan. Zatulin heads the international Russian-Armenian Lazarev Club, which boasts among its members the billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, owner of the commercial real estate giant Tashir Group,” The Insider writes, adding that it has also detailed the ties to Russia of two opposition figures in Armenia’s political arena – Samvel Karapetyan, leader of the “Strong Armenia” alliance, and Gagik Tsarukyan, chairman of the “Prosperous Armenia” party.