Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confirmed on Thursday that he is reuniting with his former wife Anna Hakobyan, days after they made headlines following a joint public appearance in the city of Gyumri.

Pashinyan was asked at a press briefing whether he has reunited with Anna Hakobyan.

“When Anna made her statement, I said that I respect that decision, but I did not say that I was at peace with it. And, naturally, with that logic, I also made efforts to ensure that the event you are referring to would take place, and I am glad that it is happening, and I am glad that I now have another chance for our family to remain together,” Pashinyan told a reporter.

Anna Hakobyan announced her separation from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in February 2026. The couple were never legally married and had been in a common-law relationship for nearly thirty years, but she was widely referred to as Pashinyan’s wife.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has claimed that former President Serzh Sargsyan, despite claims of skipping the upcoming elections, is actively backing the Strong Armenia party in an effort to restore the old political coalition, effectively running for office behind the scenes.

Earlier in April, former President Serzh Sargsyan – whom Pashinyan-led demonstrations removed from office in 2018 –  said his Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) had decided to opt out of the 2026 parliamentary elections, scheduled for June 7, in order to avoid “dividing the opposition arena” even further.

Speaking at a press briefing on April 23, Pashinyan described the claim that Sargsyan is not running as a “fake narrative.”

He indicated that the Strong Armenia party, a newly formed political force led by business tycoon Samvel Karapetyan and running for parliament this year, has Sargsyan’s endorsement, with several high-ranking Republicans attending Strong Armenia rallies.

“In the previous elections, Serzh Sargsyan participated with the ‘I Have Honor’ alliance, and in these elections, he is participating with ‘Strong Armenia.’ First, he has publicly expressed his support for that force; second, the entire known group has been attending their rallies, and in today’s electoral process, they seek revenge and aim to restore the 2006 coalition — ARF-Dashnaktsutyun, Prosperous Armenia, and the Republican Party of Armenia. There is no other story behind this. Before 2018, it seemed that there were liberals in the political field, I don’t know, with different views. So, what has now become clear? It has become clear that, for example, [former President] Levon Ter-Petrosyan is a pure ARF member. Moreover, the most unsuccessful ARF member. The rest was a performance, it was a game,” Pashinyan said, referring to ex-President Ter-Petrosyan’s public endorsement of Strong Armenia despite his own party, the ANC, formally running for office.

Pashinyan described the upcoming parliamentary elections as a “unique opportunity” to “oust” the representatives of the former governments from the political arena.

“I believe that these elections are a unique opportunity for us to simply oust criminal-oligarchic former officials from the political arena. I see that opportunity, I see it in my interactions with people,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan has repeatedly described Strong Armenia, the Armenia Alliance led by former President Robert Kocharyan (which includes ARF), and the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) led by businessman Gagik Tsarukyan, as a “tripartite war party” that risks plunging the country into war, while he has argued that his Civil Contract party is a party of peace. The opposition forces have rejected the accusations.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has addressed a statement by “Strong Armenia” party leader Samvel Karapetyan, who claimed that they could guarantee peace.

Pashinyan stressed that peace cannot be ensured through simple statements, noting that it is not  a “power switch” that can be turned as one wishes.

“I am browsing the news feed and see that the oligarch from Kaluga (ed. Samvel Karapetyan) guarantees peace. When they repeatedly spoke about being ‘guarantors of peace,’ they meant themselves. However, they could not even guarantee electricity supply, how are they going to guarantee peace? Peace is not a ‘power switch’ that you can turn as you please,” the Prime Minister said.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in a video shared on his Facebook page, criticized remarks by Samvel Karapetyan that “our best compatriots are in a Baku prison.”

Responding to the statement, the Prime Minister said he had learned from the news that the “Kaluga oligarch” made such a claim.

“With all due respect, I do not understand why, for example, a teacher who has passed certification and entered the classroom today is excluded from the list of our best compatriots, or why a soldier who has passed certification and is guarding the border is excluded,” Pashinyan said.

” Why families who have lost their children for the sake of the  homeland, as well as doctors who save lives within the health insurance system, are not considered among the country’s “best compatriots.”

“Why are so many of our best compatriots left out of that list?” the Prime Minister added.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has condemned the burning of the Turkish flag by participants in a torchlight procession organized by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) on April 23, the eve of the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The Prime Minister described the act as clearly provocative and tension-inducing behavior.

His press secretary, Nazeli Baghdasaryan, presented the Prime Minister’s position in response to a question from Armenpress.

According to Baghdasaryan, the Prime Minister considers such behavior irresponsible and unacceptable, noting that the burning of the flag of an internationally recognized state, especially a neighboring country, cannot be assessed otherwise.

Flyone Armenia will launch flights from the Armenian city of Gyumri to the Russian resort city of Sochi on May 4, the airport administration announced on Thursday.

According to a press release from Armenia International Airports, the Armenian airline will operate round-trip flights once a week, on Mondays, from Gyumri’s Shirak International Airport to Sochi International Airport.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has outlined plans for major reforms in Armenia’s civil aviation sector, stressing the need to address expertise gaps, align with international standards, and restructure the Civil Aviation Committee into a more efficient body.

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting on April 23, Prime Minister Pashinyan said that Armenia’s civil aviation sector faces systemic challenges that require fundamental solutions. The Armenian government will cooperate with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in this regard.

“This topic is quite mature, and we must face the reality that we lack the knowledge needed to properly respond to and position ourselves within modern aviation systems,” the Prime Minister said.

He noted that addressing this gap requires extraordinary measures, including bringing in highly qualified specialists and introducing new management mechanisms.

“To fill this knowledge gap, certain extraordinary steps are needed, including inviting qualified professionals, creating appropriate structures, and restructuring the Civil Aviation Committee so that it can also generate services and have its own budget,” Pashinyan said.

The Prime Minister stressed that these changes would make it possible to ensure competitive salaries and attract top international experts.

“We must be able to offer competitive salaries on the international market and invite high-level specialists from around the world to work for the Republic of Armenia,” he said.

Pashinyan also noted that there are currently numerous procedural obstacles that have prevented such reforms from being implemented.

“We have many procedural barriers that have not allowed us to do this so far, but we have fundamentally decided that the Civil Aviation Committee should have a special status, given the rapid developments in the sector,” he emphasized.

He added that the government plans to cooperate with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to choose the best governance model.

“We must work with the International Civil Aviation Organization to receive advice on what structures and models to choose that will comply with our legislation and international standards,” Pashinyan said.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the importance of fully implementing international aviation safety standards.

“When we say aviation safety, we must understand it as safety defined by modern international standards. Trying to say that we should be guided by our own specifics will not work,” he stated.

Pashinyan also presented growth indicators in the sector.

“Compared to 2017, passenger traffic from Armenia to the European Union countries has increased by 580 percent. This means we must significantly expand air transport to the EU and beyond,” he noted.

According to him, this growth further demonstrates the need to develop the sector in line with international standards.

The Cabinet approved a decision aimed at reforms in the civil aviation sector, which includes restructuring the Civil Aviation Committee into a revenue-generating body.

The decision also allocates about 321 million drams (roughly $840,000 USD) from the government’s reserve fund to ensure oversight and regulation in the aviation sector, as well as establish cooperation with ICAO to bring the sector in line with international standards.

Armenia’s civil aviation sector is expanding, with growing passenger traffic, new international routes, and plans to further develop air connectivity and airport infrastructure.

Davit Khudatyan, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, said at a Cabinet meeting that civil aviation experts continue to work on improving the quality of aviation in Armenia.

“Civil aviation specialists are doing their utmost to improve the quality of aviation in Armenia. In this regard, we have made significant progress, and the numbers also speak for themselves,” he said.

According to his data, in 2025, flights from Armenia were operated to around 70 destinations through 48 airlines.

“Last year, 48 airlines operated flights from Armenia to around 70 destinations, and passenger traffic increased to about 5.7 million,” Khudatyan noted.

He also highlighted the trend of adding new destinations.

“Last year, we launched flights to about 10 new destinations, and this year we also have agreements for new routes to both European and other countries,” the minister said.

Khudatyan added that the “long-awaited” Yerevan–London–Yerevan flight will soon be launched.

He also reported progress in launching direct flights to Kazakhstan.

“We have been working for a long time with our Kazakh partners to establish direct flights to Kazakhstan. More than one airline has already announced this, and there are clear dates and ticket sales,” Khudatyan said.

In addition, according to the minister, new flights to several European destinations are planned.

“A new flight to Brussels will be launched soon, which will be the second or third airline operating on this route. New flights will also be launched to the Netherlands,” he noted.

The minister also emphasized the importance of expanding the potential of Gyumri’s Shirak Airport.

“We are discussing the possibility of making greater use of the potential of Shirak Airport. After the opening of the North–South road, in some cases, it is faster to reach Gyumri Airport than Zvartnots Airport in Yerevan,” Khudatyan said.

He added that negotiations are already underway regarding new routes.

“We are discussing with other airlines the possibility of launching new flights from Gyumri, in addition to Larnaca, Cyprus and Russian destinations,” the minister concluded.

Armenian Minister of Environment Hambardzum Matevosyan is participating in the G7 Environment Ministers’ meeting in Paris.

In a statement on social media, Matevosyan highlighted that the meeting format and agenda carry “special, historic significance in the context of shaping global environmental policy.”

“Prior to the start of the agenda discussions, I held cordial interactions and courtesy meetings with fellow ministers and heads of delegations, emphasizing the importance of deepening international cooperation and undertaking joint, coordinated actions,” he said.

The Armenian minister is participating in the meeting, held as part of the French G7 presidency, at the invitation of Monique Barbut, France’s Minister of Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, and Climate and Nature Negotiations.

Issues related to ocean conservation and restoration, biodiversity protection and financing mechanisms, as well as combating desertification, sustainable water resource management, and the interconnected challenges between the environment and health will be discussed, according to Matevosyan.

The outcomes of the meeting are expected to help shape common positions that will contribute to the decisions to be adopted at the G7 summit, as well as to the advancement of global biodiversity goals within the framework of COP17, which will be hosted by Armenia this year.

Armenian Minister of Environment Hambardzum Matevosyan attended a working session on biodiversity conservation and financing in Paris, held within the framework of the G7 Environment Ministers’ Meeting.

During the session, Minister Matevosyan addressed the current challenges in financing biodiversity conservation, emphasizing that both public and private financial resources remain insufficient and that existing financing systems lack coordination.

He highlighted the importance of integrating biodiversity financing across all areas of public policy and stressed the need for diverse financial instruments and innovative mechanisms. The minister also underscored the importance of establishing clear standards and rules to enable stronger private sector engagement.

Matevosyan further emphasized the need for a fair and inclusive approach, noting that financial flows should be accessible to local communities.

As Armenia prepares to host COP17, the minister reaffirmed readiness to support enhanced international cooperation and the development of effective biodiversity financing mechanisms. He noted that COP17 could serve as a platform not only for discussions but also for concrete action.