Armenia Diversifies and Balances its Foreign Policy

Garnik Tadevosian
Jamestown Foundation
April 22 2026

Armenia Diversifies and Balances its Foreign Policy

04.22.2026

Emil Avdaliani

Executive Summary:

  • Yerevan has been diversifying and developing a more balanced foreign policy I the past few years, in part through the signing of strategic cooperation agreements with multiple European and Asian countries.
  • Armenia’s defeat in the Second Karabakh war in 2020 and the loss of the enclave in 2023, alongside Russia’s failure to live up to its security guarantees during these conflicts, have strained Yerevan and Moscow’s relationship.
  • The goal of these new partnerships is not necessarily to end Armenia’s relationship with Russia, but is rather influenced by an evolving regional environment and Russia’s shifting role in the South Caucasus amid its war against Ukraine.

On April 1, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow (Prime Minister of Armenia, April 1). Putin effectively issued an ultimatum to Yerevan, demanding that it choose sides in Armenia’s foreign policy. The warning highlighted Armenia’s dilemma in practicing a balanced foreign policy. A cornerstone of Armenia’s foreign policy of the past few years has been the signing of strategic cooperation agreements with multiple European and Asian countries. The development has been notable given Yerevan’s more traditional reliance on Russia since the early 1990s. Despite efforts to diversify its partners, Yerevan faces limits to how far it can go in balancing its interests.

A key driver behind the shift in Yerevan’s balancing of foreign policy was Armenia’s defeat in the Second Karabakh War in 2020 and the subsequent loss of the enclave in 2023. In Yerevan’s view, Russia failed to provide sufficient security guarantees to Armenia, especially in 2021 and 2022, when its territory came under direct fire from Azerbaijan (Prime Minister of Armenia, September 24, 2023). This pushed Yerevan to reformat its ties with its longtime ally.

As a result, Armenia has increasingly turned toward the West and the East. One of the recent significant developments in Armenia’s partnerships is the strengthening relationship with the United States, including the Charter on Strategic Partnership Between the United States of America and the Republic of Armenia, signed in the final days of former U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration (U.S. Embassy in Armenia, January 15, 2025). Cooperation has continued under U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and even expanded through the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) and agreements signed during U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance’s visit to Armenia in February (see EDM, February 24, March 25). The most notable of these agreements includes cooperation in defense and security, such as surveillance drones, as well as in the construction of a nuclear power plant and the development of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (Prime Minister of Armenia, February 9).

Armenia has also been strengthening ties with the European Union. Initially based on the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, the partnership later included the deployment of the EU Mission to the Armenia–Azerbaijan border (see EDM, March 11, 2024). Relations between Brussels and Yerevan expanded into the EU–Armenia Strategic Agenda in December 2025, signaling deeper political dialogue and further cooperation on the visa liberalization process (European Commission, December 2, 2025). Yerevan will also host the eighth Summit of the European Political Community in May 2026 (Prime Minister of Armenia, April 6). The first EU–Armenia summit will be held alongside the meeting. This meeting will include a discussion on “strengthening bilateral relations in particular connectivity in energy, transport, and digital” alongside the developments in peace, security, and connectivity in the South Caucasus (European Council, March 26).

Cooperation with the European Union goes hand in hand with expanding ties with individual European countries. Among European countries, France is Armenia’s most active supporter. Armenia and France have strengthened their defense partnerships in recent years.  For example, in October 2023, France announced its agreement to sign future contracts with Armenia for the delivery of military equipment, and in 2024, France signed a contract with Armenia to sell CAESAR self-propelled howitzers (see EDM, November 6, 2023; Azatutyun, June 18, 2024). Other European countries, such as the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom, have also expanded cooperation with Armenia in recent years (U.K. Government, August 28, 2025; Armenpress, February 26). The Greece–Cyprus–Armenia trilateral format, which includes cooperation on defense coordination, training, and consultation on regional security, meets to discuss the three countries’ defense cooperation regularly (Armenian Ministry of Defense, May 10, 2022; Armenpress, December 20, 2024; Armenian Embassy to Greece, April 22). The increasing range in Armenia’s partnerships with Europe indicates a notable shift in the country’s calculus toward the European Union and the West in general as its relations with Russia decline.

Beyond Europe, Armenia has seen expanded cooperation to the east. In August 2025, Armenia and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) established a strategic partnership, including commitments to expand cooperation across the political, economic, cultural, and social fields (Prime Minister of Armenia, August 31, 2025). Armenia’s partnership with the PRC is not as close as those of the other two South Caucasus countries, but it serves as a tool for Armenia to tap into growing economic and investment opportunities arising from cooperation with the PRC. Armenia has also increased its ties with Kazakhstan. Kazakh Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev visited Yerevan on April 9. During the visit, he met with Pashinyan, where they discussed enhancing the two countries’ participation in the transport, transit, and trade sectors. During the meeting, they also discussed the implementation of the Roadmap for Trade and Economic Cooperation between the Governments of Kazakhstan and Armenia for 2026–2030 (Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, April 9).

The value of these various partnerships for Armenia ranges. This effort to diversify and balance Armenia’s foreign policy is one method to reduce reliance on Russia. On paper, Russia remains Armenia’s most potent strategic partner. The two became allies in the 1990s following the fall of the Soviet Union and have extensive bilateral relations in virtually all spheres, particularly in defense. Armenia has yet to make strategic agreements that sufficiently provide concrete security guarantees should a major conflict break out in the region, but Yerevan is taking steps to improve its own security capabilities and diversify its defense partnerships, most recently seen in the new arms deals with the United States.

Armenia’s strategic partnerships are not necessarily an effort to end its strategic partnership with Russia. Rather, they are dictated by a completely new geopolitical environment following its loss of control over Nagorno-Karabakh and the ongoing peace process with Azerbaijan, and Russia’s shifting calculus regarding its evolving alliances in the South Caucasus amid its war against Ukraine. Armenia is nevertheless likely to remain pragmatic and seek stable, mutually beneficial relations with Russia. This also means that the Russian military presence on Armenian soil is unlikely to go away any time soon, as it would undermine Armenia’s commitment to a balanced foreign policy.


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İstanbul Governor’s Office again bans Armenian genocide commemoration

Jhanna Virabian
April 23 2026

The İstanbul Governor’s Office has for the fourth consecutive year denied permission to hold a ceremony marking April 24, Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, the Agos daily reported.

The April 24 Commemoration Platform had applied to organize a memorial ceremony at the Süreyya Opera House in İstanbul’s Kadıköy district on April 24. As in the previous three years the governor’s office denied permission without providing any justification.

In a statement the platform reminded that commemorations had been held uninterrupted between 2010 and 2019 but said authorities began denying permission following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The platform said organizing a commemoration is a democratic right and protested the ban, calling on the officials to reconsider their decision.

The arrest and subsequent deportation of 2,234 members of İstanbul’s Armenian community on April 24, 1915, is widely regarded by the Armenians as the beginning of the genocide.

The Armenians, supported by a majority of historians and scholars, say 1.5 million of their people died in a genocide committed by the Union and Progress government of the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of Armenians and Turks died in the conflict but firmly rejects the characterization of the deaths as genocide.

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Exclave Issue In Armenia And Azerbaijan Seen Heating Up Again After June Vote

Tambiyan Samvel
Eurasia Review
April 23 2026
 April 23, 2026  

By Paul Goble

The four Azerbaijani exclaves in Armenia and the three Armenian ones in Azerbaijan, marked on Soviet maps but largely depopulated and destroyed during the Karabakh war and seldom mentioned since, are likely to heat up after the June elections in Armenia, according to Russian Aleksey Baliyev.

That is because in resolving the Karabakh dispute, he says, the two countries agreed to go back to the borders as established in Soviet times and thus must address the exclave issue as the two work to delimit and then demarcate the exact border between them and the likelihood that one or both sides will have to make concessions at odds with the feelings of their populations (vpoanalytics.com/konflikty/armeniya-azerbaydzhan-budet-li-obmen-anklavami/).

(Some 50 such exclaves existed at the end of Soviet times, but most have disappeared as residents have left or been pushed out by the governments of the territories on which they are located (windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2020/10/borders-and-enclaves-set-up-in-soviet.html and windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2021/08/ethnic-exclaves-other-than-qarabagh-add.html).)

Though small and in most cases either completely depopulated or with only a few remaining residents, all of these exclaves are symbolically important to both the country that wants to maintain them and the one that wants them to be abolished; but several of them are strategically important.

The most significant of these, Baliyev suggests, one which lies just north of the border of Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan, and a second through which land transport between Yerevan and Armenia’s Syunik Region, which not only lies between Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan but across a route Russia has long hoped to use as part of its north-south corridor to Iran.

The fate of these villages thus continues to agitate national pride, especially in Armenia, because any concessions or even some exchange with Azerbaijan would further reduce the size of the Republic of Armenia, an especially sensitive issue given Yerevan’s loss of Karabakh and the way that still agitates refugees from there and Armenians more generally

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Armenian national pleads guilty in Texas to smuggling U.S. tech to Russia

Edgar Tavakalian
Fox 7 Austin
April 23 2026
By Joseph Rowe


The Brief

    • Armenian national Kamo Kirakosyan pleaded guilty to illegally exporting U.S. goods, including semiconductor components, to Russia via Armenia.
    • The scheme aimed to evade U.S. sanctions imposed after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by using straw purchases and false end-user information.
    • Kirakosyan faces up to five years in federal prison, with a sentencing date yet to be determined by a federal judge.

AUSTIN, Texas – An Armenian national pleaded guilty on Wednesday to taking part in a scheme to illegally export U.S. goods to Russia through Armenia, violating federal export laws, according to a federal court in Austin.

Guilty plea in semiconductor export conspiracy

What we know:

Federal prosecutors say Kamo Kirakosyan admitted to conspiring with others from February 2022 through at least August 2024 to export and reexport items subject to U.S. Export Administration Regulations without obtaining required licenses from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security.

The goods include items that could be used in semiconductor manufacturing.

According to court documents, Kirakosyan acted as a straw purchaser for co-conspirators shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, when the United States imposed expanded sanctions and export restrictions on Moscow.

Evading sanctions via Armenian “straw purchases”

What they’re saying:

Authorities said Kirakosyan falsely represented himself to U.S. companies as the end buyer in Armenia while concealing that the goods were destined for Russia. Despite requests from U.S. companies for end-user information, prosecutors said he did not provide truthful details.

As part of the scheme, Kirakosyan also instructed a co-conspirator to open a bank account in Armenia to help evade sanctions, according to court records.

Federal charges and extradition from Germany

Dig deeper:

One of the companies involved in the conspiracy was placed on the U.S. Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals list on Feb. 23, 2023, subjecting it to blocking sanctions and prohibiting transactions with U.S. individuals and entities.

Kirakosyan was initially charged in July 2024 and was extradited from Germany to the United States in August 2025. 

Sentencing, maximum penalties

He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and faces up to five years in prison. A federal judge will determine his sentence at a later date.

The Source: U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced the plea.

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WCC remembers 111th anniversary of Armenian Genocide, lifts prayers for healin

Andranik Taslakhchian
World Council of Churches
April 23 2026

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, on the occasion of the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, joined Armenians around the world, and especially the Armenian Apostolic Church, in solemn remembrance and prayer.

“We mourn the lives lost, the communities destroyed, and the enduring pain carried across generations,” said Pillay. “This commemoration is not only an act of memory, but also a call to conscience, reminding the global community of the urgent responsibility to uphold human dignity, truth, and justice.”

Pillay also recalled with deep concern the forced displacement and suffering of Armenians from Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023, which resulted in the mass exodus of an entire population from their ancestral homeland. “The World Council of Churches stands in solidarity with all those affected, lifting prayers for healing, protection, and the restoration of rights and dignity,” said Pillay. “At the same time, we welcome ongoing efforts toward dialogue and peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

Pillay emphasized that a just and lasting peace must be grounded in full respect for international law, including the right of displaced people to return safely and with dignity, the protection of religious and cultural heritage, and the safeguarding of fundamental human rights. “We also call for the release of all remaining prisoners held in Azerbaijan,” he said. “Peace must be built on justice, truth, and accountability to be sustainable.”

Pillay reaffirmed the WCC’s commitment to walk alongside the Armenian people and its member church, bearing witness to their suffering and hope. “We pray for reconciliation, for truth to prevail, and for a future where such tragedies are never repeated,” he concluded.

In remembrance and hope: WCC statement on the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

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In remembrance and hope: WCC statement on the 111th anniversary of the Armenia

Jagharian Tania
World Council of Churches
April 23 2026

On the occasion of the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the World Council of Churches joins Armenians around the world, and especially the Armenian Apostolic Church, in solemn remembrance and prayer.

We mourn the lives lost, the communities destroyed, and the enduring pain carried across generations. This commemoration is not only an act of memory, but also a call to conscience, reminding the global community of the urgent responsibility to uphold human dignity, truth, and justice.

In this spirit, we also recall with deep concern the forced displacement and suffering of Armenians from Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023, which resulted in the mass exodus of an entire population from their ancestral homeland. The World Council of Churches stands in solidarity with all those affected, lifting prayers for healing, protection, and the restoration of rights and dignity.

At the same time, we welcome ongoing efforts toward dialogue and peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We emphasize that a just and lasting peace must be grounded in full respect for international law, including the right of displaced people to return safely and with dignity, the protection of religious and cultural heritage, and the safeguarding of fundamental human rights. We also call for the release of all remaining prisoners held in Azerbaijan. Peace must be built on justice, truth, and accountability to be sustainable.

In this time of remembrance, the World Council of Churches reaffirms its commitment to walk alongside the Armenian people and its member church, bearing witness to their suffering and hope. We pray for reconciliation, for truth to prevail, and for a future where such tragedies are never repeated.

Prayer
“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear my voice;
let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplication.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope.” (cf. Psalm 130)

May God grant peace, justice, and comfort to all.

Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay
General Secretary
World Council of Churches


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Satellite imagery suggests Stepanakert’s main church destroyed by Azerbaijan

Bedik Zaminian
OC Media
April 23 2026

Satellite imagery analysis has suggested that Azerbaijan destroyed the Holy Mother of God Cathedral, the main Armenian church in Stepanakert. The church was the largest among Armenian churches in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenian investigative outlet Hetq was among the first to verify reports of the church’s demolition circulating online. Images taken by the European Sentinel-2 satellite as of 2 April showed ‘the white paving stones surrounding the Mother Cathedral, but not the church itself’.

The church was still standing as of 3 March, Hetq said, publishing supporting imagery.

Construction of the church began in 2006; it was consecrated in April 2019. Located in central Stepanakert, it served as the region’s primary church, and was also used as a shelter during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020 and during subsequent escalations with Azerbaijan, providing refuge from Azerbaijani air strikes.

Earlier in April, it was reported that another church in Stepanakert, Surb Hakob, built in 2007, was also destroyed.

RFE/RL has failed to get any comment from Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry regarding the reported demolition. Instead Azerbaijani pro-government media outlet APA published a lengthy piece on Wednesday pointing at Armenia’s ‘responsibility for acts of vandalism against Azerbaijan’s religious monuments’ in Nagorno-Karabakh and beyond. APA has further claimed that Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh appropriated religious sites in the region.

The demolition of the church has been widely criticised in Armenia, with Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians and government critics blaming Armenian authorities for failing to ensure the preservation of the region’s cultural heritage.

The Artsakh Union, an non-governmental organisation focused on the protection of the rights and interests of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, urged Yerevan to ‘reconsider its encouraging inaction and rhetoric’.

The union allegedly was referring to a remark offered by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during an 18 April press briefing when asked to comment on the reports of the church’s destruction.

‘My concern is the historical and cultural monuments located in the territory of Armenia’, Pashinyan said, adding that they had tripled the funding for their restoration.

On Thursday, when asked about the same issue, Pashinyan said his government was currently obtaining complete information and expressed their reluctance to make the destruction ‘a subject of international discussions at the state level’.

‘On such issues, especially at this stage, one must be prudent, because they are a double-edged sword’, Pashinyan said.

He earlier stressed the importance of stopping mutual recriminations amidst peace efforts.

Pashinyan’s calls for end to ‘mirrored’ genocide accusations appear to go unheard in Azerbaijan

Stepanakert and other areas in Nagorno-Karabakh have undergone major changes since Azerbaijan took full control over the region in September 2023 following a lightning offensive that forced the vast majority of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenians into exile.

Azerbaijani authorities often state that some buildings were constructed ‘illegally’ and were therefore subject to demolition. However, alongside newer structures, centuries-old sites have also been affected.

The damaged and destroyed cultural heritage sites include centuries-old spiritual sites and cemeteries, residential quarters in Stepanakert dating back to the 19th and 20th centuries, former government buildings, and entire villages, in addition to property owned by Armenians before their exodus.

In 2022, Azerbaijan’s then-Culture Minister Anar Karimov, citing a fringe historical theory, threatened to destroy Armenian inscriptions on religious monuments throughout territories Azerbaijan retook in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Azerbaijan reportedly destroys Armenian church in Shusha

For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.


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Fwd: They justified that defeat by saying that it was necessary to save Armenia. Raff

Jane Topchian
They justified that defeat by saying that it was necessary to save Armenia

“Heritage spared no effort to have a big consolidation solution, which should have been a big alliance. That’s why we worked with different forces, also with the representatives of Mr. Karapetyan, which would be a great united force, of which “Heritage” would be a part,” Raffi Hovhannisyan, the founder of the “Heritage” party, said in a conversation with “A1”, referring to the efforts to unify the opposition.

Along with other parties, “Heritage” was also negotiating with Samvel Karapetyan’s “Strong Armenia” party to create a pre-election alliance. But that consolidation did not happen. And a few days ago, “Heritage” announced that it simply supports “Strong Armenia”, but will not participate in the elections.

According to the presentation of the founder of “Heritage”, they proposed their formula for success and victory, which had a value, program and ideological basis, but at the end of the discussions, they did not come to a common denominator. And according to his presentation, perhaps as a result of various measurements or studies, they changed their mind and decided to go with a “smaller, technical alliance”. And in his words, gathered around Samvel Karapetyan, “the movement with a national perspective became partisan.”

“And “Heritage”, coming to the harsh reality that there may be polling of votes, decided to support the movement gathered around Karapetyan. We strived for great unity, which would increase the probability of winning, of success, we did not make additional demands, that changed. But “Heritage” was not offended by that,” added Raffi Hovhannisyan.

Details in the video.


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Fwd: On June 8, we will celebrate the start of our revival. Raffi Hovhannisyan

Emil Lazarian

On June 8, we will celebrate the start of our revival

During the interview
Raffi Hovhannisyan spoke about the decision not to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
about their probable outcome and other issues. He specifically noted: “It is also important that the policy
that will come to replace today’s politics, be Armenian-centric. regardless of
where did Mr. Karapetyan earn his wealth or where did his charity come from?
(in Armenia and Artsakh he did a huge amount of charity), regardless of the fact that he
In addition to being a citizen of the Republic of Armenia, he was also a citizen of another country (as I was an American and came to Armenia).
we should be able, as individuals, leaders, oppositionists, to be Armenian-centric
in our approaches. We should do everything so that this election does not turn into a geopolitical dilemma
question One is pro-European, the other is pro-Russian.
That “pro-Russianism”, in my opinion, should leave the vocabulary of the opposition, and “Westernism”, i.e. the European Union
becoming a member…I can say one thing: Armenia under this government
will never become a member of the European Union or bearer of its true values. This power
can show itself closer to Russia, now it is the European direction
trying to serve the people, but here there is no connection between civilization and European
with values»:

 

Details here.


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Pashinyan confirms reconciliation with long-time partner Anna Hakobyan

Antonian Lara
OC Media
April 23 2026

by Gunef Yedic

Nikol Pashinyan has confirmed he and his long-time partner Anna Hakobyan have reconciled, months after she publicly announced their separation.

Speaking at a press briefing, Pashinyan said he had actively worked toward the reconciliation after Hakobyan’s announcement in February 2026.

He told the reporters that when the statement was made by Hakobyan, he said that he  ‘respects that decision’, but did not say that he 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.’

The prime minister’s comments came days after the couple was seen in Gyumri, Armenia’s second-largest city, on 19 April walking and drinking coffee together, after Hakobyan took part in Pashinyan’s motorcade. The visit was tied to the opening of the Ashtrak–Gyumri section of the North-South highway, and included a pre-election concert organised by Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party, which also saw Pashinyan playing drums.

Before Gyumri, Hakobyan was also spotted passing behind Pashinyan in one of his social media videos at the prime minister’s residence.

Hakobyan and Pashinyan had been in a common-law relationship for nearly 30 years. The couple were never legally married, though Hakobyan was widely referred to as the prime minister Pashinyan’s wife. The couple have four children.

Hakobyan had announced the end of their relationship in a video she published on Facebook in February, saying only that the matter was not open for discussion and that she would be moving out of the prime minister’s official residence. She did not give a reason for the split.

At the time, Pashinyan released a short statement saying he respected her decision, and apologised for ‘any pain’ he may have caused her over their 30 years together.

Hakobyan, who serves as editor-in-chief of the newspaper Armenian Times and as executive director of the education-focused My Step foundation, had been a prominent public figure in her own right throughout Pashinyan’s tenure in office.

When she announced the separation in February, Hakobyan acknowledged that she could face criminal prosecution over her work at My Step, amid questions about whether the foundation’s provision of free English classes during the pre-election period had violated Armenia’s campaign laws.

At the time of her announcement, some analysts suggested the split may have been a political manoeuvre ahead of elections, and that a reconciliation was possible.

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