March: 26, 2026
Arman Tatoyan, head of the “Wings of Unity” political initiative, writes: “A mistake born of incompetence is often more dangerous than the crime itself.
Today’s announcement by the Prime Minister of Armenia [Nikol Pashinyan] that he is abandoning the agenda of “restoring historical justice” is a mistake born of strategic incompetence.
If the crime can be prevented or condemned, then the inability [that is strategic] cannot be corrected later. it simply destroys what existed.
Germany has not erased the memory of the Holocaust and has become the main ally of Israel in Europe. Israel itself has built one of the strongest states in the region on memory.
India has not given up the colonial trauma narrative and trades with Britain, the traumatized country, on its own terms. Spain has turned its common history with Latin America, full of victims, blood and pain, into a civilizational project. “Hispanidad” has become an instrument of influence over twenty countries.
The Europe we aspire to has built its integration on the very memory of the Second World War. “never again” has become not a rejection of the past, but a basis for the future.
None of them chose between the true memory of the people and today’s false media reality. All of them turned memory into a tool for working with reality.
Armenia has not learned this yet. The right answer to not knowing is not to give up. The correct answer is to learn.
This is what it means to be specific.
Diplomacy: Genocide Recognition Program: Recognition by at least five new countries within four years. Not announcements, but parliamentary votes with a clear program for each country.
Right: international lawsuit regarding the rights of Artsakh Armenians to the International Court of Justice or the European Court of Human Rights. A lost property register as a basis for future legal claims.
Institutes a compulsory course in schools on historical memory – not just a date on the calendar, but a subject. Artsakh Armenian Heritage State Documentation Center.
Memory is not a ritual. It is work.
And that is exactly what we will do.”
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168: If the Head of the State Says: “I will not be there, there will be a war”, that means
March: 26, 2026
«Pressing” program Satik Seyranyan the guest Karen Bekaryan, political scientist, is the chairman of the board of “Hayatsk” analytical center։
The main theses of the interview are below.
- I am sorry that according to the ruling power, there are people in our society who can take meaning from Pashinyan’s statement. If the head of the state says that there will be a war without me, it means that the state does not exist. Even if we accept that he is right and there is such a thing in reality, then Pashinyan has brought the state to completion. The same man who brought Trump here as a witness on August 8th has been PRing for months that peace is guaranteed. If you say before that, guarantors, mediators do not guarantee peace, how about Trump’s participation in PR, which, as he later revealed the opposition participated only as a witness.
The same Pashinyan announced during the 44-day war that Turkey has come to finish the Armenian Genocide. What happened now, did Turkey promise itself, did it swear that there would be no more war, or did it say that there is already peace, so what kind of war are we talking about?
We are now dealing with a government, a political force that came to power in 2018, in 2020 we had a war, in 2021 he was re-elected, on the 23rd there was the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, various military operations, again victims, invasions of the territories of Armenia, now he has come again and says to be elected so that there will be no war. This is the most humiliating treatment imaginable towards one’s own people. This has put people on their asses. with what plan did he come to power, and what is he doing now? do they intersect with each other? they don’t have. He experiments on people and says he is learning. As a result of your studies, people die, disasters occur, we experience territorial losses… If we read something like this about other countries, we will not believe it.…
- 2023 after the cases of forced displacement, Azerbaijan made a very transparent leak about the fact that the Armenian authorities were informed about what happened. It has not been denied to this day:
- You tell the public that there is peace, there is no war. A little later, you say to the same public: “Don’t be me, they will start a war.” Did you decide with Aliyev, did you decide with each other?
- In Armenia, we have a situation where external forces are involved in our internal agenda, in the form of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, US Vice President JD Vance. The European community is holding a summit in Yerevan right before the elections, don’t they understand what they are doing? This is nothing but interference in the internal affairs of another state: But Ornibu speak of hybrid attacks. Where are you, where is democracy? You have turned Armenia into chaos, what kind of market is it? These are facts and the public should try to deal with this.
- There is a certain amount of hysteria that is born of fear. Neither he nor Aliyev have any complications. They say what they want… Lack of sophistication has led to red lines being crossed a long time ago. In other words, it is possible to have a process on the blood of thousands of people, and then say that I made a mistake. People used to say, “Artsakh is Armenia, and that’s it,” now they say, “Artsakh is Azerbaijan, and that’s it.” Where can there be a belief that tomorrow he will not say: “So much of Armenia is Armenia, so much is Azerbaijan”:
- Today, Europe, as a set of political associations, is in a rather serious state of turmoil, it may be divided in general. US-Europe security rifts have caused quite serious crises in Europe. In addition, at the decision-making level, the EU is a catastrophically slow body. There are extreme anti-Russians among European political elites, and anyone who crosses their line becomes the apple of their eye. But there is also a section that is catastrophically tired of the Zelenskys, and anyone who can create the state that Zelensky created becomes a thorn in their side. To say that there is a sign of respect for the Armenian government in Europe, of course there is none. because apart from today’s realities, there is the so-called institutional memory in Europe. They certainly haven’t forgotten in Europe that Pashinyan complained about the amount of financial support given by the Europeans, he said: “What kind of money is that? If I put it in the pocket of an oligarch, that much money will be poured out.” We have a European public that is in shock, because what the European elites are doing hits their pockets, and this brings with it quite serious opposition to the authorities of their countries. Conventionally speaking, this creates good opportunities for right-wing forces carrying a national ideology in Europe during elections.
- If some part of our society thinks that in the medium term the European wing has a hint of respect for our government, they are sorely mistaken. Sooner or later the perception will come in Europe, because this is a hotbed of new headaches. When Europeans raise their bowed heads, they will see something completely different.
- When you destroy your foundation, it doesn’t go unnoticed. Europe has destroyed its foundation by abandoning national and real values in favor of political interests. You can be patted on the head under the political, but the political is in a very serious conflict with the civilized, and this must be taken into account.
- USA entered our region with TRIPP. The same Trump says about our region in one of his interviews: this is Putin’s territory. Seeing this, what should the European think, the European for whom we are in the same area? This becomes another source of conflict for him, which they do not need at all. Today’s political agendas are rattling, experiencing a crisis.
- An artificial impression is created that this government of Armenia is pro-Western, that it allegedly came to free us from the Russian yoke and lead us to a bright future. Dear people, why do you think so? Isn’t there a different reality beyond the statements: we stayed in the CSTO, we stayed in the EAEU, the Russian military base is located in Armenia. So what’s that base doing here if you’re afraid of hybrid attacks? You are talking about TRIPP, where is your contract? is In fact, it was a PR campaign that needed the participation of high-ranking people to be taken seriously. In other words, his anti-Russian speech and reality are on a different level. But this does not mean that they are pro-Russian, they are pro-President:
- TRIPP is discussed with Azerbaijan, it is talked about in Azerbaijan more than it is interpreted or explained there, but at the same time there is no document with legal force.
- US Vice President Vance says here that we have finished the negotiations with Armenia regarding nuclear modular reactors, 3-4 days pass, one of the members of the RA government says that we have not decided with which country we will do the modular reactors. Could this have been one of the sufficient reasons not to sign the document later? Could the USA say, “Are you putting us in a crazy place too? I sent a vice president, you signed a document, and then you say, ‘We don’t know with whom we will do the modular project.'”:
- In order to help Nikol Pashinyan in the elections, the European bureaucracy can afford to declare that we are liberalizing the visa regime during the European Summit or afterwards, and then cancel it under any pretext after the elections. Our society needs to keep this in mind:
- The European community is rattling within itself, and how it will get out of this situation is hard to say. In Europe, there are serious opponents and extreme opponents of Turkey’s EU membership, because there are still fears among the European communities that by becoming a member of the EU, Turkey will spread its politics, its discussion and culture to larger territories in Europe, and it is not Turkey that will become European, but Europe that will become Turkish. They have the same fears of the Russians. Today’s Europe is not ready to take a serious step.
- The behavior of this government is not adequate in any matter, therefore, it could not be expected that they could be adequate in the matter of Iran. We are right next door to Iran, and God forbid, if a ground operation starts, what could happen to us?
- The authorities of Azerbaijan are now trying not to make unnecessary statements about Iran, to wait, and this is the right decision, otherwise the consequences could be disastrous.
- There is an expectation from the opposition political forces that they will first be able to request and receive their own vote and not harm each other in the process. And let’s hope that this government will not lead Armenia to another irreversible turning point in the 2 months before the elections.
- Is this government behaving and behaving in such a way that one can hope for clean and fair electoral processes? There is 2021 election experience, when the opposition fell into the same trap.
- We’ve gotten a public in recent years that is easy to mislead like this. One should care enough for one’s own state to try to bring the truth to everyone to the end. You have to try to explain the reality to people.
Details in the video.
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RFE/RL – Armenia To Display Newly Acquired Weapons On Republic Day
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has announced plans for displaying modern weapons acquired by Armenia in recent years in what he described as an “accountability event rather than a military parade” to be held in Yerevan later this spring.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Pashinian said the event will take place in Yerevan’s main Republic Square on May 28, which is marked as Republic Day in Armenia.
He said the Armenian government has been consulting international partners to ensure the display is not perceived as a shift away from Armenia’s peace agenda.
“A military parade is a very delicate phenomenon and can also create the impression of deviation from and abandonment of the peace agenda,” Pashinian said, referring to Armenia’s recent agreements with Azerbaijan aimed at ending more than three decades of conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.
“We are working and will continue to work with our partners in the international community, including the countries of the region, so that they do not perceive it in any way as an abandonment of the peace agenda,” he added.
Armenia last held a parade featuring military hardware in the capital’s Republic Square in 2016, marking the 25th anniversary of independence.
Armenia relied mostly on Russia-supplied weapons before and shortly after the 2020 war with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh in which Armenian forces suffered a defeat.
After effectively suspending its membership in the Russia-led defense alliance of several former Soviet countries, Armenia has shifted to purchasing arms from other countries, primarily India and France.
Since 2022, Armenia has reportedly acquired a range of modern military equipment from those countries, including air defense missile systems, radars, rocket launchers, howitzers, anti-tank rockets, armored personnel carriers, as well as anti-drone and night-vision systems.
Defense Minister Suren Papikian told parliament on Wednesday that Armenia has significantly increased its spending on military purchases in recent years. He said that between 2022 and 2025, the country spent more than five times as much on weapons procurement as it did during the 20-year period from 1998 to 2018. He did not provide specific figures.
Local media reported weeks earlier that the authorities were planning a military parade on May 28, which falls 10 days before parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7. In those elections, Pashinian and his Civil Contract party are seeking reelection. Opposition groups have dismissed the planned event as a pre-election show by the government.
At the press briefing, Pashinian sought to downplay the timing, recalling his earlier promise to demonstrate the newly acquired weaponry to small groups of citizens. He said, however, that the number of requests was overwhelming, making such an approach impractical, while also raising concerns about information being disseminated in a “partly distorted” form.
“That’s why it is better to show it [in a parade],” he said. “I believe it will be quite an impressive spectacle for the citizens of the Republic of Armenia.”
https://www.azatutyun.am/a/33717047.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawQzBepleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeZ7PHsOlcu3JWM99a7DuHJWsxGnbRlAT7sCwfy6NFu6esVNbrm-XS60CI3Jc_aem_-b6lIf-uPokeqTTEDGU0BQ
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Two Detained After Altercation With Parliament Speaker In Yerevan
- Ruzanna Stepanian
Two men were detained by police following an incident near the Armenian National Assembly building in Yerevan involving Parliament Speaker Alen Simonian.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs did not immediately disclose the grounds for the detentions.
Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, Arsen Ghukasian, a relative of a soldier missing in action from the 2020 Karabakh war, identified the detained individuals as activist Mikael Markarian and Arsen Vardanian, a member of the little-known Pan-Armenian Front party.
The incident occurred on a street adjacent to the parliament building and involved an exchange of insults between the parties.
Relatives of soldiers missing from the 2020 war have been gathering outside the National Assembly for several days, calling on lawmakers to publish a report with findings on the conflict. The report was prepared in 2025 by an ad hoc parliamentary committee. However, the committee’s head, Andranik Kocharian, said its public release was blocked by Simonian.
Video from a live broadcast on Markarian’s Facebook page indicates that the altercation began after Simonian declined to speak with the activist. Footage shows both sides using offensive language, with each accusing the other of initiating the verbal abuse.
In a video posted on social media later on Thursday, Simonian described what happened in the street as “a series of provocations.”
Noting that the incident occurred near a gathering of families of missing soldiers, the parliament speaker described it as “regrettable” and “disgusting,” saying that “some people attempt to exploit the tragedy of these individuals for political purposes to boost their live broadcasts and ratings through such provocations.”
“This provocation will not succeed,” Simonian added.
The confrontation is the latest in a series of public incidents involving Simonian, a senior member of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s Civil Contract party.
In 2023, Simonian ordered his bodyguards to overpower a heckler at a popular dining area in central Yerevan before spitting in his face after the man branded him a “traitor.” In 2024, Simonian again directed his bodyguards to intervene against a woman from Nagorno-Karabakh who confronted him at a military cemetery in Yerevan, calling her a “garbage cat.”
In November 2025, Armenia’s National Security Service arrested two opposition activists and podcasters after Simonian accused them of verbally abusing him during a podcast. The two were charged with hooliganism but denied the accusations, saying they were responding to offensive language used by Simonian.
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RFE/RL – Armenian Prime Minister Rejects ‘Historical Justice’ Agenda
- Shoghik Galstian
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Thursday that, as head of the Armenian government, he refused to pursue what he described as an agenda of “restoring historical justice,” arguing instead for a focus on building a “just reality.”
“I believe we should pursue a just reality, not the restoration of historical justice,” Pashinian told a press briefing. “The more we pursue historical justice, the more we will face new historical injustices.”
His remarks come ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7.
Addressing the 2023 displacement of more than 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh following Azerbaijan’s military takeover of the region, Pashinian refrained from characterizing it as “ethnic cleansing.” He said such language would deepen tensions.
“I consider this narrative to be harmful,” he said. “Because we can say ‘ethnic cleansing,’ and they will mirror that accusation… This means entering a path of conflict.”
Instead, Pashinian said his government’s priority is to ensure housing, employment, security, and rights for those displaced, as well as for citizens of Armenia more broadly.
He added that recent discussions with citizens during pre-election visits had given him the confidence to publicly address sensitive issues. “I see that this directly relates to the desires, goals and aspirations of the people of Armenia, so we will go that way,” the prime minister said.
Pashinian also urged voters to support his approach in the upcoming elections. “I believe that the people should stand up for this strategy, and I am sure they will,” he said.
Earlier in the day, speaking at a cabinet meeting, Pashinian criticized what he called “tendencies” to keep displaced Karabakh Armenians in a “refugee status.” He reiterated his government’s position that, while the opposition emphasizes the right of return, such a prospect is unrealistic and risks renewed conflict with Azerbaijan.
He argued that lasting peace requires not only agreements with Azerbaijan but also a shift in public mindset within Armenia. “Peace is not only an agreement, but a state of mind,” Pashinian said.
During the press briefing, Pashinian reiterated that, in the upcoming elections, his Civil Contract party will seek a constitutional majority in parliament, which would allow it to pursue a new constitution without a reference to the 1990 Declaration of Independence in its preamble.
The declaration cites a 1989 act on unification between Soviet Armenia and the then Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast within Soviet Azerbaijan, which Baku views as a territorial claim. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly said that signing a peace deal with Armenia is contingent on the removal of the reference from Armenia’s constitution. Under Armenian law, this can only be done through a national referendum.
“We are the ones who, first of all, need a new constitution without the reference to the Declaration of Independence, because it will allow us to have a lasting state in this region,” the prime minister said.
Asked what his government will do if the new constitution fails to pass in the referendum, Pashinian said it would pursue a new one. “We will go and persuade our people, explain to them. We have no problem. I am convinced that whatever we discuss with our people honestly and fairly, they will understand, because we are representatives of our people,” he added.
Armenia’s main opposition groups reject the policies adopted by the Pashinian government in the wake of a series of military defeats to Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh and in subsequent border clashes. They argue that a peace deal reached at the expense of what they view as unilateral concessions by Armenia is unsustainable and call for its renegotiation.
Pashinian warned last week that any attempt to revise the agreements reached with Baku at a Washington summit last year will result in an “inevitable” war with “disastrous” consequences for Armenia. He also said that his political opponents’ election platforms aim to undermine what he described as the current peace with Azerbaijan. Opposition groups rejected that claim, calling it an attempt to intimidate voters ahead of the elections.
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Russia’s Influence Continues to Decline in Azerbaijan and Armenia
Russia’s Influence Continues to Decline in Azerbaijan and Armenia
Executive Summary:
- U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance’s visits to Armenia and Azerbaijan in February 2026 are the most recent major indications of Baku and Yerevan’s increasing diplomatic engagement with the West and distancing from Moscow.
- Moscow’s influence in Azerbaijan and Armenia has declined sharply since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Moscow can no longer sustain the force posture that underpinned its role as the South Caucasus’s security guarantor.
- Development of the Middle Corridor, TRIPP, Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline, and Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline all demonstrate that the South Caucasus is evolving into an energy and logistics hub independent of Russian leverage.
Moscow’s influence in Azerbaijan and Armenia has declined sharply since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. With hundreds of thousands of troops occupied in Ukraine and an economic crisis at home, Moscow can no longer sustain the force posture that underpinned its role as the South Caucasus’s security guarantor. The clearest evidence came in September 2023, when Russian peacekeepers stood by as Azerbaijan launched military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh and quickly gained control of the territory. In the week following, more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians fled Nagorno-Karabakh—most of the population of the effectively Armenia-controlled region, which then had a population of around 120,000. Russia’s deterrence against military action in the region had effectively collapsed, and the local government was fully disbanded on January 1, 2024 (OC Media, September 20, 2023).
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance’s visits to Armenia and Azerbaijan in February is the most recent major indication of Baku and Yerevan’s increasing diplomatic engagement with the West and distancing from Moscow (see EDM, February 24). Vance signed a framework for up to $9 billion in U.S. nuclear investment in Armenia, a direct challenge to Rosatom’s control over Yerevan’s Metsamor plant, which generates roughly 40 percent of the country’s electricity. Armenia also secured access to NVIDIA chips and an $11 million surveillance drone deal, the first U.S. defense technology transfer to Armenia. In Baku, Vance signed a Strategic Partnership Charter and agreed to supply patrol boats for Azerbaijan’s Caspian waters. One Russian newspaper reported the visit occasioned disappointment, annoyance, and a sense of helplessness in Moscow (Kommersant, February 10; Aze.media, February 12). The trip followed the August 2025 Washington Peace Summit, at which Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and U.S. President Donald Trump signed a seven-point joint pledge to continue pursuing peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia (see EDM, August 12, 2025, February 10). European Council President António Costa’s March 11 meeting with Aliyev likewise demonstrates Baku’s growing engagement with the European Union (see EDM, March 24)
Azerbaijan consolidated full authority over the Lachin Corridor, the only road linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, after restoring its control over Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023. After the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Moscow had been explicitly mandated to secure this road. In late 2022, however, Azerbaijani actors blocked the corridor, while Russian peacekeepers stood by (OC Media, August 31, 2023). After Baku’s September 2023 offensive and the dissolution of Armenia-controlled authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh, Russia allowed Azerbaijan to replace it as the corridor’s gatekeeper. Russia’s inaction evaporated Armenian and Azerbaijani trust in Russian security guarantees (Novaya Gazeta; Interfax, December 27, 2022).
Armenia and Azerbaijan no longer rely on Russia alone to mediate their conflicts, with increasing U.S. and EU involvement. Baku increasingly relies on Türkiye for military and diplomatic partnership. In the 1990s and into the 2000s, Russia was Azerbaijan’s largest trading partner. It now ranks third for overall trade with Azerbaijan, after Italy and Türkiye, and second in imports after the People’s Republic of China (PRC) (see EDM, May 1, 2025). Russia remains Armenia’s largest trading partner for both imports and exports, but its overall trade share is declining (Eurasianet, November 1, 2023).
Russia’s relationship with Azerbaijan has deteriorated since 2023. The December 2024 Azerbaijan Airlines crash near Aktau, Kazakhstan, added a volatile dimension when leaked audio raised credible allegations that Russian air defense systems downed the aircraft (see EDM, May 20, 2025; Minval Politika, July 1, 2025). In June 2025, a police raid in Russia that killed two Azerbaijani nationals further inflamed bilateral relations (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, July 1, 2025; see EDM, July 7, 2025). Azerbaijan’s shift from Russian-origin military platforms, which has been underway since Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones proved decisive in Azerbaijan’s 2020 offensive, is accelerating, with Baku sourcing systems from Türkiye and Israel (Civil Net, April 1, 2024). Ankara has been the most decisive regional actor in occupying the space Russia vacated. The Shusha Declaration of June 2021 formalized a comprehensive defense alliance with Azerbaijan, and Türkiye’s energy engagement across the Caucasus and Central Asia is expanding rapidly (President of Azerbaijan, June 16, 2021; CACI Analyst, March 27, 2024).
Russia’s failure to back Armenia in the 2020 and 2023 Karabakh conflicts has driven Yerevan toward effectively divorcing its security from Moscow (see EDM, January 15). Disillusioned by the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s ineffectiveness, Pashinyan’s government suspended Armenia’s participation in the organization and has pursued Western partnerships since (Novaya Gazeta, February 24, 2024; Andalou, February 23, 2024; see EDM, March 5, 2024).
Pashinyan’s June 2025 visit to Istanbul signaled Yerevan’s intent to diversify security dependencies and pursue more multi-vector diplomacy. Around the same time, Moscow echoed the Armenian Apostolic Church’s criticism of Pashinyan, which some in Pashinyan’s administration took as a Russian attempt to undermine Pashinyan’s support within Armenia and among its diaspora (Armenian Weekly, June 17, 2025; see EDM, July 23, 2025). Russian Minister Sergei Lavrov said, “[Russia] would very much not like this church to be subjected to unjustified attacks essentially without any serious grounds,” prompting Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan to accuse Russia of meddling in Armenian affairs (Azatutyun, June 30, 2025).
The centerpiece of Washington’s engagement with Azerbaijan and Armenia is the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). The TRIPP, formerly known as the Zangezur Corridor in Azerbaijan, is a 43-kilometer (26.7-mile) road-and-rail corridor through Armenian territory linking Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave (see EDM, October 15, 2025). Aliyev and Pashinyan agreed to allow the United States to manage the route under a lease of up to 99 years during their August 2025 meeting at the White House. The project transforms the Zangezur question from a source of conflict into a U.S.-managed commercial artery bypassing both Russia and Iran (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, February 6).
The Zangezur question, now reframed through TRIPP, remains the sharpest test of Russia’s residual leverage. Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) border guards have long manned access points along the Armenian–Iranian border, and whether Moscow retains any role in the corridor’s security framework will measure its remaining influence. Ankara’s cooperation with Yerevan and Baku is pragmatic, not confrontational. Türkiye’s energy dependence on Russia, possession of Russian S-400 air defenses, and Russia–Türkiye cooperation in Syria impose limits on Ankara’s willingness to upset Moscow. For Moscow, Turkish advances may be a preferable alternative to deeper Western penetration in Azerbaijan and Armenia, as they represent a form of competitive cooperation rather than outright rivalry. Iran views both the original Zangezur concept and the U.S.-managed TRIPP as threats. Either could consolidate a corridor from Türkiye to Central Asia, diminishing Iran’s geographic leverage, disrupting Iran–Armenia trade routes, and reducing the relevance of its Aras Corridor project (see EDM, September 11, 2025).
The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, or the Middle Corridor), which links the PRC to Europe via Kazakhstan, is another connectivity project emerging as a viable alternative to Russian-controlled routes (see EDM, December 4, 2025). Georgia’s Anaklia Deep Sea Port would be one anchor of the network, though Georgian Dream’s increasingly Moscow-leaning posture introduces political risk (see EDM, November 20, 2025). The TITR, TRIPP, Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, and Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) all indicate that the South Caucasus is evolving into an energy and logistics hub independent of Russian leverage.
The South Caucasus is shifting from a Russian-dominated space to a contested multipolar arena in which the United States has emerged as an active player for the first time in decades. The region’s near-term trajectory will be shaped by first, whether Washington follows through on TRIPP, nuclear investments, and defense transfers or whether its engagement proves episodic; second, Türkiye’s response to a U.S.-managed corridor (TRIPP) on its doorstep; and third, Iran’s reaction to a route operated by its principal adversary. Should Russia’s war against Ukraine resolve, Moscow may attempt to reassert itself, but its credibility deficit would severely limit such efforts. In any event, Russian primacy in the South Caucasus is ending.
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Austin Feds Haul In Armenian Suspect In International Password‑Stealing Malwar
How infostealers work
Info‑stealing malware is built to lurk quietly in the background while it lifts login credentials, device fingerprints and session cookies that can let criminals slip into accounts without ever touching a password prompt. The Department of Justice has described these tools and the online markets that sell their output as a lucrative foundation for identity theft and financial fraud, and has used court‑authorized domain seizures to knock out the web infrastructure that keeps them running, according to the Department of Justice.
Previous Austin prosecutions show the scale
This is not Austin’s first brush with major infostealer cases. The Western District of Texas has previously gone after operators tied to the Raccoon Infostealer, which prosecutors said was sold as a malware‑as‑a‑service product that powered widespread credential theft. In that case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported that the software “was responsible for compromising more than 52 million user credentials,” and defendants faced charges including conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, money laundering, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas. Investigators in Austin worked alongside FBI cyber teams and other federal partners to bring that matter into court.
What’s next in Austin
The newly arrived case will move forward in federal court in Austin, where prosecutors may seek an indictment, and the defendant will go through pretrial hearings and motion practice. If the charges track with past infostealer prosecutions, defendants in similar cases can face lengthy prison terms, orders to pay restitution, and exposure to asset forfeiture under federal computer intrusion and fraud statutes.
Victim resources and how to respond
Anyone who suspects their accounts or devices were compromised in an information‑stealing malware attack is urged to file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center and to review federal victim‑assistance resources. Submitting a complaint through the Internet Crime Complaint Center helps investigators map the scope of stolen credentials and related fraud and can support ongoing and future prosecutions.
How infostealers work
Info‑stealing malware is built to lurk quietly in the background while it lifts login credentials, device fingerprints and session cookies that can let criminals slip into accounts without ever touching a password prompt. The Department of Justice has described these tools and the online markets that sell their output as a lucrative foundation for identity theft and financial fraud, and has used court‑authorized domain seizures to knock out the web infrastructure that keeps them running, according to the Department of Justice.
Previous Austin prosecutions show the scale
This is not Austin’s first brush with major infostealer cases. The Western District of Texas has previously gone after operators tied to the Raccoon Infostealer, which prosecutors said was sold as a malware‑as‑a‑service product that powered widespread credential theft. In that case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported that the software “was responsible for compromising more than 52 million user credentials,” and defendants faced charges including conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, money laundering, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas. Investigators in Austin worked alongside FBI cyber teams and other federal partners to bring that matter into court.
What’s next in Austin
The newly arrived case will move forward in federal court in Austin, where prosecutors may seek an indictment, and the defendant will go through pretrial hearings and motion practice. If the charges track with past infostealer prosecutions, defendants in similar cases can face lengthy prison terms, orders to pay restitution, and exposure to asset forfeiture under federal computer intrusion and fraud statutes.
Victim resources and how to respond
Anyone who suspects their accounts or devices were compromised in an information‑stealing malware attack is urged to file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center and to review federal victim‑assistance resources. Submitting a complaint through the Internet Crime Complaint Center helps investigators map the scope of stolen credentials and related fraud and can support ongoing and future prosecutions.
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Armenia Ends Free Land Grants To Apostolic Church
By PanARMENIAN
Armenia’s National Assembly has approved legislative changes prohibiting the free transfer of state- and community-owned land to the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Under the amendments to the Land Code, such land plots can no longer be granted free of charge to the Church for the construction and maintenance of churches and related structures.
The draft law, submitted by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, was adopted in full with 67 votes in favor, 26 against, and 3 abstentions, according to Factor.am .
During the discussions, Vahe Ghalumyan, head of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Territorial Administration, Local Self-Government, Agriculture, and Environmental Protection, stated that the changes are not aimed against the Church but are intended to regulate land relations.
According to the government, the initiative is driven by a policy of ensuring the targeted and efficient use of state and community property, and the amendments should be viewed in that context.
Earlier, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, along with bishops and archbishops calling for the resignation of the Catholicos, issued a statement urging support for reforms within the Armenian Apostolic Church. Pashinyan read the statement during a Facebook live broadcast, after which participating bishops and archbishops signed it. He also announced the formation of a coordinating council tasked with organizing reforms within the Church, with membership decisions to be made unanimously.
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UN Experts Urge Armenia to Move Beyond Legal Reforms Toward Real Gender Equali
The appeal comes from the UN Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, following a 10-day country visit that assessed Armenia’s progress and remaining gaps in gender equality.
Armenia must transition from legal commitments to tangible, real-world gender equality outcomes, United Nations experts said, calling for deeper structural reforms to ensure women and girls fully enjoy their rights in everyday life.
The appeal comes from the UN Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, following a 10-day country visit that assessed Armenia’s progress and remaining gaps in gender equality.
Strong Legal Foundations, But Gaps Remain
The Working Group praised Armenia for its sustained efforts to promote gender equality, highlighting legislative reforms, national policies, and targeted programmes aimed at empowering women and girls.
“These steps provide a solid and encouraging foundation upon which further transformative and lasting change can be built,” the experts said.
However, they stressed that formal equality—laws and policies on paper—is not enough. The real challenge lies in achieving substantive equality, where women experience equal opportunities and outcomes in practice.
From Legal Guarantees to Real-Life Impact
The experts urged Armenia to adopt a more comprehensive approach, including the use of frameworks such as CREATE, to address persistent structural barriers.
“This transition is essential to address entrenched patriarchal stereotypes,” they noted, emphasizing that cultural norms and systemic inequalities continue to limit women’s full participation.
A key concern highlighted was the gap between legislation and implementation, with experts warning that progress risks stagnation without consistent enforcement across government institutions.
Data, Inclusion, and Intersectionality
To drive effective policymaking, the Working Group called for stronger use of gender-sensitive data, including disaggregated statistics that capture the realities of different groups of women and girls.
“Policies must reflect the lived realities of all women and girls, particularly those in vulnerable situations,” the experts said.
They also stressed the importance of intersectional approaches, recognizing that factors such as socio-economic status, geography, and other forms of discrimination often overlap.
Economic Participation Still Lagging
One of the most striking findings relates to women’s participation in the workforce.
According to the experts, one in two working-age women in Armenia remains outside the labour force, representing both a significant loss of economic potential and a barrier to inclusive growth.
Unequal care responsibilities were identified as a major factor limiting women’s economic and political engagement.
Call for System-Wide Reforms
The Working Group recommended a series of systemic measures to accelerate progress, including:
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Gender-responsive budgeting across public institutions
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Gender impact assessments for policies and legislation
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Mainstreaming gender equality across all sectors and governance levels
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Stronger collaboration with civil society and international partners
Protecting Women in Public Life
The experts also raised concerns about the safety and participation of women in public spaces, calling for stronger protections for:
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Women human rights defenders
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Journalists and activists
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Female politicians
They emphasized the need to address online and offline harassment, hate speech, and violence, which continue to deter women from engaging in public and political life.
Empowering the Next Generation
Special attention was given to the rights and aspirations of girls, with the Working Group noting their strong vision for a future rooted in equality and opportunity.
“It is essential that this vision is supported and realised,” the experts said.
Looking Ahead
The UN Working Group reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Armenia’s efforts to build a more inclusive, equitable, and just society.
A comprehensive report on the visit and its findings will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2027, providing a roadmap for future reforms.
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Activists considered Pashinyan’s dispute with a refugee to be discrimination a
As reported by the “Caucasian Knot,” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan apologized to a Karabakh refugee after raising his voice in a conversation with her on the Yerevan metro, saying that “those who fled” should not say that he “gave up Karabakh.”
About twenty public organizations signed the statement: the public organizations “Protection of Rights Without Borders”, “New Culture of Justice”, “Armenian Progressive Youth”, “Public Journalism Club”, Yerevan Press Club, Institute of Multidisciplinary Information, Regional Center for Democracy and Security, “Center for Public Consolidation and Support”, “Helsinki Association”, Armenian Committee of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly, “Asparez” Journalists’ Club, “For Equal Rights”, and the Center for Media Initiatives. The Ecolur Information NGO, the Foundation for the Development and Protection of Law, Journalists for Human Rights, and MediaStep. Nagorno-Karabakh Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan noted that “the metro incident was a complete expose of the Armenian government’s rhetoric: on the one hand, they create a veneer of care, while on the other, they systematically attack and stigmatize forcibly displaced people.” For hundreds of thousands of people living in Armenia, displaced people from Artsakh (Karabakh) are truly sisters and brothers, and they demonstrate this not by repeating it several times a day according to a set agenda, but by their attitude. The map of Armenia should not be turned into a tool of manipulation. But in the hearts and aspirations of people, there is another map, which is not an illusion, but a natural and justified desire to return there, to the homeland where they were born, lived, and created.” – he told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.
It is necessary to “carefully record cases of public calls for hatred, discrimination, intolerance, and hostility against the people of Artsakh, as well as the use of violence, and to report crimes to law enforcement agencies,” he told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.
Journalist Liana Petrosyan believes that “both human rights activists and international organizations tasked with protecting the rights of refugees and forcibly displaced persons should pay attention to the metro incident.”
“The highest political authority of the state is also considered a role model for the general public. The head of state’s statements will also be disseminated at the everyday level, which will have a negative impact on the emotional and moral-psychological state of refugees. Work must be done to prevent the further spread of hate speech towards forcibly displaced persons. “It’s no secret that we didn’t flee, but were forcibly displaced, with no guarantee of physical existence or safety,” Petrosyan noted.
Activist Arus Bakunts noted that “for a politician, conducting a campaign on public transport implies the status of a ‘guest,’ while a citizen in the metro is in his personal space, for which he has paid, and he is not obliged to participate in a political dialogue.”
According to her, “when a citizen asks not to talk to him, any continuation is perceived as aggression and a lack of respect for the voter.”
Political analyst Arman Abovyan called the incident in the metro “a shameful incident,” and added that “the woman expressed what millions of Armenians think and feel.”
The young woman “showed that national dignity is not empty words, and became “A symbol of the restoration of our trampled honor and dignity,” he wrote on his Facebook page*.
Armenian public figure Karpis Pashoyan wrote on his social media page that “by calling the people of Artsakh ‘fleeing,’ Nikol Pashinyan questions their right to protection and survival.”
French-Armenian human rights activist Franz Papayan wrote on his social media page that “Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s despicable and cruel behavior toward Armine Mosyan, a refugee from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), and her child has turned against Nikol Pashinyan himself. This story has caused a huge stir in Armenia and throughout the diaspora. It’s worth remembering that Pashinyan’s government refused to defend the Armenians of Artsakh, who, frankly, had no other choice,” he pointed out.
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Source: Caucasian Knot
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