The Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, Hakob Arshakyan, led a delegation to Saint Petersburg, Russia, to participate in the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly (CIS IPA) council, plenary, and committee sessions, the parliament’s press service reported.

The delegation includes Armenian MPs delegated to the CIS IPA: Alexey Sandikov, Shirak Torosyan, and Gegham Nazaryan.

Valentina Matviyenko, Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, and the Chair of the CIS IPA Council, chaired the council session on May 21 and presented the body’s observer mission reports, including preparations for observing the June 7 Armenian elections.

Hakob Arshakyan, greeting the council members, noted that the parliamentary elections scheduled in Armenia for June 7, 2026, will be held under the observation of several international organizations, including the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the CIS, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie, and the European Parliament.

“This reflects our country’s commitment to the principles of transparency in the electoral process and to democratic standards,” Arshakyan said.

He recalled that the long-term mission of the CIS IPA had recently been in Armenia.

“The periodic invitations of the mission reflect the stable nature of our cooperation and the Armenian side’s interest in an independent international assessment of the elections. The upcoming visit of the main CIS IPA delegation to Yerevan, scheduled for June 4–8, will be an important part of international monitoring,” Arshakyan emphasized.

He also noted that in May, a pre-election mission from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly was in Armenia, during which its representatives held meetings with government bodies, parliamentary forces, civil society organizations, and media outlets. Discussions focused on electoral legislation, the pre-election environment, and the organization of the elections.

“In conclusion, I would like to emphasize the importance of international monitoring as one of the factors that strengthens confidence in the electoral process,” Arshakyan said.

During the council session, attention was also paid to the assembly’s current activities, upcoming programs, and the main directions of cooperation.