Ruling Party Lawmaker Takes Criticism From Former Official In Stride

Sona Ghazarian, a member of the Civil Contract party, made the remarks on Thursday in response to media questions about Grigorian’s November 11 article, titled “The Illusion Of EU Membership,” in which he described Armenia’s EU membership prospects as unrealistic.

Grigorian, who served as Security Council secretary for more than eight years before being unexpectedly dismissed in August 2026, also expressed concern that each new step taken by Armenia toward EU membership was deepening, rather than reducing, the country’s dependence on Russia.

Ghazarian said Grigorian’s position had never been a secret within the ruling party and that they had discussed the issue previously.

“Armen Grigorian is not only a good colleague but also a good friend,” she said, adding that Grigorian had explicitly stated at the beginning of his article that his colleagues were familiar with his views.

At the same time, Ghazarian defended the parliament’s adoption in March 2025 of a law launching the process of Armenia’s accession to the EU, stressing that it had been initiated by citizens and reflected a democratic process.

The legislation followed a petition campaign organized by a pro-EU movement called Eurovote, which collected more than 50,000 signatures.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said in Brussels that Armenia’s submitting an application for EU membership as early as in 2027 or 2028 could be realistic. Such an application is a requirement for launching the process of joining the 27-nation bloc.

Ghazarian stressed that differences of opinion within a political team were natural in a democratic environment.

She also took in stride the suggestion that Grigorian might be seeking to establish himself as a political figure with some of the views opposed to those of the current administration.

“What’s the problem if Mr. Grigorian is making a political bid?” she said, praising the former official’s contribution to the Armenian state.

As a civil activist critical of the previous government, Grigorian was one of the most active participants in Armenia’s 2018 “Velvet Revolution” that propelled then-opposition leader Nikol Pashinian to power amid mass street protests.

After leaving his government post earlier this year, Grigorian went on to work for an international consulting company involved in activities related to the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), a U.S.-run transit corridor for Azerbaijan via Armenia, which the Pashinian administration touts as one of its key geopolitical achievements to end the country’s decades-long blockade by Azerbaijan and Turkey.

In September, Pashinian and other senior members of his government attended the presentation of Grigorian’s book devoted to the 2018 events.

Following recent local elections in which Civil Contract won decisively, Pashinian stated that the country’s current parliamentary opposition, dominated by representatives of former governments, had been defeated and that a new “state-centered” opposition unrelated to past administrations needed to emerge in Armenia.

At the same time, Pashinian said he did not think it was Civil Contract’s job to nurture the establishment of such an opposition.