Armenpress: Trump says he is considering ‘winding down’ Iran war

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U.S. President Donald Trump has said he is considering “winding down” the Iran war because the U.S. is “getting very close” to meeting its objectives.

“We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran: (1) Completely degrading Iranian Missile Capability, Launchers, and everything else pertaining to them. (2) Destroying Iran’s Defense Industrial Base. (3) Eliminating their Navy and Air Force, including Anti Aircraft Weaponry. (4) Never allowing Iran to get even close to Nuclear Capability, and always being in a position where the U.S.A. can quickly and powerfully react to such a situation, should it take place. (5) Protecting, at the highest level, our Middle Eastern Allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and others,” Trump said on Truth Social.

On the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said it “will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it – The United States does not!”

“The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it — The United States does not! If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn’t be necessary once Iran’s threat is eradicated. Importantly, it will be an easy Military Operation for them,” he said.

On Friday afternoon in Washington, Trump told reporters from outside the White House as he prepared to embark for Florida: “I don’t want to do a ceasefire.

“You don’t do a ceasefire when you’re literally obliterating the other side.”

The U.S. and Israel launched what they described as a pre-emptive strike against Iran on February 28, claiming that Tehran was developing a nuclear weapon and posed a threat—an allegation Iran has denied. In response, Iran launched counterattacks, firing missiles and drones at Israel, as well as at U.S. assets and other targets across the Middle East.

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Brutally beaten by stepmother, Yerevan toddler dies after days in intensive ca

Armenia13:16, 21 March 2026
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A one-year-old child who had been hospitalized in critical condition after allegedly being physically abused by his stepmother has died, Yerevan’s Arabkir Medical Center confirmed.

According to a statement from the hospital, the boy, aged one year and two months, was admitted on March 16 in a state of clinical death.

Doctors initially managed to restore his vital functions, but he remained in the intensive care unit in critical condition. Despite continued efforts by medical staff, he succumbed to his injuries on March 21.

The stepmother is in pre-trial detention amid an ongoing criminal investigation.

Prosecutors earlier said the suspect regularly physically abused the child between January 22 and March 10 this year, and ultimately attempted to murder the child on March 15 by beating him. 

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Armenian government to launch new housing program for large low-income familie

Social issues14:33, 21 March 2026
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A new housing program will be launched for socially vulnerable families with five or more children, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on Saturday during a trip to Gegharkunik province.

“The key point is that we will offer them land plots in settlements where a new school has been built and there is available capacity for students,” he said during a meeting with locals in Martuni.

“The challenge is that, respectfully, we cannot provide homes in downtown Yerevan or central Martuni for everyone who wants a house. Therefore, in settlements with new schools and space for students, we will implement a program similar to the 16 million AMD initiative — funds will be provided, and land plots will also be allocated, so they can go and build their homes,” the Prime Minister explained.

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Armenpress: Former Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan leads New Power party’s 2026 el

Politics16:43, 21 March 2026
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Actor and former mayor of Yerevan, Hayk Marutyan, will be the New Power party’s candidate for prime minister in the 2026 elections.

The New Power party, founded and led by Marutyan—who served as mayor of Yerevan from 2018 until his ousting in 2021—announced its bid for parliament on Saturday.

“We are running [for office] in this year’s elections,” Marutyan said at an event. “Our party is incorruptible, unconstrained, and free, and if the people make their decision and we assume that responsibility, we are ready to serve our people and Armenia with full dedication.”

During the event, the party’s pre-election program was also presented, outlining reforms in the economy, social welfare, education, and several other sectors. The party also emphasizes that Armenia’s development is only possible by building a state based on European standards.

“Armenia’s membership in the European Union has no alternative; Armenia must begin negotiations on EU accession as soon as possible,” said party member Grigor Yeritsyan.

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“This is a shameful phenomenon not only for our church, but also for the entire Armenian people.

March: 21, 2026

Lawyer Ara Zohrabyan this morning informedthat the investigator did not allow His Holiness the Patriarch to go to Georgia to participate in the holy ceremony of the funeral of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia, as well as in the Divine Liturgy, which will take place on March 22.

Yesterday, the press service of the Mother See informed that the Catholicos of All Armenians received an official notice from the Patriarchate of the Georgian Orthodox Church regarding the funeral of the blessed Catholicos-Patriarch Ilya II and the protocol of related events.

“His Holiness intends to visit Georgia, attend the funeral ceremony, pay his respects to the late blessed Patriarch and bring his grief to the Georgian Orthodox Church and the friendly Georgian people.” had mentioned From the Mother See.

What is the government afraid of, forbidding His Holiness to participate in those ceremonies, does this not harm the reputation of Armenia? In response to the questions: Reverend Paren Arakelyan, spiritual pastor of Psalms said that it is difficult to say whether the government is afraid or not afraid, or what is he afraid of?

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“I can say only one thing: this is a shameful phenomenon not only for our church, but also for the entire Armenian people, because it would be appropriate and correct for the Patriarch to attend the funeral of the patriarch’s father.

There can be no fear, His Holiness should have participated in that funeral, they are spiritual brothers, this was a mistake.” of 168.am Father Paren Arakelyan said in a conversation with

To the question whether the investigator made that decision on his own, taking into account all the statements made by Nikol Pashinyan regarding His Holiness, the clergyman answered that he can make assumptions, at the same time he does not think that the investigator would have made such a decision on his own.

“You understand, all this is groundless, we all understand this. How Reverend Mikael came to the funeral of Reverend Tatev, that is, it was normal and right for Reverend Mikael to participate in the funeral of our Reverend Father. In the same way, it would be correct if His Holiness participated in the funeral of the patriarch’s father. We only record the facts, this is a painful reality in which we live. His Holiness should have gone, said a prayer for his spiritual brother and come back,” stressed Father Paren.

It should be reminded that on February 14, the prosecutor’s office initiated a criminal prosecution against the Catholicos of All Armenians on the charge of obstructing the execution of the judicial act related to Arman Saroyan. Banned the departure of His Holiness the Patriarch from Armenia.

Before and after the September wars. What has changed today and what hasn’t?

March: 21, 2026

After the government session on March 19, Nikol Pashinyan briefed the opposition forces again accused in provoking a war and even specified a clear deadline. “All these forces are acting from the positions of peace revision, which due to this fact means an inevitable war, moreover, not long after the elections, maximally in the fall. I analyze the texts, right? They are preparing a war with grave consequences.”

Why September again, a “strategic deal” with Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani threats, availability of intelligence data based on some unseen circumstances and an assessment of the probability of war operations, or psychological pressure on the Armenian society before the elections?

Basically, all 3 versions have the right to life. But first let’s talk about the last one. The public has hard memories related to the month of September: the 44-day war in Artsakh began On September 27, 2020, the September battles took place on September 13-14, 2022, in 2023, Artsakh was completely depopulated again on September 19-20.

In other words, on the one hand, the current government of RA does not go to “Yerablur” on September 27 or September 19 to pay tribute to the memory of the victims, and to forget the struggle for Artsakh, on the other hand, it is playing on the public’s memory and emotional strings. What is this if not psychological terror?

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Now what about the capabilities of the authorities to predict the war and not only, first of all, just a few episodes in the context of the 44-day period, because we have covered it in detail on different occasions.

Thus, the exact date of the war became clear 2 days after its beginning: On September 25, 2020, and here it is enough to remind only on September 26, 2020 According to Pashinyan’s family newspaper, “Armenian “freelancers” of Azerbaijani propaganda”. the article where he blames the opposition for not believing in him and believing in Aliyev, excluding the imminent war and Turkey’s direct participation in it.

“…Allegedly, Azerbaijan used those two years to strengthen the front line and prepare for war, while our authorities were busy fighting internal political opponents, and now they are preparing a propaganda ground to involve Turkey directly in a new war, and we are consistently spoiling our relations with Russia, therefore, we have serious security problems and we must get rid of these authorities as soon as possible.

Since when did Armenia begin to believe more not in its own authorities, but in the President of Azerbaijan? and: legally speaking, what is the name of spreading the enemy’s propaganda in one’s own country and justifying its legitimacy?”, the article states.

And nothing that after the July battles at that time Hulusi Akar, head of the Turkish Defense Department, to Armenia had threatened take countermeasures to: “The death of Azerbaijani soldiers will not go unpunished.”

At the same time, Aliyev made a clear demand from the UN chair: RA should withdraw its troops from the “occupied territories”.

Nikol Pashinyan, in his turn, gave an interview to Petros Ghazaryan, which was never broadcast in its entirety, nor was it handed over. At the trial of the 44-day investigative commission, as promised.

And after the war, Nikol Pashinyan put the responsibility of predicting it and even changing his mind on the “relevant institutions”.

Meanwhile, still in 2019 in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia warned that the next war will be bigger than the April 2016 war.

And from here I asked Pashinyan: legally, what is it called or what are the consequences of not only hiding the fact of an impending war from the public of one’s country, but also not preparing for it?

And on March 20, Andranik Kocharyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Defense and Security of the National Assembly, on the air of “News Radio” allegedly tried to “stick” the former, considering the contents of the arsenal as the reason for the defeat in the 44-day war, from helmets to the ammunition supplied by Davit Galstyan (Boss David), in particular, the “junk missiles”.

In other words, Andranik Kocharyan repeated Nikol Pashinyan, who years ago in the National Assembly had announced թե՝ “For the first time, a few days after the war, I learned that there is a problem with helmets and body armor in the army”, to which the former Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia Davit Tonoyan responded from the detention center, saying that «weapons and military equipment, ներառյալ՝ The demand for helmets and body armor was presented in detail in the “Weapons and Military Equipment Development Program”. which was last reaffirmed by the RA government during the tenure of Nikol Pashinyan»:

168.amthe wrote that Pashinyan approved a plan for the development of the armed forces without reading and understanding.

In other words, even if there was a problem in the warehouse, it is in the area of ​​responsibility of the head of the country and the supreme commander, also: “On Defense” RA law according to

In this context, it should be noted that military-technical in criminal cases Pashinyan has not yet proven his political justice, if not to say that some accusations they have disappeared. 

For example, in 2022 On October 24, Nikol Pashinyan announced during his visit to the Anti-Corruption Committee: “Plates were removed from rockets with terrible namesin which there is gold.”

Like earlier statement Pashinyan had done in 2021. At the end of May, during the meeting held at the pre-election headquarters of the “Civil Agreement” party of Ajapnyak administrative district, “There are people in Armenia, an officer, who removes the plate from the S-300 to sell the gold inside for 30-40 thousand drams.

Let’s leave aside the fact that Pashinyan knew this before the war and may not have done anything technically, moreover, our studies showed that there was an accused official, and who he is, the prosecutor’s office kept secret, and they could not find out the identity of the thief, so the article was suspended in this regard. This is also for the information of Andranik Kocharyan.

Let’s return to the main topic of the article and move to 2022 September battles during which, by the way, Suren Papikyan was the Minister of Defense of Armenia during the operations, the Armenian side lost more than 220 victims, according to various reports, we lost 50 positions, the Azerbaijani armed forces, according to official data, In Jermuk area crashed into the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia with a front 8.5 km wide and: up to 7.5 km deep, as of that day, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces were 4.5 km away from the Jermuk gates.

And today, when Suren Papikyan considers the statements of the opponents to be belligerent, did he consider the steps and statements of Baku prior to the September battles to be such, and they were? Moreover, on the very day of the September battles, Pashinyan admitted the following.

“Perhaps it will seem strange to many that Azerbaijan thus expresses its dissatisfaction with the results of the 44-day war. I realize that I am saying something very strange now. Now I can’t say many details…”

Shortly after this, Nikol Pashinyan recognized Artsakh as a part of Azerbaijan in Prague, well, then already in September 2023, Artsakh was depopulated. And the RA authorities said that the RA Armed Forces cannot help the Armed Forces to avoid a new war, to avoid getting involved in another war, and there is still a question: what was written in the RA Armed Forces deployment plan? In this case, the remarkable thing is that first there is a promise to Azerbaijan, and then it is already announced that war will not be allowed. Isn’t it clear that if you promised or said something, if you don’t do it, they will get it by force? We can do it in the 44-day war such details to find though of course it would start one day.

Today, Baku demands to remove the Declaration of Independence from the current RA constitution, which allegedly contains a territorial claim to Azerbaijan, and Nikol Pashinyan considers it conflicting. But at the same time, the constitution of Azerbaijan will continue to operate, which, according to Pashinyan himself, presents territorial claims In relation to RA, de jure Baku demands About 60 percent of the RA territory. In other words, there is both a territorial claim and a reason for the activation of the conflict, and what is Pashinyan going to do, if in practice Aliyev decides to implement the constitution of his country, hand it over peacefully or by war? It’s a logical question, isn’t it? The RA citizen might want to know the answer to this question clearly and objectively. We repeat: the constitution of conflict-ridden Azerbaijan will not be changed.

Why does Pashinyan not consider this as war-mongering, but he is looking for a war-starter in the words of the opposition, while forgetting that when the opposition circles in the context of the 44-day period, his own pre-war steps and statements, including in the context of the July battles, considered the war “brought on”, CP members considered it unfair and even “reported” against RA, although they said on different occasions that Baku had the UN resolutions, which they were guided by in September 2020.

Let us add that Pashinyan confessed In connection with the Azerbaijani invasions in May 2021, that The army was given a political order not to fight, because in a month there were extraordinary NA elections, and they promised peace, which collapsed in a few months, in 2021. with the November battles. 

Continuing the topic, let’s add that in February of the current year 168.amthe had written About Baku’s fears regarding the outcome of the Armenian National Assembly elections, in particular, that Aliyev’s close circle believes that with Pashinyan’s government, yes, the peace agenda is established but not irreversible.

“Because political forces may come and stop these processes, because they see it differently. If the current process drags on for years, the peace agenda will be transformed, for better or for worse, that is another matter. But it is clear that it will be necessary to develop new mechanisms, especially if the referendum fails.” Azeri political scientist Farhad Mammadov also announced in RA.

And on March 20, during the live broadcast on Facebook, Pashinyan for the first time this is the idea to change the negotiated document, and this is exactly what he considers warlike.

“Even if we go with the most optimistic forecast, to reopen the established peace, means to create an opportunity to transform all the content that we finally fixed as a result of the negotiation process. On a theoretical level, we can consider that this content can become better, but on the same theoretical level, this content can become worse. But it is much more likely that this content can completely collapse. As this simple, most neutral statistical enumeration shows, it is two against one. There is one chance that the content can get better, and there are two chances that the content can get worse. In either case, the logic of development leads to war. We must record this very clearly,” Pashinyan stated.

Of course, this also speaks of the fact that for Pashinyan it is not peace that is important, but that it should be in his hands.

Referring to the thesis of the need for guarantors by the opposition, Pashinyan noted that this opens the door to bring peacekeepers into our region and our country.

Of course, this is, to put it mildly, ridiculous, not only because the US presence of one or another level in RA territory and region is planned by TRIPP, but also because it was Pashinyan who invited RA peacekeepers and Russian border guards to the region, then stationed them in some places, and after some time refused their service. Not to mention EU observers yet.

Facts are a powerful thing. So, Pashinyan will do well to present his peace agenda without blackmail and the threat of war, which has failed once. And the state should always have preparations and counter-scenarios for the war scenario in its vault.

The opposition must be proactive and silence Pashinyan’s agendas. Karen Kocha

March: 21, 2026

If CP is conducting an intra-party campaign, why does the Public Television, which works at the expense of taxpayers, cover it, but not the rest of the parties? It is very difficult to block information in this age, but the various wings of the opposition should be asked why they are playing their game. If he eats “perashki”, why do you cover it, put it on your pages, even ironically? Any move by the government should be despised. 168TV’s “ expressed such an opinion during the program civil technologist Karen Kocharyan.

“The authorities have their media, they will show all that, report on it, praise it, that’s their task. Opposition, you advance your agenda, dictate yours. The problem of the opposition in the last five years, with the exception of one and a half months of the Sacred Movement, was that the agenda was dictated by the government.

The opposition was not proactive, but reactive, that is, it followed the agenda dictated by the government.

The opposition must be proactive, and in that case, naturally, a lot will be muted,” said the public figure.

“For example, “Strong Armenia” is able to dictate its agendas, it does not answer to the government, it dictates itself and moves forward. He does not say traitor, landlord, they present their economic and security plans to their own faces, to specialists. They even do humor in a very interesting way.

For example, it was a surprise when Narek Karapetyan buys a raisin bun, it surprises in a good way. Here it is clearly seen that they are following a non-standard path,” the civil technologist noted.

According to the public figure, the opposition can, for example, remind what Pashinyan promised in 2018, what he lied to, what he didn’t do, what factories and productions he should have opened, all of which are, of course, a 100% bubble and do not exist. “Say that when you go and criticize people that, for example, you made asphalt, you should counter that it was made with taxpayers’ money, and that is what you were appointed or elected there for. There are so many issues on the agenda to talk about, that all the wings of the opposition should bring it all to everyone’s attention every day, like a soap opera.”

“It is good that the opposition goes in several lines, because any opposition must work on its electorate to be able to explain that the voter must be at the polling station on the day of voting.

First of all, of course, this is the business of political forces, but also of all those who are concerned about the future of this state and their children. As for social surveys, in most cases the respondents are afraid, avoid, do not want to be seen, therefore, these data are often not reliable. Instead of the opposition falling behind each other, it is better to fall behind its electorate, to work with its electorate.

Communicate with people, try to understand what they want, who they want, at least try to understand that character,” said Karen Kocharyan.

Details in the video.




Could the war in Iran lay a path for peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan?

RFI, France
Mar 21 2026
The Iran war is adding impetus to reconciliation efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as the region seeks to position itself as a new trade corridor between Europe and energy-rich central Asia, with the conflict highlighting Europe’s energy dependency on the volatile Middle East.

Addressing the European Parliament earlier this month, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declared that, with the Iranian conflict on its border, efforts would be stepped up to realise a trade route with Azerbaijan. 

The United States-brokered TRIPP project, negotiated by United States President Donald Trump last August, is seen as key to reconciling the two countries, after decades of conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. 

With both Armenia and Azerbaijan bordering Iran, the conflict is providing a powerful impetus for cooperation.

“This war in Iran has fostered much more of a localised regional identity where, despite the wars and the conflicts of the last several decades, Armenia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan are actually banding together,” said Richard Giragosiyan, director of the Regional Studies Center, a think tank based in the Armenian capital, Yerevan.

“Now is the one opportunity for consolidating regional connectivity in terms of trade and transport.”

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‘The Trump Road’

Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev signed the TRIPP agreement as part of a peace deal, committing to unimpeded connectivity between mainland Azerbaijan and the exclave of Nakhchivan, via Armenian territory.

The new trade route is expected to become part of what is dubbed the “Middle Corridor”, linking energy-rich Central Asian countries to Europe via Turkey.

Tehran strongly opposes the initiative, as the corridor offers an alternative to transiting through Iran to Central Asia. However, the Iran war has further curtailed Tehran’s diminishing influence in the Caucasus.

“We also shouldn’t forget the benefits of the Iran war,” said Turkey analyst Atilla Yesilada of the New York-based Global Source Partners consultancy. “They [Ankara] want a weak Iran so that they can expand their footprint in the South Caucasus against Iran.”

Yesilada says the fallout from the Iran war underscores the importance of the TRIPP agreement – or, as it’s sometimes dubbed in Turkey, the “Trump Road” – which is key to Ankara’s economic goals. 

“We get the Trump Road because nobody would want to traverse Iran under these conditions,” explains Yesilada, “And you get [a] not immediate but gradual, but permanent, development boost from trade and investment along that route.”

US takes lead in Caucasus peace deal as France is pushed aside

A new route for Europe

The Middle Corridor is seen as an opportunity for Europe to diversify in terms of energy supply from the volatile Middle East.

“The most obvious security lesson [from the Iran war] is diversity,” said Tatiana Mitrova, a research fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at New York’s Columbia University.

“The real jewel is Turkmenistan’s gas, the third largest [supply] in terms of the world’s resources. I believe that there will be a lot of discussions about the middle corridor both in the region and in Europe.”

However, Mitrova remains cautious about the project’s viability, saying: “Economically it’s not attractive – too many risks and too low margins.”

The Caucasus is sandwiched between Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Iran conflict, raising questions over how secure any new energy route to Europe would be. These come alongside reservations over the viability of the billions of euros of investment needed, at a time when Europe is seeking to transition away from fossil fuels. 

“The problem with the Brussels policy is they don’t want to invest in hydrocarbons, they don’t invest in gas,” said Farid Shafiyev, chairman of the Baku-based Center of Analysis of International Relations.

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Opportunity for peace

However, Shafiyev argues that, in addition to providing an alternative energy supply for Europe, there is an opportunity to build on the current momentum for peace. 

“There is some hostility remaining… but overall, the feeling [is] we don’t want any new war and conflict in the South Caucasus. And indeed, [there is] a sort of window of opportunity to bring this alternative route, including for energy and gas.”

Interdependency in trade, and with it economic prosperity, is seen as key to strengthening the rapprochement between Armenia, Azerbaijan and their Turkish neighbours.

It’s a rapprochement that could also be vital to resisting any future threat from Russia, which is seeking to reassert itself in the region. However, such threats of renewed instability could also prove a major obstacle to any large-scale infrastructure investment by Europe.

Lessons from Iran war: strategic takeaways for Armenia

Panorama, Armenia
Mar 21 2026

Turkologist Varuzhan Geghamyan says the ongoing conflict involving Iran offers key strategic lessons for Armenia, arguing that wars should be studied for long-term implications rather than followed as daily news.

Material Advantage Not Decisive

Despite the United States and Israel holding overwhelming military and technological superiority, Geghamyan notes that such advantages have yielded only tactical gains, not a clear strategic victory. What may have been intended as a short operation has stretched for weeks, with Iran maintaining resistance and gradually shaping the course of events.

Asymmetric Strategy as Equalizer

According to Geghamyan, Iran’s approach relies on asymmetric tactics designed to maximize impact with limited resources. In the Strait of Hormuz, relatively low-cost tools, including drones, fast boats and short-range missiles, have disrupted stronger naval forces and affected global markets.

He argues that by widening pressure points, including targeting adversaries’ partners, Iran raises the cost of conflict and shifts the strategic balance.

Geography as Force Multiplier

Geghamyan emphasizes that Iran’s geographic position plays a central role in its strategy. Proximity to critical routes such as the Strait of Hormuz allows Tehran to exert global influence even with constrained capabilities. He describes geography as a decisive, often underestimated advantage.

Geghamyan concludes that Iran’s experience highlights the importance of strategic planning, adaptability and effective use of national advantages, lessons he says are directly relevant for Armenia amid ongoing security challenges.

Hayk Marutyan named PM candidate of New Force party

Panorama, Armenia
Mar 21 2026

Former Yerevan mayor and actor Hayk Marutyan has been named the prime ministerial candidate of his newly formed New Force party ahead of Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections.

Speaking at a party gathering on Saturday, Marutyan criticized the political climate since 2021, citing “disasters, humiliations and violations of law” that he said were unimaginable in 2018. He urged voters to look to the future rather than dwell on past setbacks.

Marutyan accused the ruling Civil Contract party of serving Azerbaijan’s interests under the guise of promoting peace, while other forces, he said, relied on street protests without offering sustainable solutions. “We are not selling our children’s future,” he declared, rejecting criticism that his background as an actor disqualified him from politics.

Positioning his party as incorruptible and independent, Marutyan said New Force would advance Armenia’s interests by aligning more closely with Europe, which he described as the country’s “cradle” of freedom, human rights and Christianity.

“By choosing New Force, the people are choosing Armenia, whose roots are in Europe,” he said.