Author: Emil Lazarian

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has lauded the first practical results of the agreements signed with the United States on August 8 last year pertaining to the technology and AI sectors.

“I would like to remind you that President Trump and I signed several memoranda of understanding on August 8, 2025,” Pashinyan told Members of Parliament during a joint committee session on the government’s 2025 budget report.

“One of them concerned programs and cooperation in the field of high technology and artificial intelligence,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan highlighted what he described as several concrete results that have already been achieved in the 10 months since the agreement was signed.

He pointed to the artificial intelligence center established at Yerevan State University and noted that the government has purchased a supercomputer for the university.

“The government allocated $10 million and purchased a supercomputer for Yerevan State University,” Pashinyan said.

“The first artificial intelligence factory has already opened in Gagarin, and in the coming days, a second artificial intelligence factory will open in Hrazdan,” the Prime Minister said, referring to the Eleveight AI and Firebird projects.

Pashinyan said the process represents a major technological transition for Armenia and could have a significant impact on the country’s international reputation and investment climate.

“Having access to such technologies and being a favorable and attractive destination for such investments, of course, significantly changes both the international image of the Republic of Armenia and our economic and investment environment,” he said.

The Prime Minister also expressed confidence that the combined impact of the TRIPP project and the initiatives being implemented in the field of artificial intelligence would contribute to sustainable economic growth.

“I believe that, within the framework of the TRIPP project and these processes surrounding artificial intelligence, we will be able to ensure annual economic growth of at least 6%, which creates a guarantee that we will successfully implement our reforms, including those in the social sector,” Pashinyan stated.

Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Armenia, Vahagn Hovakimyan, announced on Monday that no violations occurred during the voting in the June 7 parliamentary elections that could have affected the results.

Speaking at a press briefing, he stated that he supports conducting a recount of votes in all polling stations.

“We are now at a point where the passing threshold of a political force can essentially be decided by a few votes. Therefore, we need to have a highly precise picture,” Hovakimyan said.

The preliminary vote count results from all 2,005 polling stations have been tallied, with a turnout of 1,477,736 voters (nearly 59 percent).

The votes received by the four leading political forces are as follows:

Civil Contract Party – 727,160 votes, or 49.825%

Strong Armenia Alliance – 340,088 votes, or 23.281%

Armenia Alliance – 145,113 votes, or 9.934%

Prosperous Armenia Party – 58,378 votes, or 3.996%

Earlier results released by the electoral commission showed Gagik Tsarukyan’s Prosperous Armenia having garnered exactly 4%, the minimum threshold required to enter parliament. However, the updated data shows otherwise.

Hovakimyan emphasized that these figures are preliminary and that a phase of verification and recounting is still ahead.

The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Armenia has exclusively provided Armenpress with the message addressed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, on the occasion of the Civil Contract party’s victory in the parliamentary elections.

“Your Excellency, the esteemed Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan,

I wish to extend my sincerest congratulations on the successful conduct of the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Armenia and on the victory of the Civil Contract party, which you lead.

The renewed trust that the people of Armenia have placed in your government reflects the will and desire of the people to continue on the path of strengthening peace, development, stability, and regional cooperation in the South Caucasus.

I am confident that in your new term in office, the dynamic and fruitful trajectory that has taken shape in relations between our two countries in recent years will be further reinforced and consolidated through broader and more constructive cooperation – a trajectory that will serve the interests of both nations and contribute to the strengthening of peace, stability, and development in the region.

I wish Your Excellency, the government and the people of Armenia – a friendly and neighbouring state – peace, prosperity, happiness, and glory.”

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the “impressive” victory of his Civil Contract party in the parliamentary elections, expressing readiness to deepen the historic ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

“Congratulations to Mr. Nikol Pashinyan on the impressive victory of the Civil Contract Party in the parliamentary elections. The renewed mandate reflects the enduring trust and confidence of the people of Armenia in your leadership and vision. I look forward to working closely with you to further deepen the warm and historic ties of friendship and cooperation between India and Armenia,” Modi said in a post on X.

Civil Contract received 49.8% of the vote in Sunday’s parliamentary election, ensuring it will retain a majority in the next parliament.

The Prosperous Armenia Party has announced that it will request the Central Electoral Commission to conduct a recount of the parliamentary election votes.

Iveta Tonoyan, the party’s spokesperson, said in a statement on social media that their party’s vote counts were allegedly decreasing with each real-time update issued by the electoral commission during the preliminary vote count.

She alleged that electoral violations have taken place on a “massive scale.”

“At this moment, the campaign headquarters of the Prosperous Armenia Party announces that it will request a recount, use all legal tools, and pursue the uncovering of electoral violations. The polling stations requiring a recount are currently being finalized, and the grounds for appealing certain decisions and actions are being discussed. Moreover, this does not preclude the possibility of disputing the election results, given the massive scale of violations witnessed throughout the entire electoral process,” Tonoyan said.

Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission, Vahagn Hovakimyan, earlier announced the updated preliminary results of the vote count in the June 7 parliamentary elections held in Armenia.

The results from all 2,005 polling stations have been tallied, with a turnout of 1,477,736 (nearly 59 percent).

The votes received by the four leading political forces are as follows:

Civil Contract Party – 727,160 votes, or 49.825%

Strong Armenia Alliance – 340,088 votes, or 23.281%

Armenia Alliance – 145,113 votes, or 9.934%

Prosperous Armenia Party – 58,378 votes, or 3.996%

Earlier results released by the electoral commission showed Gagik Tsarukyan’s Prosperous Armenia having garnered exactly 4%, the minimum threshold required to enter parliament. However, the updated data now shows Prosperous Armenia falling below the threshold. Hovakimyan emphasized that these figures are preliminary and that a phase of verification and recounting is still ahead.

Democratic elections are now established in Armenia as an institution, and the era of rigged elections and authoritarian rule is long over, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, a senior member of the Civil Contract party, has said.

“There have been free, fair, and transparent elections, elections that meet the highest international standards, as confirmed by the preliminary reactions of various observer organizations and relevant bodies, as well as the leaders of individual countries,” Mirzoyan told reporters on Monday after the preliminary vote count showed that Civil Contract will retain a majority in parliament with 727,160 votes, or 49.825%.

According to the Foreign Minister, the election results further affirm the consolidation of democratic processes in Armenia.

“I also want to say that the chapter of democratic elections is now firmly established in Armenia, meaning that the era of rigged elections, pseudo-democracy, or authoritarianism in the Republic of Armenia is closed,” Mirzoyan added.

He also expressed gratitude to citizens for their trust in the Civil Contract party.

“I also want to thank the citizens of the Republic of Armenia for entrusting the governance of the country to the Civil Contract party for the third consecutive time,” the minister said.

“For the third consecutive time, the Civil Contract party has the opportunity and will form a government by itself, and, as in the past, it will continue to serve the interests of the Republic of Armenia, the interests of its citizens, and fulfill its promises,” he said.

The minister emphasized that the vote of confidence carries obligations for the government.

“We are grateful for this vote and for the responsibility it entails, and we will continue to serve the Republic of Armenia,” Mirzoyan concluded.

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said on Monday that the opening of the EU market for Armenian agricultural goods reflects EU support for Armenia and is the result of a political decision.

“Yes, of course this is a political decision,” Mirzoyan told lawmakers at a parliamentary committee hearing when asked whether the move was a political decision.

Mirzoyan said there is a clear willingness on the part of the European Union and its member states to support Armenia’s economic and democratic resilience.

“We see readiness at the highest level from our European Union partners to support the Republic of Armenia’s economic and political resilience, to ensure economic diversity and diversification, which we constantly talk about,” the minister said.

Concrete results are already visible, he added, with some Armenian agricultural products beginning to enter the European market.

“We had political agreements, we had political assurances. We had deliveries and sales of certain types of agricultural products on the European market. For example, flowers are the best example—in Latvia and elsewhere as well,” he noted.

The minister particularly highlighted the Netherlands’ announcement regarding its readiness to open its market to Armenian flowers.

“The Netherlands, which has a strong tradition in floriculture, announced yesterday that it is ready to open its market to flowers grown in Armenia. This is a very significant step,” Mirzoyan said.

According to the Foreign Minister, a political agreement already exists between Armenia and the European Union, and the sides are now moving to the stage of working out technical details.

“There is a general political understanding, a general political agreement between Armenia and the European Union. We are entering the phase of technical formulations—what specific products the European Union is ready to [open up],” he noted.

Mirzoyan expressed confidence that these agreements will soon be translated into practical results for various goods.

“The political agreement and the path are there,” the minister emphasized.

Russia banned a wide range of Armenian imports in recent weeks, prompting Armenian producers to look for new markets. Amid the growing Russian restrictions, the EU announced support programs and opened its market.