Category: News

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan released a statement on May 9, Victory and Peace Day, saying that Armenians made a significant contribution to the fight against fascism during World War II and stressing the importance of condemning fascism in all its manifestations.

In his message, Pashinyan stated that Armenia is celebrating May 9, 2026, under conditions of peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He noted that for the past two years, there have been neither casualties nor injuries resulting from Armenia-Azerbaijan gunfire.

Below is the full statement published by the Prime Minister’s Office.

“Dear people, dear citizens of the Republic of Armenia,

Today marks the Day of Victory of the Soviet Union and the Western Allies in World War II, which is celebrated in our country as Victory and Peace Day.

In World War II, civilized humanity said no to fascism. The Armenian people made a significant contribution to this struggle, with more than half a million Armenians fighting against fascism in the Soviet and Western Allied armies, as well as in underground resistance groups. That struggle and contribution have been highly appreciated in many countries.

We are celebrating the 81st anniversary of the victory over fascism under difficult international conditions. We are obliged not to forget the disasters fascism brought upon humanity and to condemn this phenomenon in all its manifestations.

Today we bow our heads before all the martyrs who gave their lives to save humanity from fascism. We also pay tribute to all the countries and peoples who fought against fascism.

Dear people, dear citizens of the Republic of Armenia,

We celebrate May 9, 2026, under the conditions of peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan. For two years now, there have been neither casualties nor injuries resulting from Armenia-Azerbaijan gunfire. Our border settlements live in an environment free from shootings. This is the most important achievement our country has recorded for the first time since independence.

Our task today is to properly safeguard the peace we have achieved and make it stronger and more reliable every day. The established peace is a historic opportunity for our country to reach an unprecedented level of security, prosperity and development.

Today we are confidently moving along that path, and a developed, free, secure, prosperous and democratic Republic of Armenia is the greatest tribute to the memory of all the martyrs of our people throughout history, as well as the service we must provide to our citizens and future generations.

We will pay that tribute, we will provide that service.

Glory to the martyrs, and long live the Republic of Armenia.”

Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Alen Simonyan sent a congratulatory message on the occasion of Victory and Peace Day.

The message, published by the Parliament’s press service, reads:

“May 9 is a day of remembrance, respect, and peace. Today, we remember and pay tribute to those who have sacrificed their lives in the fight against fascism. The Armenian people also made a significant contribution and a dignified participation in that struggle: tens of thousands of Armenians fought on different fronts and as part of the Allied Forces for the peaceful future and freedom of humanity.

Today, in a complex and unstable geopolitical environment, it is more important than ever to preserve peace, strengthen statehood, and continue building a secure, democratic, and stable Armenia. Although the peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan is now a reality, it also requires care and attention.

Congratulating on Victory and Peace Day, I wish the Republic of Armenia peace and prosperity, so that from now on we’ll speak about wars only in the context of the past and history.

Glory to martyrs!”

May 9 is one of the most important days in our history and collective memory, uniting the ideas of victory, remembrance and peace, President Vahagn Khachaturyan said in his message on Victory and Peace Day.

“On this day, we pay tribute to all those who selflessly fought to liberate humanity from fascism during World War II. Their courage and endurance became the foundation of the victory that changed the course of history.

The Armenian people participated in that struggle with dignity. Tens of thousands of Armenians fought on various fronts, suffered heavy losses, yet continued the struggle with unwavering determination for a peaceful and secure world. The exploits of Armenian soldiers and military commanders remain an important page in the history of the global victory.

May 9 is also an opportunity to revalue peace. Today, the world continues to face numerous challenges, and more than ever it is necessary to uphold solidarity, mutual respect and the principles of peaceful coexistence among peoples.

It is our duty to value the lessons of the past and contribute every day to building a peaceful, secure and dignified future.

“Honour and gratitude to all veterans and to the memory of the victims of war. May peace and prosperity always accompany our people and homeland.

Happy Victory and Peace Day,” the message reads.

The Commission on the Delimitation of the State Border and Border Security between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the State Commission on the Delimitation of the State Border between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, have agreed on a draft document related to border delimitation work, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan said in an interview with News.am.

“They describe the procedure and are more technical in nature, but are nevertheless important, because we must continue to act in accordance with these documents. The documents are public and, in both countries, must be approved through domestic procedures,” Grigoryan noted.

The deputy prime minister also touched upon the process of delimiting the section adjacent to the planned Trump route in Armenia.

“Whenever it becomes necessary to specify the crossings related to the Trump route, we will delimit those sections separately. I do not think it will be a lengthy process,” Grigoryan emphasized.

President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan said the May 9 holiday is about peace.

“Today’s holiday is about peace. We live in a peaceful Republic of Armenia,” the president said.

President Khachaturyan also answered a question about how stable the established peace is.

“We live in real peace,” Khachaturyan said.

Armenia is not diversifying its defense sector by developing relations with one country at the expense of another, Deputy Defense Minister Arman Sargsyan told reporters.

He noted that Armenia should continue developing relations with as many countries as possible, including European and other states that want peace to prevail in Armenia and try to contribute to the development of the country’s defense capabilities.

“Relations with any country are not developed at the expense of any other country,” Sargsyan said.

Commenting on defense cooperation with India, Sargsyan described it as “excellent,” noting that it is aimed at strengthening Armenia’s defense capabilities.

Another batch of Azerbaijani petroleum products has been sent to Armenia, according to Azerbaijani media.

“Eight wagons loaded with 479 tons of diesel fuel have been sent to Armenia from the Balajary station. As of today, a total of 8,500 tons of diesel fuel, 979 tons of AI-92 gasoline, and 2,955 tons of AI-95 gasoline have been sent from Azerbaijan to Armenia,” according to media reports.

At the same time, 27,000 tons of grain, 4,000 tons of fertilizer, 133 tons of aluminum, and 68 tons of buckwheat were transported from Russia to Armenia via Azerbaijan.

Prime Minister of Armenia and chairman of the ruling Civil Contract Party Nikol Pashinyan said Agarak and Meghri will soon hold a central position at the regional and global levels.

Speaking during a meeting with residents in Agarak on the second day of the pre-election campaign, Pashinyan, who is currently on leave for the election campaign, touched upon infrastructure projects being implemented and planned in the community.

Earlier in the day, Pashinyan and members of his party visited the Baghaburj Memorial Complex to pay tribute to the memory of the martyrs before heading to Meghri and Agarak.

“The TRIPP project is finally being implemented in Agarak, which will become a turning point for the town, and after a 34-year break, the Agarak-Meghri railway will resume operations. As a result, Agarak and the enlarged Meghri community will gain a central position at the regional and global levels,” Pashinyan stated.

He also noted that the construction of a morgue in Agarak is nearing completion and that interior finishing works are underway.

According to Pashinyan, a new school and a new customs terminal are also being built near the state border. The prime minister also noted that construction of the Agarak-Kajaran section of the North-South highway is ongoing at a rapid pace.

The Swedish media outlet Blankspot reported that it had obtained information about alleged Russian influence on Armenia’s parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7 through a confidential document.

According to the website, the document allegedly reveals how Russia planned to reduce the popularity of the Armenian government.

Blankspot, citing a reliable source, noted that it had obtained, through a trusted source, a Russian document titled “Programme for Work in the ‘Anti-Pashinyan’ Direction for 2026.” which outlines both the general objectives and the specific methods of carrying out the work.

According to the website, among other things, the document states that a central goal is to frame the election as a vote of confidence against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan personally.

 “It also describes efforts to limit the influence of the sitting Armenian government ahead of the parliamentary elections on 7 June. Another objective is to prevent Pashinyan’s “political image” from changing or being “modernized” before the vote.

However, the document does not specify which opposition party Russia prefers over Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party. Instead, it describes the tools that are to be used to influence public opinion.

Among the proposals is a plan to triple the presence of Russia-aligned narratives on social media compared to autumn 2025 — from one million views per day to as many as three million,” according to the website.

It is noted that according to the document, the number of opinion makers in the Russia-aligned network is to be expanded from 15 to around 40 individuals.

The document further states that the most prominent among them are to be placed in electable positions within opposition parties ahead of the election.

It also describes so-called “false flag” campaigns on social media, targeted comment campaigns against campaign workers from the ruling party, and the establishment of dedicated “stringer groups” to produce exclusive content during the election campaign.

“Blankspot has been able to verify the authenticity and origin of the document, but it is not possible to determine to what extent the strategy has actually been implemented or how central it is to Russian influence efforts ahead of the election. Several aspects of the document do, however, correspond with recent developments in Armenia.

In the course of verifying the document, Blankspot established that it originated from materials obtained after a person operating within the Russian intelligence services was hacked by a third party before March 2026. His activities in Armenia mirror the contents of the document.

In Armenia, the man has participated in conferences and seminars, met opposition politicians, and frequently commented in the media on the country’s political development. The message has often been the same: that Armenia is heading down a dangerous path by turning away from Russia,’’ writes the website.

According to the website, the debate in Armenia over Russian influence ahead of the parliamentary elections led the Armenian government, already in December 2025, to request EU assistance to counter Russian influence — the same type of support that had been provided to Moldova during its parliamentary elections the previous year.

The website quoted  EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas as saying, “the same networks that were previously active in Moldova are now also operating in Armenia.”

“Similar suspicions have also been directed at neighbouring Georgia, where special EU support measures were not invited during the 2024 election.

In April, Meta shut down around 70 Facebook accounts and pages in Armenia that were deemed fake. At the same time, Russian officials have repeatedly accused Armenian civil society organisations of spreading “anti-Russian narratives”.

“What becomes clear from the document is that Russian influence is not primarily about propaganda in the classical sense. It is about social engineering — creating mistrust, polarisation, and resignation within society.”

“They are not only trying to influence what people think, but how people react, feel, and act politically — during the Soviet era this came to be known as reflexive control. And it is carried out in a highly systematic, data-driven, and organised way, almost like modern advertising campaigns or psychological operations. The case of Armenia is yet another confirmation of this,” according to the website.