Armenia and Türkiye signed a memorandum of understanding on restoring the historic Ani Bridge, marking a symbolic step forward in their normalization process.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced the agreement during the EPC summit, describing his meeting with Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz as productive. “Had a productive exchange… Touched upon bilateral and regional cooperation opportunities between Armenia and Turkey,” he said, welcoming “the signing of the protocol on the joint reconstruction of the historic Ani Bridge.”
Located on the Armenia–Türkiye border, the bridge historically formed part of the Silk Road and carries both cultural and political significance. Its restoration is seen as a confidence-building measure.
Yılmaz described the talks as “comprehensive and productive,” noting that both sides “assessed our bilateral relations” and discussed cooperation in transport, customs, energy, and digital infrastructure.
“We are particularly pleased that the mutually constructive steps taken within the framework of the normalisation process are yielding tangible progress,” Yılmaz said.
He added that the project would help “create a solid environment for peace and security,” framing it as part of broader regional efforts.
The memorandum was signed by the two countries’ special envoys, Ruben Rubinyan and Serdar Kılıç.
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Asbarez: Ferrahian High School: A Story of Excellence in the Armenian Diaspora
Ferrahian graduating senior class of 2026
In Armenian communities around the world, one question often comes up: “Can Armenian schools truly compete at the highest academic level in the United States?”
At Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School, the answer is clear—and it can be seen in real results.
What started 62 years ago with just 12 students has grown into the largest Armenian day school outside of Armenia. Today, Ferrahian serves more than a thousand students across expanding campuses. But its success is not just about size. It’s about consistency, strong values, and years of dedication from the community.
That dedication shows in the achievements of its students.
This year’s graduating class is a great example. Eighty-five students earned a total of 119 college acceptances. These included top public universities in California—like UCLA and UC Berkeley—as well as UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Irvine. Students were also accepted to leading private universities such as Stanford, USC, Boston University, Georgetown, Pepperdine, and others.
These numbers don’t just show success—they show quality. Ferrahian students are not only applying to top schools; they are getting in.
Independent data supports this as well. According to the San Francisco Chronicle’s 2026 rankings, Ferrahian is among the top private high schools in California when it comes to admissions to University of California campuses. In a system where thousands of students compete for limited spots, this is a strong sign of academic strength.
So what’s behind these results?
Ferrahian offers challenging classes, including honors and Advanced Placement courses. Students are taught how to think critically, work independently, and prepare for college from an early stage. These outcomes are not accidental—they are built into the school’s approach.
At the same time, the school places strong emphasis on real-world preparation. Ferrahian has developed a well-structured internship program, along with life skills classes, that help students explore different careers while they are still in school. This gives them the opportunity to gain practical experience, understand their interests, and start building the skills they will need in the future.
But academics are only part of the story.
Ferrahian is also deeply committed to preserving Armenian identity. Students learn the Armenian language, history, and culture as a core part of their education—not as an extra. The school has found a balance between academic success and cultural roots, helping students grow both intellectually and personally.
It’s no surprise that in recent years, interest in Ferrahian has continued to grow. The school is expanding to meet this demand. Starting in the 2026–2027 school year, new kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade classes will be added, along with improved facilities to support future growth. This shows that Ferrahian is not only maintaining its legacy—but actively building for the future.
Learning at Ferrahian also goes beyond the classroom. The school regularly invites respected leaders from religious, political, educational, scientific, business, and cultural fields. Students have the chance to meet and learn from these professionals, gaining real-world insight and inspiration.
As Principal Sossi Shanlian explains, “At a time when assimilation is a real challenge for diaspora communities, Ferrahian shows that strong identity and academic success can go hand in hand. Its achievements are not occasional—they are part of who we are.”
From its humble beginnings to its place among top schools in California today, Ferrahian stands as a powerful example of what vision, commitment, and community can achieve.
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Simonyan Accuses Russia of Abandoning Armenia in 2020 War; Criticizes Historic
On May 6, during a conversation with journalists, Alen Simonyan, the Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, stated that Russia had effectively abandoned Armenia during the 2020 war. Referring to the consequences of the conflict, Simonyan emphasized several times that Armenia’s ally had “at the very least, left us to fend for ourselves.” He added that people in the de-facto Nagorno-Karabakh particularly came to understand this reality after the events of 2020.
Commenting on the possibility of tensions in Armenian-Russian relations following the recent European Political Community summit in Yerevan, Simonyan questioned whether Armenia should constantly consider Russia’s reaction while pursuing its own national interests. “I believe it is wrong,” Simonyan stated, arguing that Moscow itself does not take Armenian interests into account when advancing its own policies.
According to Simonyan, Armenia is focused on protecting its own security and sovereignty. He noted that during the war with Azerbaijan, Russia continued selling weapons to Baku while simultaneously maintaining allied relations with Armenia. “So, is Armenia supposed to remain a slave?” Simonyan asked. He criticized the notion that Armenia should seek approval regarding its diplomatic contacts or international engagements, questioning why hosting foreign guests or maintaining relations with other states should provoke negative reactions.
Addressing Armenia’s economic dependence on Russia, Simonyan stated that the country faces a broader choice between remaining subordinated to external powers or developing genuine independence. He argued that Armenia should not replace one “Big Brother” with another and stressed the importance of preserving political freedoms, including free elections and an independent media environment.
Simonyan also criticized Armenia’s pre-2018 political system, claiming that the country lacked real sovereignty during that period. According to him, presidential elections were manipulated, and congratulatory messages from Moscow would sometimes arrive even before official election results were announced. He further alleged that key government appointments required Russian approval and that much of Armenia’s political system operated in coordination with Moscow. “There was no independence prior to 2018,” Simonyan stated.
Simonyan also stated that he would be prepared to visit Azerbaijan if invited. Commenting on the absence of Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan, from the EPC summit in Yerevan, Simonyan said he did not know why Aliyev chose to deliver remarks via video message instead of attending in person.
At the same time, Simonyan emphasized that he remains open to dialogue with Baku and invited his Azerbaijani counterpart to visit Yerevan. According to him, one of the clearest indicators of progress toward peace is the absence of fatalities along the border, as well as restraint in political rhetoric.
Simonyan further expressed the view that Aliyev is currently focused on issues related to peace and trade. When journalists challenged that assessment and noted that Aliyev’s rhetoric had not significantly changed, Simonyan avoided directly addressing the criticism and instead accused the media of misrepresenting the situation.
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Armenia And Belarus Clash Diplomatically as Summons, War Accusations, And Shar
Armenia and Belarus exchanged sharp diplomatic statements after Minsk summoned the Armenian chargé d’affaires over “unfriendly actions,” while officials from both sides escalated criticism regarding political independence, foreign policy orientation, and alleged wartime involvement.
On May 5, Artur Sargsyan, the Chargé d’affaires of the Republic of Armenia in the Republic of Belarus, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus. During the meeting, a strong protest was lodged with Sargsyan, and a diplomatic note was handed over in response to what Belarusian authorities described as recent unfriendly actions by the Armenian side.
Moreover, Ruslan Varankov, the Press Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, responded to recent remarks by the Speaker of the Armenian Parliament regarding Belarus’s alleged “lack of independence,” sharply criticizing the statements. Varankov stated that the comments made by the Armenian parliamentary speaker amount to “nothing more than pre-election populism” and described them as an attempt to divert public attention from serious domestic challenges. “When poverty is skyrocketing, exceeding 40% at the upper limit, unemployment is rising, and entire regions are stagnating, it’s easiest to appoint an external enemy and resort to insulting labels. Such a cynical approach is regrettable,” Varankov stated. He emphasized that Belarus remains a sovereign country that independently defines its alliance with Russia. “We are proud of this cooperation and will not allow anyone to lecture us,” Varankov added. According to him, efforts to involve Minsk in Armenia’s internal political discourse under accusations of interference represent “a gross violation of basic diplomatic ethics.” He further criticized what he described as Yerevan’s pro-Western policy, stating that its consequences include “depopulation, chronic economic instability, and complete foreign policy dependence, forcing it to serve as a puppet at other countries’ summits,” Varankov emphasized. Varankov also underlined that Belarus differentiates between the Armenian population and its leadership, noting that “the Belarusian side clearly distinguishes between the fraternal Armenian people and their short-sighted government officials.” He concluded by stressing the historical ties between the two nations and expressed confidence that Armenia’s leadership would eventually return to constructive engagement. “Belarusians and Armenians are bound by strong historical ties, and we are convinced that sooner or later, the Armenian leadership will heed common sense and return to constructive dialogue with our country so that our countries can once again become truly friendly and strategic partners,” Varankov concluded.
On May 6, Alen Simonyan, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, accused the Belarusian authorities of assisting Azerbaijan in preparations for the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War during a conversation with journalists. Commenting on the protest note handed a day earlier by the Belarusian Foreign Ministry to Armenia’s Chargé d’Affaires, Simonyan stated that the “disrespectful attitude” of a CSTO partner toward Armenia is further straining bilateral relations. He added that such actions are compounded by Belarus’ alleged involvement in preparations for the 44-day war with Azerbaijan and “much more.” Simonyan emphasized that every country determines its own political course, noting that Armenia prioritizes human rights and freedoms. “We have chosen the democratic path, while they (Belarus) are a little different, not like Armenia,” Simonyan stated. Responding to criticism over his tone, Simonyan said his manner of speaking reflects his personal character and that his role in parliament does not impose the same constraints as diplomatic service. “Why are you picking on Belarus?” Simonyan said, adding that he had learned about the protest note through media reports and had no additional details. He further stressed that Armenia “will not be a province” or politically dependent, describing the governance model of Belarus as unacceptable both for the country and personally for him. Simonyan assured that Armenia remains a free state with independent media and the rule of law.
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168: Defense spending is cut, programs are scrapped
May 6, 2026
Nikol Pashinyan rarely tells the truth. One such rarely told truth is that they have stayed in the same class for so many years. It is not difficult to see what is happening in the budget. Every year they promise that they will improve the state of budget execution next year, but nothing changes. Even after eight years, we see that the government is squeezing the economy, instead of implementing the planned programs on time, it takes the money and deposits it in banks. And one of the main reasons for this is the relatively low cost performance.
Almost 30 percent of the expenses of the first quarter of the budget could not be fulfilled.
More than 857 billion drams were planned to be spent, and 603 billion were completed.
254 billion drams or about 680 million dollars were underpaid.
Many important expenditures have underperformed, and, as usual, capital expenditures in particular, and planned capital expenditures on defense.
“2026 in the first quarter, the capital expenditures of the state budget were made by 23.3%, mainly due to the performance of the capital expenditures implemented within the framework of the “Ensuring the Defense of the Republic of Armenia” and “Establishment, Construction, Improvement of Public Education and Preschool Institutions” programs.
Compared to the same period of the previous year, capital expenditures of the state budget decreased by 43.4% (32.6 billion drams) due to the decrease of 63.8% (32.4 billion drams) and 51.2% (3.5 billion drams) of capital expenditures made within the framework of the “Security of the Republic of Armenia” and “Road Network Improvement” programs, respectively,” the Ministry of Finance reported in the report on the implementation of the first quarter of the budget.
They planned to implement more than 182 billion drams of capital expenditures, they made 42.6 billion drams. Performance was only 23.3 percent.
Disgraceful low performance. They spent 4.3 times less than they committed. Almost 77 percent of the planned works were not completed.
Capital expenditures have also significantly declined from the previous year’s level.
Compared to the previous year, capital expenditures decreased by more than 43 percent.
Last year, more than 75 billion drams were spent on capital expenditure. The expenses made this year amounted to barely 42.6 billion drams.
It is not the first year that such a shameful situation has occurred in terms of the timely execution of budget expenditures, especially capital expenditures. CP has been in power for eight years, every year is the same. They could not change the situation in eight years. They could not because they are not competent and do not want to learn. Because of this, first of all, the economy suffers. Planned programs, which should provide not only economic but also social results for the citizens, fall behind.
As a result of every dram not spent on time and every unimplemented project, how many losses the economy and citizens suffer, the government has never calculated or submitted a report. But there is no doubt that these damages are counted in billions of drams, for which no one is responsible.
Unfortunately, it is not the case that only capital expenditures were underperformed. It is a much more shameful situation in terms of the implementation of targeted credit programs.
The performance of targeted credit programs is close to zero. They were fulfilled by only 3.2 percent. 96.8 percent remained unfulfilled.
They planned to implement 14.5 billion dram projects in the first quarter with targeted credit funds. 14 billion of the amount are loans from international financial organizations, which were given to implement certain projects. But these programs are constantly delayed due to such performances. And it is not surprising, if we take into account that out of 14.5 billion, only 500 million drams were planned in 3 months. The remaining 14 billion projects were left hanging in the air, probably thousands of dollars in damages and fines were paid for unrealized loan funds.
The performance of the targeted programs planned with credit funds is in such a state that they are delayed for years. There is no program that they can finish on time and not pay penalties.
Not only the capital expenditures and targeted credit programs, but also the expenditures on benefits and pensions have underperformed. As much as it seems that there should not have been deviations here, they have deviated again.
The performance of expenses was 87.7 percent due, first of all, to less allocations made to the accounts of the participants of the cumulative pension system. The Ministry of Finance did not elaborate on what was the reason for this. But, which is more worrying, the other reason for the under-execution of these expenses is the extremely low performance of the social assistance programs provided to our compatriots who emigrated from Artsakh. Although many are in dire need of this assistance, the cost performance was only 40.9 percent. They didn’t even do half of what was planned.
The situation is the same in terms of implementation of many other expenses. Because of that, the budget underperformance reaches 30 percent. Among those 30 percent are economic and social programs worth hundreds of millions of dollars, which should not only create incentives for the economy, but also contribute to the improvement of the social condition of citizens. But very often, as a result of the incompetence and slowness of the government, they lag behind, delaying the benefits that are expected to be obtained as a result of their implementation.
HAKOB KOCHARYAN
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This lawsuit is not against 15 people, but against the Armenian people and Armenian statehood. David I
May 6, 2026
Davit Ishkhanyan, former Speaker of Artsakh National Assembly, appealed to RA HRD from Baku prison.
“I greet everyone.
We learned from the press that Ruben Vardanyan appealed to the human rights defender of the Republic of Armenia to visit him. I don’t know if the respected defense attorney will have the responsibility and determination to visit and see us, and in that case he will have more detailed information and get to know how the entire investigation was conducted, with what serious and gross violations both the entire investigation and the trial were conducted, with gross violations of human rights, international law, international norms, including the procedure of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
At the end of the trial, during my last speech, I could not say my full speech. at least 30-40% did not let me say the final word. But I managed to say what I want to say to my people now, and make a small quote:
“This case is not opened against 15 people, this case is opened against the Armenian people and Armenian statehood with clear goals and long-term strategy. I had doubts about that during the examination, and during the trial it became my conviction. Time will show the truth of my thoughts and words.”
As for HRD Azerbaijan, Sabina Aliyeva, human rights defender of Azerbaijan, visited us yesterday, and we were able to pass on some information to her. I had prepared a letter of application to deliver to him since March 12, but for about a month or two, for some reason, I could neither see him nor deliver it. Yesterday, I submitted my application letter, and there I had one specific request: that the complete Azerbaijani and Armenian versions of our judgment should be mediated and forwarded to my family and relatives.
The human rights defender promised that he would convey the Azerbaijani version to my family and try to mediate.
As for the human rights defender of the Republic of Armenia, I now want to appeal to him orally to mediate and receive the full texts of our indictments and the full text of our judgment in Armenian and Azerbaijani versions from the relevant structures of Azerbaijan, perhaps through his colleague, and pass them on to my family and relatives.
As for these difficult times, I will only wish our people strength of spirit, will and unity, and I must say: be strong.”
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A 210 million euro contract that helped Azerbaijan win the 44-day war
May 6, 2026
As part of his official visit to Poland, RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan in Warsaw on May 5 has met also with Slovakia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense Robert Kaliniak, who also participated in the “Defence24 Days” conference.
During the meeting, issues related to cooperation between Armenia and Slovakia in the field of defense were discussed, and prospects of cooperation were discussed.
Both sides emphasized the directions of military education, exchange of professional experience, exercises and military-technical cooperation, and an agreement was reached on giving the cooperation a practical course in the near future.
It should be noted that in 2024, the Deputy Minister of Defense Karen Brutyan met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Slovakia Robert Kaliniak within the framework of the IDEB-2024 defense exhibition in Bratislava, issues related to the military-technical and military-technological cooperation between Armenia and Slovakia were discussed, and a number of agreements were reached.
As for what kind of military-technical cooperation we are talking about, of what quality, moreover, how and to what extent will Armenia succeed in achieving the practical course of military-technical agreements with Slovakia, time will tell. After all, we are dealing with a country and an official who have had strategic relations with Azerbaijan for a long time.
In 2025 we we reported that Aliyev intends to purchase automatic artillery systems from Slovakia, and not only that. Already this year we wrote that Slovakia and Azerbaijan have signed a big deal. We are talking about a framework contract worth 210 million euros, with which SAM-120 automatic mortars will be supplied. Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kaliniak said the first batch of supplies, which includes 96 mortars, had been agreed.
In addition, Azerbaijan and Slovakia have agreed to cooperate in the field of self-propelled artillery installations, ammunition production. technologies from Slovakia, and financial means from Azerbaijan. In other words, as Aliyev noted, “we are talking about the formation of synergy, when by combining Slovakian technologies and Azerbaijan’s financial capabilities, it is possible to create a new product that will be of interest to the world markets as well.”
It should be noted that, according to various reports, Czech-made Dana self-propelled howitzers and RM-70 rocket launcher systems arrived from Slovakia, Israel, and then Azerbaijan and were used in the 44-day war. Moreover, the Armenian side warned Slovakia and the Czech Republic about this at different levels even before the 2020 war. we wrote
Therefore, in this case, the presence of Slovakia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense Robert Kaliniak at the Baku military parade dedicated to the 5th year of the Azerbaijani victory in the 44-day war becomes legal. Among the honored guests present at the military parade in the published photos to appear was also the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia, Miroslav Lajčak, who also plays a major role in arming Azerbaijan.
And Robert Kaliniak was the Minister of Internal Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister of Slovakia in 2006-2010 and 2012-2018, and since 2023 he is the Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister of Slovakia.
Let’s remind that in 2025 “Hetk” had written that Slovakian Defense Minister Robert Kaliňák twice stated in interviews with the local TA3 TV station that Armenia had “occupied the territory of Azerbaijan”.
After these statements, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fitzo, arrived in Armenia on an official visit. It is not known whether Nikol Pashinyan expressed his displeasure with him in the meeting with him. Instead, it is known that after Kalinyak’s accusation of “occupying Azerbaijan’s territories” was addressed to Armenia, Pashinyan’s government did not follow up the clarification, explanation, nor was a note of protest sent to Slovakia for at least two months.
And now it would be naive to expect that after more than a year, this issue will be discussed with RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan, and time will tell how successful Slovakia-Armenia military-technical cooperation will be.
It should be noted that Azerbaijan is a military-technical “model” of cooperation with Slovakia cooperation also started with the Czech Republic.
Let us add that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni left for Baku from Yerevan on May 5, and the defense and security sphere was also on the agenda of negotiations with Aliyev. And during a joint press conference with Aliyev, he considered defense and security as one of the most important areas of cooperation with Baku, especially in the areas of aerospace industry, maritime security, critical infrastructure protection and advanced technologies, where Italy has achievements.
“We propose a model where cooperation between industrial systems leads to knowledge sharing, joint developments,” Meloni emphasized.
Aliyev also considered the military-technical cooperation with Italy as promising.
«We have specific ideas on implementing joint projects, organizing joint production, combining Italian technologies and Azerbaijani financial resources.” he noted.
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They are terrified: 5,000 soldiers are coming out, but they tell us to leave 4,000.
May 6, 2026
“The European Union’s interest in Armenia is related to the Russian military base. the goal is to completely remove Armenia, in their opinion, from Russian influence,” about the latest EU-Armenian developments and the declaration signed as a result of them 168․amresponded to the questions like this international affairs expert Armen Manvelyan.
According to him, it is for this purpose that the EU signs various documents, which in fact have no economic and political perspective.
“They only provide an opportunity for Armenia’s dependence on Turkey to increase. if you study these documents deeply, you will see that.
According to those plans, Armenia will import electricity from Turkey, because the access to Russian gas should be closed, the nuclear power plant should be closed, with some unclear perspective. According to that plan, the security forces should also be removed, perhaps they want to bring observers again, who will look in I don’t know which direction with binoculars. In reality, none of these programs have any prospects,” he added.
To the observation that the RA authorities claim that these processes are for diversification and that we should not be limited to dependence on the Russian Federation, since they did not help us at the time of need, Armen Manvelyan responded that the “we were not helped” philosophy is particularly incomprehensible in today’s world.
“Now, they are tired of the “Russian big brother”, so to speak, and they are leaving, they are looking for new owners, supposedly in the European Union, while that road goes through Turkey. With this option, they will make Armenia a province of Turkey, hoping that it will somehow ensure our security. Meanwhile, this will lead to the complete destruction of our security system, because the position – why didn’t the Russians support us – is not the position of a political widow, a politician. It is the political behavior of a petulant child.
These people are not able to understand that the world is changing, it is no longer possible to be on 2 chairs, we should no longer expect that some superpower can protect our interests. more literate work is needed, which these people lack. This is not diversification. they don’t do that work themselves,” he added.
According to him, it could be called diversification if the European Union had some presence in the region. “For example, military presence. The European Union is not even able to support itself militarily, it is not able to ensure its security. Trump literally announced a few days ago that he will withdraw 5,000 troops from the European Union, which caused a great stir. They are in terror, 5,000 soldiers are leaving, but they come to us and say: let the 4,000 Russian troops leave Armenia.
The European Union is not the political force, it is not the structure that can diversify. it cannot provide us with vital opportunities to provide us with cheap gas, or gas at all. We do not have a border with the European Union, or will our products have a place in its market? for example, 80 percent of Armenia’s products go to Russia with the light hand of the current authorities (before they came to power, it was 40 percent).
All answers are “no”. The EU cannot provide military security, energy security, or economic security.
If tomorrow Russia makes the price of gas $200, is there an alternative? What is their hope that Azerbaijan will give them gas? The same Azerbaijan gives gas to Turkey for approximately 300 dollars.
The expert stressed that the real diversification is when the government does not declare war against its own nation, does not divide its own people, does not target the church, but on the contrary, it spreads solidarity, unites, becomes stronger and is able to talk and dialogue with all sides.
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This is a reason for war… The Caucasus is being raised against Russia. Vardan Hakobyan
May 6, 2026
The liberal-globalists who rule the European Union are trying to make Armenia and the South Caucasus a platform to attack Russia, and raising the Caucasus against Russia is a reason for war, “casus belli”. 168 TVof Revue expressed this belief in an interview with the program Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Minister of the RA, diplomat Vardan Hakobyanthetalking about the European summits held in Yerevan and the announcements made during these events.
“Macron declares that the South Caucasus should not be a place of competition between empires, but with his own declaration he turns it into a battlefield.
If we move on to geopolitical and political issues, we see that with these statements and these steps, Armenia becomes a certain platform… We have often said here that, well, Armenia is not Ukraine with a population of 50 million, not even Azerbaijan, which has a population of approximately 10 million.
But Armenia should play a supporting role rather than an infantry one, and basically it should be a platform for preparing the entire new anti-Russian attack. In all cases, this is what this person says, and by saying it, he hits the interests of all states. Someone can say that the Europeans have their interests too. Yes, for their own interests, they make Armenia a field of confrontation between the power centers of many states. They pursue their own interests.
Even today, the pursuit of that interest becomes the center of contradictions and contradictions, because it can pass military phaseas it happened in Ukraine, that is, if you raise the South Caucasus against Russia, and then also the North Caucasus, and then you go to Central Asia, this cause of war է՝ «casus belli“, and the Russians might not be patient this time for 8 years,” thinks Vardan Hakobyan.
Speaking on the occasion of French President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial statements in Yerevan, both about Armenian-French and Armenia-European Union or Armenia-Europe ties, the diplomat emphasizes that first of all, the geopolitical and civilizational sides of the issue should be separated. Vardan Hakobyan is disgusted by the similar expressions of Macron and other liberal-globalists, that until 2018, Armenia was “Russia’s satellite”, and from the “stinking half-truths” expressed by him and emphasizes that historically, for more than 2000 years, Armenia has been connected with European countries, European civilization and culture. According to the diplomat, no one wants to deny this and exclude the Armenian nation from ties with Europe, but the European Union with its current policy and the so-called Eurobureaucracy that manages it is a different story.
“It is true, we were also connected with Iran, but with the Iran of that time, but the predominant one in our history, our self-awareness, national mentality is the European one, and not only, let’s say, European influences, but there was also a time when we influenced Europe, more specifically, after Cilicia, the influence of our culture was very significant. I am saying all this only because these EU supporters want to present as if we or the opposition, as well as individual people, are against the connections with the Europeans or deny those connections.
There is no such thing. Now let’s come from here, that connection that we had, let’s say, from Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece. The traces of Hellenistic culture are still there, aren’t they? Not to mention the most powerful connection with Byzantium. Both Armenia, and Europe at that time, and Russia entered that Byzantine cultural field, until the Ottomans came, captured Constantinople, destroyed the Byzantine Empire, and the history of Europe moved to the West… The same Marx, Engels said that when the Ottomans conquered all of Byzantium, entered Europe, etc., they have this expression:
«After the fall of Constantinople (1453), the Ottomans pushed back the history of Europe by 200 years.“. Indeed, the Europeans were in a very difficult position and development was disrupted. “And the history of Armenians,” they say, “stopped.” That’s their word… If we imagine the map in our mind, the field of development of our history is inseparable from the European field. I am talking about the time when Polis was not occupied yet. Then the Ottoman Empire was created and the Ottoman Empire stopped our history until 1918, or you could say until 1828., when Eastern Armenia at least joined the Christian state, and we were freed from many persecutions,” this is how Vardan Hakobyan analyzes the history.
The diplomat emphasizes that the whole issue is that now we are not talking about that Europe, but about the European Union as a bureaucratic organization, where the leaders, in fact, are not elected by the European peoples.
“These neo-globalists took the leadership positions of the European Union. Do you imagine that a certain von der Leyen or Kaya Kalas would give instructions to Mitterrand or Margaret Thatcher or the leaders of Italy,” the political analyst notes.
According to the diplomat, the goal of the EU bureaucracy is not to make these states and peoples, including Armenia, a member of the European Union, but to use them as they use the Ukrainians.
«Did Ukraine join the European Union?, – Vardan Hakobyan asks a rhetorical question and continues, – Now we can, don’t we, have the right to assume that they want to do the same thing with the Caucasian states and peoples? In other words, if their “idea fix”, the goal of the Nulands and European liberal-globalists is not to keep Europe strong and develop, but the exact opposite.”
Speaking about the Artsakh issue and Russia’s policy, the diplomat recalled his personal contacts with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the impression he received.
«Yes, Lavrov is an Armenian, but the man is a Russian politician. Moreover, it fell because during my personal contacts, I saw that he and some of his deputies, for example, Karasin, how hard they take our problems, how much they think about it, how many proposals they make, but there are people who believe that “genocide did not take place”, “it is necessary to count who killed whom”… I myself attended the Russian-Georgian negotiations many times.
The Russians were saying it all the way. “We recognize the territorial integrity of Georgia, but understand: it is not necessary to do this, it is not necessary to do it that way, be patient.” But at the behest of the West, Saakashvili, who is the disgrace of the Georgian people, organized a very theatrical attack on South Ossetia.… The same was said to Armenians. “Come on, let’s see how these developments will go, because the Karabakh issue is in the process of being resolved, one way or another. don’t make statements: Karabakh is ours, and that’s it…”
Let’s remind that on May 4, during the interactive panel discussion of the European Political Community (ECC) summit, French President Emmanuel Macron said:
“Let’s be honest, 8 years ago no one would have come here, and the fact that we have so many first visits to your country is a really good indicator, because 8 years ago, this country was considered by many countries at the table as a de facto satellite of Russia, and Nikol organized the Velvet Revolution, and the country benefited from it.”
And while speaking at the “Yerevan Dialogue” conference held the next day, Macron called on Azerbaijan and Turkey to open their borders with Armenia.
Full interview in the video.
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Save “Erablur” from desecration. the only tip for June 7
May7, 2026
The summit of the European Community, which was more like a political version of “Eurovision”, finally recorded that the CP government fulfilled the slogan “Shutdown for salvation” promised five years ago.
In the parliamentary elections of 2021, on that principle, the CP promised to realize the right of self-determination of Artsakh. Two days ago, however, in Yerevan, the principle of “Shutdown for the sake of salvation” was applied to the government of Nikol Pashinyan and CP. They finally and completely separated themselves from everything Armenian for the sake of saving their power. In the capital of the Republic of Armenia, accompanied by the hanging ears of those occupying the nominal power of the Republic of Armenia and in the conditions of calf delight, Ilham Aliyev announced remotely that Azerbaijan has eliminated “separatism” in Artsakh and is now “carrying out justice for war criminals” towards”.
Not only did the listeners in the capital of the Republic of Armenia not oppose this statement in any way, but the chief among the listeners thanked him like a slave number one.
That thanks was the thanks of the Republic of Armenia for those gathered in that hall and all the followers from the world, because no matter how occupied and authoritarian the government is, the speech of its representative for others is the speech of the whole society and the state.
Thanking Aliyev for “liberating Artsakh from the separatists” and for judging Artsakh’s military-political leadership as “war criminals”, Nikol Pashinyan treated the Armenian public like his most ardent manclave, a paragon of one of our Diaspora Armenian compatriots.
He spat in the face of the Armenian society tortured by police gangs in the same way that the other one spat in the face of a person held hostage by his own bodyguards.
From that statement, after thanking Aliyev on behalf of the Armenian people for humiliating the Armenian people, those same Armenian people have one, only one chance to apply the same “Disconnect for Salvation” principle to their own lives and the remnants of their own state.
The June 7 election is no longer an election to form a government. It is an election about determining the nationality of the government. In any case, the preservation of the power of the CP in any format will mean that starting from June 8, an authority subordinate to Azerbaijan will be officially established in Armenia.
Next, it will not be limited only to gratitude for the humiliations of Azerbaijan, but also here in Armenia, it will judge the participants of all the past wars.
At the moment, it sounds diabolical, but one day that government will also defile “Yerablur”, where the heroes of the Armenian people rest, who, however, turned into “separatists” and “war criminals” after the thanks two days ago.
Allowing the reproduction of the CP’s power means giving a green light to the desecration of “Yerablur”.
All oppositionists have exactly one month to convey this reality to the public. Otherwise, in the foreseeable future, most of the Armenian people will have to personally apply the principle of “Disconnect for the sake of salvation” by separating from their own country in order to save their lives.
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