Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday that he has no doubt the initialed peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed.

“I have no doubt that the peace agreement will be signed. When it will be signed is another matter, but it will be signed,” the Prime Minister said at a press briefing. 

According to Pashinyan, the alignment of positions between Armenia and Azerbaijan is now clearer, as peace is considered established even when the treaty has only been initialed.

“We are now talking about consolidating peace and making it irreversible. In this regard, domestic political processes in both Armenia and Azerbaijan are also important. There are forces in Armenia—and I assume in Azerbaijan as well, though honestly, I am not very familiar with Azerbaijan’s internal political processes—that are not entirely satisfied with peace and may try to reverse it. We, the citizens of the Republic of Armenia, must uphold the established peace and make it irreversible,” he added.

Armenia and Azerbaijan initialed the peace agreement during a U.S.-brokered summit on August 8, 2025.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reiterated on Thursday that the new proposed Constitution of Armenia, which is currently under development, should not contain a reference to the Declaration of Independence, unlike the current Constitution.

He was asked whether his stance on the matter remains the same.

“I have already addressed this issue, and I do not see any need to change my position. Yes, the new Constitution should not reference the Declaration of Independence. And I will explain why: the Declaration of Independence is structured around a logic of conflict. We cannot proceed with the logic of conflict and expect to build an independent state,” Pashinyan said at a press briefing. 

Minister of Justice Srbuhi Galyan previously said that the text of the proposed Constitution would be made public in March 2026.

The Pashinyan administration first announced the need for a new constitution in 2019.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said there will not be any issues in Armenia regarding Iran’s ban on the export of food products amid the ongoing war.

“I want to emphasize that the Republic of Armenia itself is a food-exporting country. We export tens of thousands of tons of food to other countries, so there is no problem there,” he said at a press briefing when asked about the possible impact of Iran’s export restrictions.

Addressing a question about potential inflationary effects in Armenia amid the ongoing war in Iran, Pashinyan stressed:

“As for inflation, there are relevant state bodies that conduct daily monitoring, and if necessary, measures will be taken.”

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 posing 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. Iran halted food exports amid the escalating conflict.

Armenian Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan underscored that Armenia is currently the only country with which the EU is engaged in visa liberalization dialogue.

Speaking at a joint press conference with EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner in Yerevan, Sargsyan said that this fact represents a strong political signal and reflects the deep cooperation between the parties.

According to the minister, the dialogue on EU visa liberalization for Armenian citizens, which began in September 2024, is an important phase in the development of cooperation between the two sides.

“This process is not just about travel opportunities for our country. It encompasses a broad reform agenda aimed at strengthening our state institutions, improving migration and border management, and developing international law enforcement cooperation. I would also like to note that, since the start of the dialogue, Armenia has received the action plan in a record timeframe compared to comparable countries, which is an extremely demanding assessment. As the lead negotiator on the Armenian side, I consider it important to emphasize that, since the start of the dialogue, Armenia has already achieved tangible progress, according to our assessments. The Armenian government is fully committed to implementing all the criteria set out in the European Union’s visa liberalization action plan,” Sargsyan emphasized, adding that relevant mechanisms have been established to effectively coordinate the process.

The Minister of Internal Affairs also stated that Armenia will continue close cooperation with the European Union and international partners to ensure the successful implementation of this process.

In November 2025, Johannes Luchner, the Deputy Director-General at the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission, handed over the EU-Armenia Visa Liberalization Action Plan to Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan.

EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, praised Armenia’s progress in the visa liberalization dialogue.

“Today, I held meetings with the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia, discussing the remarkable progress Armenia has made in the visa liberalization process. This is very important: since the dialogue began in 2024, progress has been steady, and the EU provided Armenia with the visa liberalization action plan in November 2025. Significant advances have been made regarding document security, migration management, and biometric passports and ID cards, which Armenian citizens will soon be able to obtain,” said Brunner, adding that one of the purposes of his visit is to encourage Armenia to continue implementing these reforms.

According to Brunner, the next phase of the process will be a report on the progress of implementing the visa liberalization action plan, which is scheduled to be presented in May of this year during the EU–Armenia summit.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a meeting with EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner.

The Prime Minister welcomed Commissioner Brunner’s visit to Armenia and emphasized the steady development of cooperation with the European Union, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout.

PM Pashinyan highlighted the EU’s continued support for the effective implementation of democratic reforms in Armenia, adding that the government’s goal is to introduce standards across various sectors that meet EU criteria.

The Prime Minister also expressed satisfaction with the work carried out toward Armenia–EU visa liberalization, noting that visa liberalization will be another important step in deepening and expanding bilateral relations.

In turn, Magnus Brunner emphasized that Armenia is successfully and efficiently implementing the visa liberalization action plan, expressing hope that Armenia’s consistent efforts will lead to the expected outcome. At the same time, the EU Commissioner reiterated the EU’s readiness to provide support to advance these reforms.

The parties exchanged views on the agenda of Armenia–EU cooperation and also discussed other issues of regional significance.

The timing of the implementation of visa liberalisation measures with the European Union depends on Armenia, Interior Minister Arpine Sargsyan said.

Speaking at a joint press conference with EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner, Sargsyan said that within the framework of the visa liberalisation dialogue with the EU, a roadmap is being developed to define the deadlines for actions to be taken by the relevant Armenian institutions.

She said the aim is to make the results of the process visible to citizens as soon as possible.

“The visa liberalisation dialogue is also about providing our citizens with new opportunities,” the minister said, adding that the action plan provided by EU partners does not set a specific time limit.

According to Sargsyan, the timeline will depend on how quickly and effectively Armenia implements the required measures.

She noted that several actions have already been completed, while others are currently underway.

“We are committed to continuing and fully ensuring their implementation,” she said.

Sargsyan stressed that the quality of implementation is particularly important, as the programme is aimed at introducing new standards across various sectors in Armenia and improving the quality of life of citizens.

EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, said on Thursday in Yerevan that Armenian nationals are showing growing interest in traveling to the EU, as reflected in the rising number of visa applications.

He made the remarks at a joint press conference with the Armenian Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan. 

According to Brunner, applications for short-term visas, particularly in 2024, have increased by 10 percent compared to 2023.

“More than 100,000 applicants have registered, which demonstrates Armenian citizens’ strong interest in traveling to the EU. This is, of course, a positive development,” he said, adding that consular sections of EU member states are working under considerable workload to manage the visa application queues.

Brunner also noted that efforts are underway with EU partners to streamline and facilitate the process by bringing in additional staff.

EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner said on Thursday in Yerevan that Armenia and the European Union have been making steady progress towards visa liberalisation since the launch of the Visa Liberalisation Action Plan (VLAP).

He noted that Armenia is currently the only country in the world with which the EU has a visa liberalisation dialogue, calling it an impressive development that demonstrates the priority given to strengthening EU-Armenia ties.

Brunner said the sides have been moving forward at a steady pace since the opening of the Action Plan last year and have taken additional constructive steps.

According to him, both sides expressed political will to implement the plan. He said Armenian authorities are responding to the first benchmarks outlined in the roadmap, including in the areas of document security and migration management.

Brunner noted that biometric passports and new identification cards will soon become available to Armenians, describing them as a prerequisite for visa-free travel within the EU. He added that the country continues to advance other reforms, many of which are already underway.

He said the EU would support Armenia at every stage of the process and noted that Frontex is ready to assist the Armenian Border Guard Service.

Brunner expressed gratitude to the Armenian authorities for their commitment, saying the progress would not have been possible without it.

He also referred to technical assistance provided by several countries, including Lithuania, Finland, Latvia and Sweden, saying this demonstrates the willingness at all levels to bring Armenia closer to the EU.

At the same time, Brunner said further work is still needed and there is always room for improvement.

He added that the EU aims to see a large number of high-quality applications for Schengen visas, stressing that the quality of applications is important.

Brunner said that there are currently backlogs in visa processing, with some applicants waiting longer and some consulates in Yerevan taking too much time to process applications.

He said the EU takes the issue seriously and is working to improve the situation, adding that improvements are already becoming visible.

The Armenia-EU visa liberalization dialogue will ultimately lead to the democratization of travel for Armenian citizens if visa-free travel is introduced, Deputy Interior Minister Armen Ghazaryan said.

Ghazaryan made the remarks at a panel discussion on the path to visa liberalization and EU-Armenia cooperation.

“In the end, we will have the democratization of travel. For years, traveling in Armenia was perceived as an elite phenomenon, as few could afford it due to financial capabilities and bureaucratic restrictions. Visa liberalization will give that opportunity to many,” he said.

According to Ghazaryan, the democratization of travel also reflects the shared values of Armenia and the European Union. ‘’It is about democracy,” he said.