Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was flanked by reporters outside a polling station in Yerevan after casting his ballot, where he was asked questions pertaining to both domestic and foreign policy.

One reporter specifically asked the prime minister about ties with China, and Pashinyan expressed confidence that relations between Yerevan and Beijing would continue to strengthen and develop.

“We adopted a document on strategic partnership with President Xi Jinping last year. This is a fact. I am confident that this fact will not change in a negative context as a result of the elections. I believe that our strategic partnership will continue to develop in the future as well, because both countries are interested in it. In particular, within the framework of the ‘Crossroads of Peace’ project, there are great opportunities, and I am confident that our partnership will deepen,” Pashinyan said when asked what impact the elections will have on Armenia–China relations.

Pashinyan is leading the Civil Contract party’s re-election bid.

Armenia will continue to strengthen its democracy with EU support after elections, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who is leading the Civil Contract party’s re-election bid, has said.

He said Armenia will continue the process of alignment with EU standards.

“The future of Armenia will be a strategy of strengthening independence, statehood, democracy, and the rule of law, and we will continue along the path of democratic reforms, of course with the support of our European partners, because the European Union is our main partner in implementing democratic reforms,” Pashinyan said outside a polling station after casting his ballot on election day when asked by international media.

Pashinyan pointed to the law launching the process of EU accession, which was earlier adopted in parliament, and said that the authorities aim to align the country with EU standards.

“When Armenia is fully and sincerely aligned with the standards of the European Union, two scenarios are possible. The first is that the European Union will accept Armenia as a full member. The second is that it will not, because that depends on many political circumstances; for example, the EU may decide not to expand at all,” the prime minister said.

According to Pashinyan, in both cases Armenia will benefit, because even without membership it will have a state aligned with European standards.

Asked about balancing relations between the European Union and Russia, the prime minister said that his administration will continue to adhere to a balanced foreign policy.

“That is a foreign policy issue. And you know that we are pursuing a balanced foreign policy, and we will continue to remain faithful to that approach,” Pashinyan said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan lauded the relationship between Armenia and Georgia on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters outside a polling station in Yerevan after casting his ballot, Pashinyan, who is leading the Civil Contract party’s re-election bid, said that Armenia and Georgia will continue closer cooperation in political and economic areas.

“We have such good relations with Georgia that it is even difficult to talk about further deepening those relations. Of course, this is also about emotions, and those emotions between Armenia and Georgia are very strong,” he said when asked about the ties by a Georgian public broadcaster reporter.

The prime minister emphasized that there are many political and economic issues on the agenda between the two countries, and that cooperation will continue.

“There are many economic and political agendas, and we will cooperate with Georgia as closely as possible, increasingly closely,” Pashinyan said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Sunday appeared to accuse some political forces in Armenia of exploiting what he described as the usual export-import issues within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). 

Pashinyan was asked by reporters about Russia’s growing restrictions in recent weeks on the import of Armenian goods. 

The Armenian prime minister, speaking outside a polling station after casting his vote in the parliamentary elections, said that such matters pertaining to phytosanitary standards and re-exports are constantly arising and are discussed regularly between EAEU members, of which Armenia and Russia are both members.

“Every time at the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting and the Intergovernmental Council meeting, we discuss dozens of issues on the agenda related to phytosanitary matters, standards, exports, re-exports, and issues of product origin,” Pashinyan said.

“All EAEU countries are interested and concerned that goods from third countries should not be imported, labeled as EAEU goods, and then re-exported to another EAEU country.”

Such issues arise constantly, he said, adding that the current public emphasis on them is driven by the interests of certain forces operating in Armenia.

Armenia was earlier notified by its union partners—Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan—that they would like to see a referendum in Armenia choosing between staying in the EAEU or withdrawing and moving toward the European Union. The developments come amid growing ties between Armenia and the EU, which Armenia says do not contradict its EAEU membership for now.

In response to that statement, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on June 1 that Armenia will continue to work within the Eurasian Economic Union framework until the point when choosing between the European Union and the EAEU becomes unavoidable. The prime minister noted that there are currently no grounds for holding such a referendum, as Armenia’s European integration process is not yet at a stage where citizens can be presented with a clear choice. “Until the point when Armenia has either officially applied for EU membership or is very close to obtaining candidate status, holding any referendum would be unreasonable,” Pashinyan said.

In light of these developments, Russia has been imposing growing import restrictions on a wide range of Armenian goods in the run-up to the Armenian parliamentary elections held on June 7. This has prompted Armenian exporters to look for new markets, particularly in the EU.

Pashinyan is leading the Civil Contract party’s re-election bid.

An individual running a business association in Russia has been arrested in Armenia for allegedly plotting to organize the transportation of Armenian nationals to the country for the June 7 elections.

The Investigative Committee said in a press release that its probe revealed that A.G., who serves as the vice president of the Armenian Business Council of Russia, arrived from Russia in Armenia on May 31, 2026, and allegedly pledged via Telegram to transport Armenians living in Russia free of charge to ensure their participation in the parliamentary elections.

The suspect, whose identity is withheld, has been arrested.

Investigative measures are underway to identify and apprehend other accomplices in the scheme.

Other details were not immediately available.

The European Union is already a new export destination for Armenian goods, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters after casting his vote in the parliamentary elections, Pashinyan commented on a wide range of issues, including new trade arrangements with the EU.

He said that the European Union market will be opened for Armenian agricultural products without customs duties.

“The European Union is already a new export destination. The most important and pleasant news is that during my phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in addition to their urgent provision of €50 million in support to help us partially subsidize agricultural and other export-related issues caused by artificial barriers, she also conveyed very important information: agricultural products from the Republic of Armenia will be exported to the European Union without customs duties, meaning under a free customs regime,” Pashinyan said.

According to him, all EU member states are becoming new export destinations for Armenia.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen discussed during a phone call on June 4 the response to Armenia’s economic challenges and the further development of bilateral cooperation. The European Commission President reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to supporting the strengthening of Armenia’s economic resilience and development programs. She said the EU is preparing a support package that includes over €50 million in immediate financial assistance, as well as additional measures aimed at expanding export opportunities for Armenian products and facilitating trade. “Today I spoke with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan about Russia’s recent restrictions targeting Armenia. This is nothing short of economic coercion, and it is unacceptable,” President von der Leyen said in the readout published by the European Commission.

President von der Leyen pledged targeted aid for affected sectors and deeper economic and connectivity cooperation with Armenia and announced that a joint EU–Armenia Task Force will be created to oversee the implementation of all these initiatives.