- Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Wednesday doubled down on accusations against his political rivals of planning to undermine peace with Azerbaijan if they manage to come to power as a result of upcoming parliamentary elections.
Speaking during a question-and-answer session in parliament boycotted by the two opposition factions, Pashinian hit back at the claims that he is trying to intimidate the public with the prospect of another war for electoral purposes.
He again criticized opposition platforms, arguing that their pledges to renegotiate an initialed peace deal with Azerbaijan, seek international guarantors, or raise the issue of the return of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh would “open the door” to renewed conflict with Azerbaijan.
Pashinian said the June 7 parliamentary elections would amount to a choice between continuing or abandoning the Karabakh movement, which began in the final years of the Soviet Union and led to decades of tensions and wars between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the region.
“Today, Civil Contract is the only political force that clearly says that it has decided that we are not continuing the Karabakh movement,” he said. “All other forces say that they will continue the Karabakh movement, and the people should make their decision. If people decide that the Karabakh movement continues, it will mean war, because the Karabakh movement is a war.”
He reiterated that a reference in Armenia’s constitution to the 1990 Declaration of Independence, which, in its turn, cites a 1989 act on unification between Soviet Armenia and the then Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast inside Soviet Azerbaijan, amounts to continuing that movement. Pashinian has previously pledged to remove the provision through a constitutional referendum, saying Azerbaijan views it as a territorial claim hindering a final peace agreement.
Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh broke free from Baku’s control in the early 1990s after three years of fighting that left some 30,000 people dead on both sides.
Azerbaijan regained control over the region following the 2020 and 2023 wars against Armenia-backed forces, which killed several thousand people on both sides and prompted the mass exodus of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian population.
Opposition leaders have rejected Pashinian’s accusations of inciting war, insisting they support peace while advocating for stronger security guarantees from international actors. They have criticized the peace deal initialed by Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington last year for lacking such guarantees.
Former President Robert Kocharian described Pashinian’s statements as “absurd,” saying it was contradictory for a leader who “has brought three wars” to Armenia to speak about peace. He also called the narrative that “if it is not us, then it will be war” both “dangerous” and “humiliating.”
“Yes, we must do everything to avoid war, but that does not mean making concessions,” Kocharian said. “It means having dignified diplomacy, dignified policies.”
Opposition figures have also accused Pashinian of using war rhetoric for electoral purposes. Artsvik Minasian, an opposition lawmaker allied with Kocharian, argued on Tuesday that such statements intended to influence voters amount to a “crime.”
“It is a threat designed to influence people’s will, which is prohibited and is a criminally punishable act,” Minasian said.
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ADB will provide support to mitigate the effects of the Middle East conflict
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced on March 24 a financial assistance package to help its developing member countries mitigate the economic and financial consequences of the conflict in the Middle East.:
“ADB will provide fast, flexible and scalable support to help countries manage immediate pressures and build long-term resilience, including rapidly disbursed budget support, as well as trade and supply chain financing to support imports of key commodities, now including oil,” said ADB President Masato Kanda. “This builds on our wealth of experience supporting the Asia-Pacific region during times of global uncertainty.”
ADB has sufficient resources to protect existing and planned programs while expanding emergency assistance to meet the needs of developing member countries, including the use of the Countercyclical Lending Reserve.
The Bank closely monitors global market developments and their potential impact on the economies of the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in terms of energy price fluctuations, inflationary pressures and external balances.
Recent ADB analysis shows that disruptions to shipping routes have already increased costs and delivery times, while supply risks extend beyond the energy sector to critical industrial raw materials such as petrochemicals and fertilizers, with serious implications for agriculture and food production.
Economies dependent on tourism and remittances face cumulative vulnerabilities beyond these initial shocks.
In addition, the conflict increases uncertainty and tightens financial conditions across the region, putting pressure on currencies and capital flows.
In response, ADB stands ready to provide timely financial and technical assistance to help developing member countries manage risks, maintain macroeconomic stability, and protect vulnerable populations.
ADB’s intervention has two main components. The first is rapid budget support to support developing member countries facing heightened fiscal pressures, particularly through the use of the bank’s countercyclical support tool to help governments stabilize their economies and mitigate the impact of shocks on the lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable people.
The second is ADB’s Trade and Supply Chain Financing Program (TSCFP), which supports the private sector to ensure that vital imports, including energy and food, continue to flow.
The bank has decided to restore oil import support within the framework of the program in an exceptional manner during this limited period.
This decision recognizes that the region’s economies and people are severely affected by rapidly rising oil prices and supply chain disruptions.
ADB has begun discussions with all hard-hit developing member countries about possible immediate assistance and will continue to work closely with governments, development partners and the private sector to ensure a coordinated and effective response to maintain economic stability and protect the poor and most vulnerable.
ADB is a leading multilateral development bank that supports sustainable, inclusive and resilient growth in the Asia-Pacific region. Working together with its members and partners to solve complex challenges, ADB uses innovative financial tools and strategic partnerships to transform lives, build quality infrastructure and protect our planet. Founded in 1966, ADB has 69 members, 50 of which are from the region.
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168: The pre-election “restart” of those closing the Artsakh page. To “home” the people of Artsakh and
March: 25, 2026
Nikol Pashinyan, who is demonized by the word “Artsakh”, deprived the people of Artsakh of their own land and water, home and place, and closed the page of the Karabakh movement, decided to remember the problems of the “brothers and sisters” of Artsakh on the eve of the elections. He gathered a group of people and tried to hang noodles from their ears before the elections.
He convinced them to forget Artsakh, the graves of their parents and children and relatives left in Atsakh, what they had done over the years and urged them to settle in Armenia without unnecessary emotions.
Before the elections, for obvious reasons, he tried to woo the people of Artsakh.
If they already feel the need for the votes of the people of Artsakh, it means that the situation is really difficult. The citizens of Artsakh who have the right to participate in the elections are the last group of voters who can even think of voting for these authorities after all this time. Today’s rulers of Armenia also understand this, but due to their incompetence, they threw their hands into the foam. Once they targeted and insulted, they did not listen to the raised social issues, now they remembered the people of Artsakh.
Read also
- For the carte blanche given to Pashinyan, a price will be set for Armenia after the elections. Hakob Badalyan
- PASHINIAN, YOU ARE A LONG TIME AGO. OLIGARCHS ARE IN YOUR GOVERNMENT. GOHAR MELOYAN
- As Pashinyan handed over Artsakh to the enemy, he will do the same with Armenia. Vazgen Hovhannisyan
For two years, people have been continuously complaining that it is not possible to buy an apartment both in Yerevan and outside of Yerevan with the money allocated by the housing security program approved by the government, the apartments are much more expensive than the allocated money, but who was listening? At that time, the elections were still behind the mountains, there is no problem of wooing the people of Artsakh. The elections are approaching, they remembered that the 3 million drams given are not enough to buy an apartment in the settlements bordering Yerevan. Therefore, they promise to increase the 3 million to 4 million in a short time, within 1-2 months, before the elections.
They are so worried about their own future that they are ready to give retroactive effect to this change, to extend it to the certificates that have been issued so far.
It is clear that it is not out of love for the “brothers and sisters” of Artsakh that they intend to take such steps. If it were up to them, they wouldn’t have given what they had, let alone increase the amount. But they have to do it because they need the votes of the citizens of Artsakh who have received Armenian citizenship.
Although, it is not the case that the people of Artsakh have received the citizenship of Armenia and now they can satisfy the appetite of the authorities with their votes. Two and a half years after their forced displacement, most of them prefer to keep Artsakh citizenship, which means that unlike Nikol Pashinyan and his exhortations to settle in Armenia, people do not lose hope of returning. Even the dire need for an apartment is not a reason for many to obtain Armenian citizenship, which is a mandatory requirement to use the housing assistance program. There is no secret in the fact that they did this specifically in order to deprive the people of Artsakh of the last hope of returning.
Of the 120,000 forcibly displaced people, only 34,000 have received Armenian citizenship. The rest continue to wait and hope that one day they will return to their homes.
Out of those 34,000 Artsakh citizens who received Armenian citizenship, only 1,700 families were able to get an apartment with the residence certificate provided by the government in almost 2 years. Hardly 7-8 percent of displaced Artsakh families.
At this rate, it will take years, perhaps decades, for our forcibly displaced compatriots to fully benefit from the housing program. The reasons are different, but one of the main ones has always been the discrepancy between the offered amount and the prices of the apartments. Apartments, even in marzes, are much more expensive than the amount that the government is willing to give. That is why many people could not and still cannot use the program.
But until recently, it did not bother the government and the political authorities at all, no one even thought why people do not use the program that is so glorified by them, although the need for housing is suffocating many. After that, they suddenly remembered the problems of the people of Artsakh, they are ready to provide solutions to them. Although what they are proposing will not be a solution, because it is not the money with which they can buy apartments in the neighboring marzes and settlements of Yerevan.
They will be just as unattainable for many even after the 3 million each become 4 million each. Until they do that, housing prices will rise again. Moreover, in the case of such initiatives, the market reacts much faster, people rush to raise prices through artificial price increases.
Therefore, it is still too early to say how much the situation will change after this hasty decision of the government. But in this case, that is not the problem at all. It is obvious that the purpose of all this is to convince and woo the people of Artsakh and get their votes in the elections. That is why they make such “sacrifices”, they are ready to increase the amount by 1 million per person.
Of course, it’s good, but why now? After all, all those problems are not new and it is not new that they knew about them.
On the eve of the elections, when other political forces have been deprived of the opportunity to do something, sometimes even to speak, to communicate with the citizens, they can freely interfere in the electoral processes, using the state levers, to show a special attitude towards the voters. And this does not apply only to the people of Artsakh.
Recently, the “selfless” care and assistance of the authorities to the voters at the expense of state funds is noticeable everywhere. But, no matter how strange it is, it is not customary to call it election bribery, although it is obviously done to bribe the voters.
HAKOB KOCHARYAN
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Robert Amsterdam appeals to the European Union on behalf of Samvel Karapetyan
March: 25, 2026
I am addressing you on behalf of Samvel Karapetyan, who is the leader of the “Strong Armenia” party and is considered a political prisoner in Armenia, deprived of the opportunity to fully participate in the upcoming elections. lawyer and international human rights defender Robert Amsterdam announced on his Facebook page, also publishing a video.
“Our clear demand from the European Union is the supremacy of law and equality for all. Although we welcome the operation of the EU Rapid Response Team in Armenia, our demand is clear.
A key focus must be on the rule of law.
All political parties should be supported equally and transparently.
The activities of the group should be open to all interested parties and public groups in Armenia,” he wrote next to the video.
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Pashinyan and Papikyan do not allow Azerbaijani invasions to be seen.
March: 25, 2026
In response to the claims of Arman Tatoyan, head of the “Wings of Unity” political initiative, about Azerbaijani advances, the RA Ministry of Defense disclaimer was distributed, in which, in particular, it is mentioned.
“The connection of Google Earth space photos with reality has deviations, and the above boundary line has no legal basis. The RA Armed Forces General Directorate is guided by topographical maps of the USSR of 1975, which have legal force and were approved by the head of the Transcaucasus territorial inspection of the State Geodetic Control.
In addition to this, the Ministry of Defense announced through the spokesperson.
“Azerbaijan’s position does not cross the state border and is located in the territory of the Republic of Armenia. There are concerns that the said location may pose a threat to the Sotk mine, Kut settlement and surrounding areas. It should be noted that the distance from the mentioned location to the Sotk mine is about 4 km, and the distance to the Kut settlement is 6.4 km. Furthermore, visibility is not possible between the settlement of Kut and the indicated position because of the presence of Mount Katar.
Arman Tatoyan, head of the “Wings of Unity” political initiative, which submitted an application for participation in the NA elections, today, March 25, at the meeting with journalists, during which he presented their security plan, also referred to the denial of the Ministry of Defense.
“After the press conference, we sent a letter to the person holding the position of the Minister of Defense with the coordinates that we received through satellite photos. We did a study that lasted several months, as a result of which, with the help of Chinese and French satellites, through their photos, we discovered that there were both invasions and strengthening of positions in the territory of Armenia starting from July 2025.
Here, the Ministry of Defense clearly lied and manipulated the issue, focusing it entirely on one position. In fact, they lied there too, because according to our calculations, we have up to 3000 square meters of encroachment there, which is equal to about 9 hectares.
We gave them precise coordinates, both from Chinese and French satellites. And it is based on the results of these satellites that the Google map is formed. They started to manipulate with their lies that we took it from Google map, it is not so, we took it from satellites, based on which the Google map is also formed,” explained Arman Tatoyan, emphasizing that they are speaking with facts, and the statements of the RA Ministry of Defense and Nikol Pashinyan that their facts are lies clearly helped Azerbaijan.
“You are the minister of defense of the country, or the prime minister of the country, how can you say that such things are lies when satellite photos prove it? This means that you clean up Azerbaijan, you clean up Azerbaijan in front of the eyes of other countries and you don’t allow their invasions to be seen,” said Arman Tatoyan.
Details in the video
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They will say whatever they want. Serzh Sargsyan, Pashinyan’s statement about the war
March: 25, 2026
Today is the anniversary of the death of Andranik Margaryan, the former Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, the former President of the RPA. On that occasion, the members of the Republican Party led by the third president of RA, Serzh Sargsyan, visited the Pantheon to lay flowers on the grave of Andranik Margaryan.
Journalists asked the Third President what message Andranik Margaryan left and to what extent they implemented it.
“We made it a reality to the best of our ability, the ideas are known to all of us, the party program is there. Members of the Republican Party talk about them almost every day. So, the ones who evaluate are our party members, the public,” Serzh Sargsyan said.
At the request of journalists, the Third President also referred to Nikol Pashinyan’s statement that “if the CP does not form an absolute majority in the upcoming elections, there will be a war”, to which Serzh Sargsyan responded:
“They will say whatever they want.”
To the question whether any government has the right to block the right to return to Artsakh, Serzh Sargsyan answered:
“Of course not.”
The Third President apologized to the journalists that he did not have time to stand and answer all the questions, saying that on April 4, the congress of the Republican Party will be held, and all the questions will be addressed there.
Details in the video of 168.am
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Where there is no prepared mass, an incident occurs. Hrant Mikayelyan: Pashiny
March: 25, 2026
Nikol Pashinyan’s pre-election campaign, contrary to the logic of his songs and heartthrobs, is not going smoothly. Perhaps, Pashinyan’s nervous outbursts during the question-and-answer session with the citizens testify to this.
Do the scenes of citizens’ uprising suggest to Pashinyan that his positions have weakened, and that is why he pays tribute to aggressive rhetoric after the heart-song mise-en-scenes: 168․amwas interested political scientist Hrant Mikayelyanfrom
In response, the political scientist mentioned: “Definitely, he sees it, definitely understands that he has serious problems, and this became clear not only to him, but also to everyone. the same shots of him getting off the subway, and no one wants to take the brooch-map he offers, or interact with him, etc.
It is impossible not to see this. And where there is no prepared mass, there is an incident everywhere. In other words, he isolates himself. By the way, this situation is not completely new, and it is an incomprehensible situation for them. they have to decide how to take the next steps, because the previous tactic that he goes among the people, the people start to support him and advance his agenda, has failed.”
In other words, under the name of democracy, foreign aid might not play a role in the upcoming elections, Hrant Mikayelyan responded to our clarifying question, in any case, in that case, the various technologies introduced will work in favor of the current government.
“For example, if they specifically target Kocharian’s bloc, the Armenia bloc, the Armenia bloc may not pass, and in that case it will be almost impossible to form an opposition coalition, because it is clear that the government has the leverage to at least gather more votes than the others, but not have a majority.”
The most likely scenario is the Gyumri scenario, and in the case of the Gyumri scenario, a lot depends on whether smaller opposition entities, in this case, for example, the “Wings of Unity” and the “Armenia” alliance, will pass or not.
It is clear that “Strong Armenia” takes the 2nd place, but this force, taking into account Pashinyan’s administrative resources and other circumstances, will not be able to form a majority on its own, and, accordingly, must work with other opposition forces.
So, these technologies can work well, because this election in Armenia is not only a referendum on Pashinyan’s support. It may turn out that he will not get support, but will be elected. I will cite a not-so-distant example: the example of the Yerevan elections, where his party is completely defeated, gathering only 32.6 percent in the case of very low participation, or 9.4% of the total number of voters, but one, thanks to various manipulations, their candidate becomes the mayor,” he reminded.
According to the political scientist, there are many risks in this regard. political manipulations will be very important in this situation.
“There will be specialists from abroad, or the threats of Aliyev, Erdogan and Pashinyan, or the EU summit… I will not rule out the release of prisoners in order to strengthen Pashinyan’s position in the pre-election phase, which was done in 2021.
It is an uncertain situation, because, yes, he has lost the support of the people, but he has not lost the administrative resource,” the specialist concluded.
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RA borrows 39 million euros for something that is absolutely not urgent
Yesterday it became known that the Armenian government is taking a new loan of 39 million euros from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
What is that loan for? Some customs terminal for imports and exports will be built, which will be located on the North-South highway, probably in the parts of Proshyan village.
The question arises, did the Armenian government not have 39 million euros to build the terminal itself, instead of increasing the state’s foreign debt? Well, the government probably thinks that it is better to spend the money of the taxpayers of Armenia on bonuses, and to spend other important expenses by increasing the external debt on the shoulders of the taxpayers.
But the question arises, what is the so-called center of foreign economic activity needed for? Does Armenia’s economy have the volume to provide sufficient workload for such a center? To put it mildly, no. So, let’s repeat the question: why is that center being built? Is there a visible prospect that there will be such a volume of cargo transportation on the North-South highway of Armenia that there will be a need for such a center? To put it mildly, there is no such visible prospect, if the north-south should be built for at least five or six years, according to the preliminary estimate.
Therefore, it is obvious that the Armenian government is borrowing 39 million euros for something that is absolutely not urgent from the point of view of Armenia’s needs.
Armenia’s economy needs investments that provide stable jobs, in the case of the “economic policy” of the Armenian government, only the foreign debt is growing steadily.
Analyst Hakob Badalyan
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The remuneration of judges of the CC will increase
The salary of judges of the Constitutional Court is not equivalent to their high legal status, scope of constitutional powers and high degree of responsibility inherent in their activities. RA Minister of Justice Srbuhi Galyan informed about this and added that due to the above, it is proposed to review the amount of remuneration of judges of the Supreme Court.
It is proposed to establish by law an additional payment for the length of service in the position of a judge for the president, vice-president and judges of the Supreme Court.
Taking into account the 12-year term of office of judges of the CC, the seniority bonus is calculated for a maximum of 11 years and is set in ascending order, starting from the 2nd year of office, in the 2nd year – 20%, in the 3rd year – 35%, from the 4th year – 10% more than the previous year in each subsequent year.
By virtue of the transitional provisions of the project, the full years of working as a judge of the Supreme Court at the time of the law’s entry into force will be taken into account, that is, the starting point is the moment of assuming the position of the president, vice-president, judge of the Supreme Court.
For the year 2026, for the president, vice-presidents and 7 judges of the SC, it is assumed that 46 million 775 thousand 40 drams will be spent, which is an additional expenditure obligation, in terms of the additional payment to be paid on the basis of seniority.
In a related report, Deputy Alkhas Ghazaryan presented the positive conclusion of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs.
At the regular session of the National Assembly, the legislative package providing for additions to the Law “On the Remuneration of Persons Occupying State Positions and State Service Positions” and the Constitutional Law “On the Constitutional Court” was discussed.
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All questions will be answered on April 4. Serzh Sargsyan
No authority has the right to close the return to Artsakh page. Serzh Sargsyan, the third president of RA, said this in a conversation with journalists.
“The RPA congress will be held on April 4, during which I will give answers to all questions,” he said.
As for the question of how it relates to the fact that people connected with the RPA are trying to divide the opposition field, Serzh Sargsyan emphasized.
“We will never divide the opposition field.”
Regarding Nikol Pashinyan’s statement that “there will be a war in September and a catastrophic war if the Communist Party does not have a constitutional majority, the former president said:
“They will say whatever they want.”
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