Armenia is on the verge of turning into a Turkish-Azerbaijani state. The “creeping” processes of recent years have led to the fact that the Republic of Armenia almost does not exist as a sovereign entity. About this 168TVof Revue announced on the air of the program Raffi Hovhannisyan, the founder of the “Heritage” party, the first foreign minister of the newly independent Republic of Armeniatalking about Armenia’s current challenges.

“What is heard from the international podiums is not the speech of the representative of the sovereign Republic of Armenia, but the speech of some leader of the Armenian state, which is already an object. Therefore, the change that we have experienced with the last years, months and every passing day, really means that we are living in existential identity, sovereignty and statehood anxiety,” Raffi Hovhannisyan thinks.

According to the leader of “Heritage”, regional and international developments are such that many things are already happening around Armenia: war, military operations, geopolitical changes.

Raffi Hovhannisyan considers “creeping pan-Turkism” as one of the biggest threats, for which we are not ready nationally and state-wise.

“I think that first of all, there is the existential problem of the Armenian man, the RA citizen, there is the question of the existence of our statehood. In the past, we used to say “governia, gubernia”, now, really, I shouldn’t say vilayet, but we are on the verge of turning into a Turkish-Azerbaijani province,” adds Hovhannisyan.

According to the political leader, without the Armenian national identity, memory and history, one cannot expect a strong, far-reaching, self-confident future as a state, and trampling on our values ​​and national symbols by the current government, the path we have taken, has brought Armenia to the edge of the abyss, which “either we must accept, reconcile, or we must change within these weeks and months.”

According to him, one of the ways of this change is the upcoming parliamentary elections, but there are also other constitutional ways.

“All possible legal means and methods should be implemented not to guarantee the salvation of Armenia, but at least to create sufficient conditions so that Armenia, the Armenian people have the opportunity to breathe, to reform, to look to the future, and finally to have state representatives who are not only self-confident in front of the world, but also represent the rights of the Armenians, the rights of the Armenian people, the rights of the state, the nation. We have put all possible rights on the altar, we have refused, and there is not a single word, a government rhetoric, that speaks about Armenians and Armenians, Armenian rights,” said Raffi Hovhannisyan.

To the question of when the RA Declaration of Independence was a reason for war or a source of conflict, as Nikol Pashinyan tries to present in order to justify his desire to remove the reference to the Declaration of Independence from the preamble of the Constitution, Raffi Hovhannisyan emphasizes in response that the Declaration of Independence is an unchangeable part of our Constitution.

“I will not comment on them. They came to gradually implement the positions of the neighboring dictators, not having the courage to say at that moment that we should talk about Armenia’s interest: statehood, sovereignty, territorial integrity, we should write some maps, but in the end, we will come to the point that we should implement all their preconditions and demands, and they are doing that, and the Declaration of Independence is only a preamble expression, which also summarizes a part of our national rights, and it is clear that it is part of our Constitution. is an invariable part, it is not subject to change.

If we have legality, constitutionality in our country, it is not subject to change. But we should not be surprised that with one trick or another they will be able to present it as a necessity. Let there be change, let there be improvement, let us have a Constitution that is finally acceptable and accepted by the people, but not at the expense of our national interests, rights, and values. They think that they are writing a new history, but they are not writing the history of the Republic of Armenia, but the history of the Yerevan province as part of Azerbaijan,” says the leader of “Heritage”.

In this context, Raffi Hovhannisyan emphasizes that, of course, we should have lived in a different way for 30 years, but under the conditions of statehood, this government and its leader are primarily and entirely responsible for our depatriation, the loss of thousands of our bright boys, and the concession of Armenia’s territorial integrity.

“I can say that as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, I was in favor of the recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic from the very first day. I can justify it now, why it was right from the beginning or at least parallel to the 1994 Tripartite ceasefire, but that doesn’t change anything now. We were not prepared as systematically as possible. We thought that security was given to us, that there was an “umbrella” over Artsakh, that everything was protected, but we did not understand that the interest of the state is higher than our personal and partial interests.

We did not realize it and did not protect it, but I can say that in diplomacy, also from the point of view of providing a border line, a front line, we protected the minimum, that is, the minimum threshold of our integrity, sovereignty and independence, and dedication to the same principles of the Declaration of Independence were secured, with big reservations, big mistakes and sins, but they were secured,” recalls the former Foreign Minister.

According to him, no figure or leader of any region is above criticism, everyone has his own fault, but this total fault does not change the direct and direct responsibility of today’s government and the ruler for our losses, defeats and humiliation.

“We are simply humiliated when we live in our country every day as Armenians and Armenians and watch how those representatives, having already lost their legitimacy, try to represent our country, our values, our identity, our civilization in accordance with the interests and words of the neighboring dictators, those who occupied us, those who subjected us to occupation. I consider that today’s ruler and the government is simply Mr. Aliyev’s authorized representative in the Republic of Armenia,” added Raffi Hovhannisyan.

Recalling Monte Melkonyan’s famous words that if we lose Artsakh, we will turn the last page of Armenian history, and answering the question, what danger is Armenia facing after the occupation of Artsakh, Raffi Hovhannisyan says:

“What we are experiencing today is montheurization.”

The founder of “Heritage” also referred to the statements allowed by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, about the military and political leaders of Artsakh in an interview with France 24 last month, in particular, comparing the Armenian prisoners of war with the Nazis sentenced to death at the Nuremberg Trials, and on that occasion, the Lemkin Institute for the Prevention of Genocide. to the announcement, in which Aliyev is characterized as the leader of a genocidal state.

Raffi Hovhannisyan answers: it is hard to imagine anything more shameful, disgusting and reprehensible than the words of that dictator.

“He will have to stand before the Nuremberg court first, Armenian Nuremberg or modern international Nuremberg. He and the representatives of his military-political system should be subjected to Nuremberg justice and not by turning the reality upside down and trying to direct it in a different direction. First, they should experience their Nuremberg personally.

We know that the geopolitical reality is not such that we can expect this to become a priority agenda, and that one episode shows why it is impossible to establish real peace without symmetry, without dignity and equality. It simply depicts the inner world, on the basis of which that man and his government continue to implement their policies to this day. It is a corridor, it is “Western Azerbaijan”, it is the ongoing genocide against the cultural, church and spiritual heritage of Armenia and the Armenian people.

There are different measurements, but that one sentence shows how they treat the Armenian people, the future of Armenia and that vertical expectation that they have. They need an Armenian state, which is subordinate to Baku and Ankara, and which does not have an independent backbone and point of view,” stated Hovhannisyan.

According to Raffi Hovhannisyan, that is why we see what is happening today: the denial of the Armenian Genocide, the dismissal of the director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute for presenting a book to the US Vice President JD Vance.

According to Raffi Hovhannisyan, Vance’s speech in Yerevan, that is, expressing support for Nikol Pashinyan in the upcoming elections, is a direct interference in Armenia’s internal affairs.

“To say phenomenal would be a bit too extravagant in this case, but the ground that they have created in diplomacy and in real life does not surprise us, but when the state representative of the people subjected to genocide already takes upon himself the propaganda of the genocidal regime, their theses, their approaches, even blaming the victim, this is simply beyond this, beyond any reason, when they take the truth of the people subjected to genocide, the rights of the world, etc., turn it upside down and present it are the approach of the perpetrator, where the victim is “guilty”, he added regarding the denial of the Armenian Genocide.

Raffi Hovhannisyan compares Nikol Pashinyan’s government with the Vichy collaborator regime of Marshal Pétain, who collaborated with the Nazis in France during the Second World War.

“These are the same Vichy regime that justifies the genocidal regime and tries to present as a way to save Armenia that five thousand golden boys would die, Artsakh would be denationalized, and these were “ransoms to ensure the future of the statehood of the Republic of Armenia”. I have never seen a more absurd, more vulgar, more inhumane, stupider and meaner approach in my entire experience,” says Raffi Hovhannisyan.

According to Raffi Hovhannisyan, the issue of Artsakh is not closed, it can be returned to the international agenda in the future, that hope and dream must be kept, but it implies a lot of work and nationwide improvement.

“Armenia’s place in international politics must be restored, we must return as a subject, and in relation to the same Minsk Group, I must mention that I was the one who, as a minister, on behalf of the Republic of Armenia in 1992 In March, I accepted the mediation of the Minsk Group in Helsinki, and there, at the diplomatic table, the Republic of Armenia was represented as a full, full member and with the right of veto. There, the elected representatives of Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, would participate in the Minsk conference, which would decide the status of Artsakh.

In that same Helsinki document, there was the thing that since there were ongoing war operations, that the organization should open a humanitarian corridor between Armenia and Artsakh, and in fact, months later, the Armenian people themselves opened that corridor, which was decided by that same CSCE, so to say that from the beginning it was like we misunderstood the international situation, that “the Karabakh movement is some kind of dark movement”, I’ll just say them are expressions of anti-legal and criminal meaning, which deny their own history and, beyond their own history, the concept of law itself. You violate the individual and collective rights of your own people, and there can be no forgiveness for that,” recalls the former Foreign Minister of Armenia.

Full interview in the video.

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Robert Kocharyan is the prime minister candidate of the “Armenia” bloc. Anna Grigoryan, deputy of the “Hayastan” faction, announced about this a little while ago.

To remind, the second president of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, which was joined by the “Forward” party, will participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections together under the “Armenia” bloc.

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168TVof “Trigger” the guest of the program Russian political scientist, doctor of historical sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences Ye. Alexander Krylov is a senior researcher at the Caucasus Department of the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations.:

During the program, we discuss a number of current topics, for example, the projects of analysis of Armenian-Turkish history textbooks implemented with the support of Western foundations and the possible impact of such initiatives on the historical policy and educational system of Armenia, research on the formation of public opinion on the issue of the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border and the regulation of relations, the role of international grant programs and their impact on the country’s political discourse.

The campaigns against the Metsamor nuclear power plant and the issue of Armenia’s energy security, as well as the competition between Russia and the USA for the construction of a new nuclear power plant and the technological risks of the proposed projects, were considered separately.

Sociological surveys on trust in key institutions, regional transport and energy projects, security issues in Syunik, the South Azerbaijan factor and possible geopolitical competition around Iran in the South Caucasus are also at the center of the discussion.

Hayk Derzyan

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Satik Seyranyan in the “Pressing” program the guest is a member of the International Sociological Association (ISA), a member of the Political Sociology Research Committee, a member of the European Sociological Association, director of the “ARAR” Foundation This is Armen Khachikyan։

On March 6, the results of a survey published by the American International Republican Institute, IRI, were published, an 81-page document. The data was collected during the period between February 3-13, 2026, using the telephone survey method. The sample consists of 1,506 RA citizens over 18 years of age, covering three age groups.

With them, the policies implemented by the authorities in various fields, public sentiments, political preferences, etc., were evaluated. According to that, the three structures with the highest level of trust are the armed forces, the Armenian Apostolic Church, and regional governorships.

The respondents, for example, also answered the question whether Armenia is moving in the right or wrong direction. If in the post-revolutionary period of 2018, 73% of the population believed that Armenia is moving in the right direction, then as of February 2026, 47% of the country’s population is of the same opinion.

The issues related to the upcoming parliamentary elections are in the center of attention and discussions in the political field.

The opposition is suspicious of the results of the International Republican Institute survey published three months before the National Assembly elections, while the government is euphoric as if the elections are over and they have already won. In fact, neither the government has a reason to be happy, nor the opposition to be sad and depressed.

About the survey results and other surveys published by the American International Republican Institute, IRI The main theses of the interview with sociologist Armen Khachikyan are below.

• Sociology is not just polls. Public opinion expressed in opinion polls does not necessarily mean that it should be expressed in elections. As a rule of thumb, if a telephone survey is made and 20% of the masses respond, the results may not represent the full picture. Many people shy away from saying who they will vote for. If, for example, I am asked, I will not tell about my political preferences, not because I am afraid, but because it is personal information and can be used against me.

• The survey is conducted among 1000-1500 people. In that survey, percentage combinations related to gender, region, educational census and other factors should be preserved. No response index should be considered. However, the resulting picture may not be identical to the election results because the turnout during elections is different. That is, the sample and a bucket of 1000-1500 borscht do not always reflect the real picture.

• Sociology prompts but does not compel. 

• The numbers can be interpreted in many different ways. It can be said that 30% of people in Armenia support Pashinyan, and it can be said that 70% do not. In the same IRI survey, there is a number that the authorities will not like and that they do not talk about…

• Why this research was published late, I cannot say.

• There is an electoral rating and a trust rating. They are different. For example, Gagik Tsarukyan’s rating is high, but when you ask who you will vote for, many people do not see him as the head of the country. According to the results of various researches, the collective opposition forces have a higher electoral rating than Nikol Pashinyan. However, no one knows what temperature, blood pressure or other indicators society will have on June 7, as an organism, so to speak… At this moment, it is not correct to say exactly who will win. 

• There are fewer people who are undecided now. A year ago, their number was much higher – 60%, and this is a serious boost and means that the opposition has room to work. 

• Unfortunately, the opposition still does not understand and does not realize the general mood of the public. The undecided should be the most targeted segment for the opposition. If instead of 50, 60% participate in the elections, that 10% will most likely vote for the opposition, because the government’s electorate is clearly oriented. The opposition must find its electorate among the undecided. Especially among young people, the degree of apathy, disappointment with politics, with the revolution of 2018 is quite high, because in their opinion, the revolution was a very good thing, they participated, but the result was bad… The opposition should work very seriously with this segment. Apart from that, the society is also disappointed by various failed opposition movements, such as the Salvation of the Motherland, Resistance and Sacred movements, because they came, participated, but did not achieve results… 

• In Armenia, the higher the age, the greater the electoral activity. It’s also big among women:

• No matter how much any political force tries to close the issue of Artsakh, the majority of our public does not consider it closed. 2025 according to the results of our survey, 90.1% believe that the loss of Artsakh is temporary, we should strengthen the army and bring back what was lost. Our society has not digested the loss of Artsakh and will definitely not digest it for several years. Moreover, among the youth there is absolute support for the return of the people of Artsakh to Artsakh and the status of Artsakh. The more the Artsakh issue is put on the agenda, the more useful it will be for them. About 30,000 Artsakh citizens emigrated, about 100,000 Artsakh citizens who remained in Armenia, longing for Artsakh in their hearts, are waiting for a political force to come and return them to their homes.:

• On TRIPP, 65% do not believe it will bring peace. Peace is the dream of all of us, but most people don’t believe in that kind of peace.

• The ranking of the Church and the Armenian Army has always been the highest in Armenia. Even after the defeat in the 44-day war, our people treat the army like their child, the Church like their father. After so many attacks by the authorities, after so many campaigns, the ranking of the Church, for one thing, remains very high. Only 3% of the youth view the church negatively. As a result of the anti-church campaign, even the church’s rating did not fall. On the contrary, people began to get to know our church members better, church rules, and became more connected with the Mother Church. In December, feeling that the society does not accept the campaign against the church, the government, seeing that it was affecting his rating, he quite wisely backed off and now attacks are not prioritized:

• A group of Generation Z (Gen Z) asked young people living in the marzas studying in Yerevan, have you seen the video attributed to Saint Arshak by the authorities, and I must say that they are not interested in it at all, they see it as normal that a person can have a private life and feelings. 

• Among the youth, Pashinyan has lower sympathy and support than among the middle-aged and elderly.

• The phenomenon of Samvel Karapetyan was very surprising. A businessman and philanthropist who did not take part in the political life of Armenia. But that’s enough, he said, “I will protect the Church in our own way”, he was arrested, and within 2-3 months his rating surpassed all political forces. First of all, it was the result of supporting the Church, now “Strong Armenia” led by him is the second most powerful force in the political field of Armenia. Therefore, Artsakh and the Church continue to be the priority of the Armenian population, and supporting them will always be useful.:

• 2025 Starting from January-February, the support of 2 foreign political actors in Armenia began to increase: USA and Russia. The support of the European Union, on the contrary, decreased. Now the picture is almost the same. The Iranian factor had its impact in connection with his statements regarding Syunik.

• Peace as a political promise is the best, but in my opinion, this peace has no support in Armenia. This is what the survey results show.

• The older people are, the less media literate they are, the more they fall prey to political propaganda, the more politically active and electorally active they are, so in order to achieve results, opposition political forces must work with young people, especially those aged 30-35.

• For the population of Armenia, Azerbaijan continues to be openly perceived as an enemy.

• The 5,000 casualties that we had in the 44-day war could not but have an impact on people’s psychology, and sometimes even people involved with the aggression of the Azerbaijanis say, well, maybe they have changed, it is our child’s fault, let’s not die… And that is natural, no one wants war.

• It is obvious that Samvel Karapetyan has the highest electoral rating in the opposition. The 2nd is the power of Gagik Tsarukyan, the 3rd and 4th are the DOK led by Vardan Ghukasyan and the “Armenia” alliance led by Robert Kocharyan. Polling of votes is a big problem in the elections, so the best option would be for the opposition to act with a united front. 2021 26 powers took part in the election and it is obvious that 20 of them crushed the votes. That danger still exists today.

• I urge women to participate in political processes. It can have a very positive effect: 

• Perhaps the election will have other “surgical” interventions. Nikol Pashinyan will probably try to restrain Samvel Karapetyan’s power with legal mechanisms, to prevent him from participating… 

• The opposition must understand that these elections will not follow the logic of the previous elections. There will be much more brutal interventions. It is difficult to expect the government with a constitutional majority to open its doors to the opposition through elections.

• In today’s world, anti-rating is almost impossible to reverse. It is obvious that Nikol Pashinyan will have the highest anti-rating after losing power.

• Generation Z is the 11-28-year-olds who know the world with smartphones and gadgets since their birth. They do not care about many things, they are much more individualistic than collective in their thinking, they are more materialistic than idealistic, they would rather not participate in the elections than they will, but all the same, they are patriotic and church-loving. They have great potential to build a better Armenia.

• The opposition should simplify its tools of political propaganda, not campaign like it did in the 1990s, and if it does not have 4% of the vote, it should not participate in the elections. 

• I think that today the RPA is going the right way with its position of not participating in the elections.

Details in the video.

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