May 14, 2026
Syunik is our Hormuz, and it is unacceptable to leave it under the direct or indirect control of anyone. About this 168 TVof Revue announced on the air of the program Former Prime Minister of RA (1992-93) Khosrov Harutyunyanspeaking about the regional processes around Armenia.
“The main resource for neutralizing external threats is our geographical position, in terms of turning it into a geopolitical potential. If you do not turn the geographical location into a geopolitical potential, that is, you do not try to use the geographical location to get involved in such megaprojects of international importance, as a result of which the important actors of the megaprojects become interested in your security, based on their own goals, then your geographical location does not give you anything.
From that point of view, connecting Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan through Syunik, and later going out to Kars through Igdir, does nothing for Armenia. Let me say more: Syunik is the same “Hormuz” for us. What is the significance of Hormuz for Iran, Syunik is also our “Hormuz”, and leaving it under direct or indirect, short-term, long-term control to anyone is simply unacceptable,” said Khosrov Harutyunyan.
According to the former prime minister: US President Donald Trump and: Chinese President Xi JinpingWith the negotiations started in Beijing, perhaps, the formation of a new bipolar world order is being started.
“Let’s see what results these negotiations will bring. It is obvious that the United States is concerned about the expansion of the Chinese economy and China’s geo-economic influence, and this is natural. Unlike the United States, China does not shape its interstate relations with an obvious display of force, with brute force, but rather tries to make proposals that are beneficial to the parties. As a rule, they are infrastructural investments that are very beneficial to those countries, from which China also benefits.
The Chinese pursue a completely different policy, and this policy is completely justified today, moreover, the influence of the Chinese in the Global South is incomparably greater, and the states of the Global South today see in the face of China a very reliable partner that acts on the principle of mutually beneficial initiatives, while the United States acts on the principle of a deal.
“Do you need security? Pay, I will ensure your security.” These are different countries, and as a result of the confrontation with Iran, the situation of the Gulf countries has now become quite vulnerable from that point of view, therefore, we will probably witness the competition of these two concepts of global geo-economic developments. Based on all this, I assume that we are witnessing the laying of the foundation stone for the formation of the future bipolar global system.
Economically, the Chinese are clearly in the lead and are now trying to catch up with the United States and Russia with their nuclear capabilities as well. We will see what the developments will be, because there are many uncertainties. Only this confrontation in the Middle East showed how vulnerable the global economic system is,” comments Khosrov Harutyunyan.
In this context, he adds that by unleashing a war against Iran, The United States, willy-nilly, is making Iran an influential global player։
Khosrov Harutyunyan emphasizes that we should very seriously study the main struggles of Iran’s resistance, which allowed the Islamic Republic of Iran to successfully confront the world’s No. 1 superpower and its ally.
He draws attention especially to the most important factor of the Iranian society’s value system and statism, on the basis of which the Iranian people, despite the assassination of the supreme leader and a number of military and political leaders, maintained their unity and united against the external threat. According to Khosrov Harutyunyan, this Iranian phenomenon is a very good example for Armenia, where the value system of Armenian identity is subjected to systematic “hybrid” attacks by the current government.
“For 40 years, Iran has been under terrible sanctions, but it is the 4th in the world in the field of medicine, and the 2nd in the field of implant production. Production of UAVs, jet capabilities, production of supersonic missiles – all this indicates that Iran’s scientific and technological level has not decreased during these 40 years, but has increased. They were not depressed by all this, but on the contrary, they were excited that they are capable and should be ready to face all these pressures.
This is the meaning of the value system. Now if we try to transfer it to the Armenian reality, they talk about some “hybrid” effects, but, excuse me, the policy implemented by the current authorities is the most real hybrid war against the Armenian identity. This is obvious. I want to ask a very simple question: did Russia force us to belittle the importance of Mount Masis? Of course not,” says Harutyunyan.
The interlocutor doubts that even Turkey forced Pashinyan to take such steps. According to him, such things can be afforded by Aliyev, who wonders “why there are forces in Armenia that hate Azerbaijanis”, but Sevak said that Armenians are one of the exceptional nations in the world, which, seeing so many misfortunes, did not develop hatred even towards their enemy.
Khosrov Harutyunyan adds:
«We are very strong with our historical past, our spiritual and cultural heritage, and the Aliyevs will come and go, but the Armenian people will remain. I don’t think that we Armenians will ever be guided by hatred. Of course, there is an opinion that hatred is also an important factor for taking decisive actions, but I think that in our case, we should think more not about decisive actions, but about what strategic steps we should take so that the other person is forced to come to terms with the inevitable necessity of our existence. Today, no one can convince me otherwise, that Aliyev is not thinking about the destruction of Armenian statehood. It is his star hour, he feels that he is the “boy of the cinema” and he feels that his name will be written in golden letters in the history of his people.
Khosrov Harutyunyan stressed that our main weapon is our spiritual heritage, and the Armenian people should always be united around that value system.
From this point of view, he considers Pashinyan’s attempts to undermine our capabilities to be more dangerous. Khosrov Harutyunyan responds to Pashinyan’s statement that “where is it written that Artsakh is Armenian?”
«Oh you! Where is it written? I should say, where it was written about the King Pope. I say, where it was written about the King Pope. I am saying it very clearly, am I not? Go, read where it is written that Artsakh is Armenian– announced the former prime minister.
Returning to the regional situation, Khosrov Harutyunyan addresses the relations with Russia and Iran, the “invasion of European countries” in Armenia, the Euro summits, and responds to the statements of French President Emmanuel Macron in Yerevan.
«They are trying to use our territory for their geopolitical purposes. Macron blamed Russia for not protecting Armenia in the 44-day war. Mr. Macron, what did you do during the 44-day war? You made an attempt to establish a ceasefire, but it didn’t work. The 44-day war ended directly on the initiative and direct efforts of Russia. This is a fact. Macron’s signature is missing under the tripartite declaration… What Macron did was to give Artsakh to Azerbaijan. He says there are 4,000 Russian soldiers at the borders. Are you coming to protect the borders of Armenia? You could not keep Cilicia in 1920.
By the way, I should say that during the last 30 years, in my deep conviction, Macron is the most anti-Armenian president of France, and it is worth it for the French-Armenians to know about this as well. I want to say that this European campaign has not solved any other problem for Armenia, apart from providing generous support to Pashinyan in this pre-election phase. The dream prime minister of the Macron-Erdogan-Hakan Fidan-Aliev quartet is Pashinyan… Macron is lying, because in the same 2018, the Francophonie gathering was held in Armenia…»։
Khosrov Harutyunyan is convinced that we will have a qualitatively new government as a result of the upcoming elections.
Full interview in the video.
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RFE/RL – Another Ex-Karabakh Leader Protests From Azeri Jail
- Gayane Saribekian
Yet another former leader of Nagorno-Karabakh jailed in Azerbaijan has condemned his and the other Armenian prisoners’ trials and accused Azerbaijani authorities of continuing to violate their rights.
“This is not a trial but an ethno-political vendetta against the past and future of the Armenian people,” Davit Babayan said in an audio message communicated to his family in Armenia by phone and made public on Thursday.
“All humanitarian, legal and international norms and their own legislation are being grossly violated,” he charged. “I call on fellow patriotic Armenians to unite and defend our rights because we are going appeal to the international court.”
Eight former Karabakh Armenian leaders were captured right after the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive that restored Baku’s full control over Karabakh and forced the region’s Armenian population to flee to Armenia. They all denied a long list of war crimes charges levelled against them. An Azerbaijani military court sentenced five of them, including Babayan, to life imprisonment and gave the three others 20-year jail sentences in February this year at the end of two trials denounced by Amnesty International as a “travesty.”
Babayan said that his appeal against the verdict filed later in February “disappeared” and did not reach a higher Azerbaijani court. He suggested that the authorities in Baku are deliberately preventing him from appealing to an international tribunal, presumably the European Court of Human Rights.
Babayan, who had served as Karabakh’s foreign minister, is the third Karabakh Armenian prisoner to have made a statement from the Azerbaijani prison. Ruben Vardanyan, who is also a prominent Armenian businessman, has done so on a regular basis.
In his most recent statement issued last week, Vardanyan stepped up his accusations that Armenia’s government is indifferent to the fate of the prisoners. He also criticized Armenia’s human rights ombudswoman, Anahit Manasian, for essentially dismissing his earlier appeal to try to visit the prisoners together with their relatives.
Earlier in May, another former Karabakh leader held in Baku, Davit Ishkhanian, urged Armenians to stay “strong” while decrying “blatant violations” of human rights and international law which he said occurred during the trials.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and other Armenian officials insist that Yerevan has been doing its best to try to secure the release of at least 19 Armenians remaining in Azerbaijani captivity. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev again branded them as “war criminals” when he addressed on May 4 a European Political Community summit in Yerevan via video link. Pashinian did not respond to Aliyev, drawing strong criticism from the Armenian opposition.
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Another Armenian Arrested For Insulting Pashinian
- Naira Bulghadarian
Law-enforcement authorities pressed on Thursday criminal charges against a man arrested after using offensive language to attack Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian during Armenia’s ongoing parliamentary election campaign.
In a live Facebook broadcast, Artak Avetisian, a resident of Yerevan’s southern Shengavit district, lashed out at Pashinian as the latter campaigned there on Tuesday. Avetisian was arrested from his home shortly afterwards. His family circulated a video of police officers forcing the handcuffed businessman into their car.
Armenia’s Investigative Committee formally charged Avetisian with disseminating hate speech after its officers searched his house on Thursday afternoon. The law-enforcement agency also asked a court to remand him in pretrial detention.
Ruben Melikian, a prominent pro-opposition lawyer representing Avetisian, insisted that his client did not break any laws. Melikian denounced the criminal case as politically motivated, saying that the Armenian authorities are continuing to crack down on their vocal critics ahead of the June 7 elections.
One of those critics was arrested and charged with hooliganism in February two months after posting an offensive video about Pashinian on the TikTok platform. Another citizen, a 55-year-old woman from the northwestern town of Akhurian, was prosecuted around the same time for reportedly making a disparaging statement about the prime minister and his family in a private message sent online.
Armenian prosecutors have not denied reports that they are monitoring people posting angry comments about Pashinian on social media and have ordered criminal investigations into some of them.
No Pashinian supporters have been prosecuted for offending or voicing threats against opposition politicians. In late December, one government loyalist publicly called for the murder of Catholicos Garegin II, the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church whom Pashinian has been trying to depose. The Investigative Committee did not charge or even interrogate him.
Pashinian himself publicly insulted the fugitive son of one of his main election challengers, Gagik Tsarukian, during his campaign visit to Shengavit.
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School Heads ‘Investigated’ After Pashinian Rallies
- Shoghik Galstian
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Thursday that Armenian authorities are looking into reports that teachers and students of several public schools in the central Aragatsotn province were forced to attend his election campaign meetings held there on Wednesday.
Classes in those schools were interrupted during those meetings in what vote-monitoring groups condemned as a gross violation of Armenian law. One of those watchdogs, Akanates (Eyewitness), said that the underage students were ordered by their teachers, school principals as well as local government officials to greet Pashinian with flags and chants.
Commenting on the uproar, Pashinian said he has told four principals to tender their resignations and wait for the findings of an “internal inquiry.”
“We will conduct an internal inquiry, and if turns out that there was an illegal order [by them,] they will definitely be sacked,” he told reporters.
According to Akanates, Edgar Parvanian, a deputy governor of Aragatsotn, was the main “organizer of the recruitment of schoolchildren and teaching personnel.” Pashinian did not say whether Parvanian is also under investigation.
Akanates already accused Pashinian’s ruling Civil Contract party late last month of forcing schoolteachers and kindergarten workers to attend a pre-election concert in Gyumri. Nobody was prosecuted or fired as a result.
Pashinian and his political team have for years been accused of illegally ordering public sector employees to attend their campaign rallies or other gatherings. They have always denied that.
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RFE/RL – Kocharian’s Opposition Bloc Also Hit By Arrests
- Naira Bulghadarian
Former President Robert Kocharian’s Hayastan alliance accused the Armenian government of trying to obstruct its parliamentary election campaign after several of its members and supporters were arrested on vote-buying charges on Thursday.
The arrests followed a search conducted by the Anti-Corruption Committee (ACC) at the opposition alliance’s office in Spitak, a town 95 kilometers north of Yerevan. The ACC said the head of the office donated money to one local resident and “together with other individuals” threatened another voter with violence.
The law-enforcement agency released the audio of secretly recorded conversations among the suspects not identified by it. They can be heard discussing financial issues and the need to have a “tough talk” with another person in case of an opposition victory in the June 7 elections. But they say nothing about vote bribes.
Hayastan rejected the accusations as politically motivated. It said the arrests are aimed at disrupting the work of its campaign officers and creating an “atmosphere of fear” ahead of the crucial elections.
“They cannot intimidate us with searches and arrests,” said Kocharian’s bloc widely regarded as one of the ruling Civil Contract party’s three main opposition challengers.
“These actions prove once again that the government lacks public support and self-confidence and resorts to such steps to ensure its own survival,” it added in a statement.
The arrests marked the first election-related criminal case against Hayastan. Law-enforcement authorities have opened at least 11 such cases against another opposition heavyweight, the Strong Armenia alliance of billionaire Samvel Karapetian. Several dozen of its members or supporters have been arrested in recent weeks on similar charges also denied by it.
“We, as the leading force, don’t need to give vote bribes,” Karapetian insisted last week. “Amid ongoing repressions in Armenia, friendly conversations among people are now considered a crime.”
He claimed that the crackdown highlights Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s pre-election “fears and convulsions.”
Pashinian’s party itself is accused by various opposition groups of trying to buy votes with public money as well as through a private charity run by the premier’s wife, Anna Hakobian. None of its members or supporters have been prosecuted on corresponding charges.
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The family will receive 2 million drams for the birth of every fourth child. “Strength
Due to the wrong policy of this government, many young people died and destroyed the future of many young people. But we have a more dangerous and important question, about which everyone is silent. These people are quietly, without blinking an eye, shrinking our country, humiliating our country, and in a few years we may have Armenia without Armenians, or with very few Armenians. Party leader Samvel Karapetyan announced this at a meeting with members of the “Strong Armenia” party.
“There is absolutely no policy for the development of marzes, emigration reaches absolute levels. However, they claim that we have population growth. In fact, we have a completely opposite picture. All our border villages are in danger today, it can be said that the border villages have been depopulated equivalent to Artsakh. That’s why we consider these issues very important,” Samvel Karapetyan stated.
According to him, divorces in Armenia have reached an absolute level, the birth rate is decreasing, the country is slowly being depopulated due to emigration. Samvel Karapetyan stressed that our demographic data are terrible.
As a solution, the party proposes: for the birth of every fourth child, the family will receive 2 million drams, and for the fifth and remaining children, families will receive a free apartment.
“I want to draw the attention of our society to 300,000 Azerbaijanis again. If we don’t stop it, very soon they will appear in different regions of Armenia and first of all in the border regions and villages liberated by Pashinyan”, added the leader of “Strong Armenia”.
To remind, the party announced earlier that upon coming to power, they will create 300,000 jobs in Armenia, provide 20,000 affordable apartments, etc.
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The 102nd military base of Gyumri will operate in accordance with RA laws. Pashinyan
The 102nd military base of Gyumri will operate in accordance with RA laws. RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced this in a briefing with journalists.
According to him, regardless of what laws are in force in the Russian Federation, the Gyumri military base should operate within the framework of RA legislation.
“In this sense, I have no fear that the Russian 102nd military base in Gyumri will be put into action to protect the citizens of the Russian Federation arrested in Armenia,” he said in response to a journalist’s question.
He also referred to RA-RF relations.
“During my visit to Russia, one of our colleagues claimed that Armenia-EU cooperation harms Russia’s interests. I responded that we do not have such a goal, and I asked to give at least one example of what material damage this cooperation has caused to Russia, but there was silence in response. I asked this question a second time, and the answer was silence again. There is no conspiracy or action against anyone in our policy. We say transparently that Armenia and its people always need an alternative. have There is the EU and EAEU, and our people should have the opportunity to decide which strategy is the most promising and beneficial for them. There is no place to get upset or argue, we will not get into arguments,” he said.
Pashinyan was upset that the participants and observers of the elections, including outside Armenia, are trying to give a geopolitical context or context to the June 7 elections, but they cannot be of such a nature, because “Armenia conducts a balancing and balanced policy.”
“Armenia has clearly stated that it will not join the regimes of sanctions against Russia, but it will not take any steps that could lead the country to come under sanctions. We have told both Russian and European Union partners about this. We do not want to do anything against Russia, but we have a line: if we feel that by taking any step we ourselves fall under sanctions, we will not take those steps,” Pashinyan added.
To remind, today it became known that the Russian Federation included Armenia in the list of countries with a high risk of arrest of its citizens.
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Pashinyan filed a lawsuit against Samvel Karapetyan
Nikol Pashinyan filed a lawsuit against Samvel Karapetyan, chairman of the “Strong Armenia” party.
Pashinyan, who is on vacation, informed journalists about this.
To remind, during his press conference, Samvel Karapetyan stated that according to his information, “Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan brought hallucinating mushrooms with him from China and uses them every time before giving a speech.” It was that statement that became the basis of the lawsuit.
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This is a direct threat. Iveta Tonoyan, part of Pashinyan’s next manipulation
In response to another manipulation of Nikol Pashinyan.
Yesterday, PAP chairman Gagik Tsarukyan announced during a meeting with voters that a large number of patrolmen were fired in the Kotayk marz, because their family members are supporters of PAP. Minutes later, the Ministry of Internal Affairs hastened to deny this information, but today it became clear that this haste was unnecessary, because just minutes ago, Nikol Pashinyan actually confirmed G. Tsarukyan’s information, moreover, he added that if they haven’t been fired yet, they should definitely be fired, because even he doesn’t have that many people with positions in his circle.
First of all, this assessment-instruction, which is in clear contradiction with the law, is a direct threat to all opposition forces and figures. Absurdity must also have a measure and a limit. In other words, what happens if you have a friend, acquaintance, neighbor who works in law enforcement or in the state system, then you cannot sympathize or support any political force, because they will be fired by Nikol Pashinyan’s direct order. In fact, it is so. And secondly, when Nikol Pashinyan says that even he does not have patrols as familiar as Tsarukyan mentioned, because there are no people from his circle in that system, let me refresh his memory.
Yes, maybe there are no patrollers around you, instead, your classmate Vahe Ghazaryan was the Minister of Internal Affairs until recently, your friend Hayk Ghalumyan is currently the governor of Tavush, Hrachya Hakobyan is already receiving a deputy’s mandate for the second time for a brilliant game in the TV series, the former journalist of the People’s Republic of Azerbaijan Vahagn Hovakimyan is now the chairman of the CEC, your nephew Sipan Pashinyan is a member of the National Assembly. Hakob Simidyan, who sheltered you while you were under investigation, was the RA Minister of Environment. I can continue this series for a long time.
By the way, there are several other positions in which Nikol Pashinyan personally appointed himself and continues to work in those positions today.
Nikol Pashinyan – RA Prosecutor General
Nikol Pashinyan – Chief of Police of RA
Nikol Pashinyan – Head of the RA National Security Service
Nikol Pashinyan – a judge of various instances who reads verdicts to someone every day of the campaign.
Iveta Tonoyan
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Armenia will simplify the visa regime for COP17
The RA government plans to temporarily ease the migration restrictions that have been in place for many years in order to facilitate the entry of delegates to the upcoming COP17 international conference into the country.
Within the framework of preparations for the large-scale event, representatives of certain states will have the opportunity to issue visas in a much faster and modern procedure.
According to the project jointly developed by the Ministries of Environment and Foreign Affairs, as well as the National Security Service, the E-VISA electronic system will be available for individual groups of international guests.
Since 2008, citizens of these countries could get an Armenian visa exclusively through diplomatic missions and consulates, only in case of a mandatory invitation.
It is expected that this innovation will significantly optimize organizational processes and ensure a smooth and comfortable arrival of foreign participants to Armenia.
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