May 3, 2026
168TVof “Revue:Today’s guest of the program Dr. John Eibner is president of the human rights organization Christian Solidarity International (CSI).. He joined us from Switzerland.
Aram Sargsyan. Good evening, Mr. Aibner. How are you?
John Eibner. Good evening. It is very good and wonderful to be with you again. Thank you very much for the invitation to join you this evening.
Aram Sargsyan. Thank you, it is nice to see you, and as far as I know, you have had quite busy and full days in recent days and these days you accompanied the Armenian delegation from Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh that visited Switzerland. First of all, would you tell us what was the purpose of this visit, what meetings they had in Switzerland, a country that supports the right of 150,000 Armenians from occupied Artsakh to return to their homeland? What did you discuss with them, what did they discuss with Swiss parliamentarians and other officials?
John Eibner. Very good. You may recall that just a year ago, the Swiss parliament overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling on the Swiss government to convene a conference under international supervision. To create a dialogue platform between the leadership of the forcibly displaced community of Azerbaijan and Artsakh for It was a very simple formula. The fact that it was adopted by parliament as a resolution means that this becomes Swiss foreign policy. The Swiss government now has an obligation to try to organize such a conference.
So the purpose of this visit was, first, to encourage the Swiss government to be energized through the parliamentarians to fulfill their commitment to organize such a conference, and also simply to thank the parliamentarians who voted for this resolution, and especially the committee of 19 parliamentarians, led by Erich Fontobel and Stefan Müller-Altermat, who maintain this support group of parliamentarians and continue to insist that the Swiss government hold this conference: of course, aiming to create conditions so that the people of Artsakh can return to them homeland to live in peace and dignity on their land with their human rights.
In short, that was the purpose of the meeting. So, yesterday afternoon we had a very good meeting with parliamentarians and other activists and stakeholders, during which Ashot Danielyan, who led this small delegation from Artsakh, had the opportunity, first, to thank the Swiss parliamentarians and others who support this, to inform them about the current situation of the Karabakh IDPs, and to assure the Swiss parliamentarians that The Karabakh issue is not closed from the point of view of the people who suffered from it:
We all know that various statesmen including The Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Azerbaijan say that the Karabakh issue is closed. They want it closed. They have their own political reasons for wanting it closed, but it’s not. And thus, this message was very clearly conveyed by the Speaker of the Artsakh National Assembly, Ashot Danielyan, directly to the Swiss parliamentarians and the public. The issue of Artsakh is not closed.
Aram Sargsyan. And what about Swiss parliamentarians? I mean, do they have the same position that the Karabakh issue is not closed?
John Eibner. Of course they have, because if they thought it was closed, they would never have voted for this resolution. They would never have forced the Swiss government to try to reach this platform of dialogue. If it was closed, that would be the end of the matter. But they know it’s not locked. They know that it is not closed to victims of forced displacement, ethnic-religious cleansing. It is not closed to them, and indeed it is not closed to the world, because basic human rights can never be closed. They are human rights. They are eternal, cosmic. They cannot be closed just because authoritarian leaders say for their own benefit that these human rights issues are closed. They are not closed.
And so the Swiss parliamentarians respect that, and they want to encourage the Swiss government and certainly other governments to lend their support just to create a platform for a dialogue, a dialogue between the leadership of the forcibly displaced community of Azerbaijan and Artsakh. The Armenian government actually has no role in it. The Armenian government is not mentioned in this resolution. It calls for a dialogue between the government of Azerbaijan and the leadership of the forcibly displaced Karabakh community.
That is what the formula calls for, and it does not predetermine the outcome. It doesn’t say this must be the result, or that must be the result. Of course, we would all like to see an outcome that respects the human rights of the displaced Karabakh people. But at this stage we just want to create a dialogue platform, a peace platform for dialogue, and so far the government of Azerbaijan seems to be saying no, saying they are not interested. They say it’s closed. The Armenian government does not seem to want to support the Swiss peace initiative. They also say it’s closed, to them for their own reasons.
Aram Sargsyan. But are there any discussions or attempts to start this platform with Baku? Can we make a brief conclusion that Switzerland, as a rather unique and important player in international relations and in Europe, says that the Karabakh issue is not closed.
John Eibner. Switzerland has said so by virtue of this resolution. Now, what will happen with the Swiss government, how vigorously they will push for the creation of such a platform, what ways they will use to make it happen, some of it is not public, but they have an obligation to try to create it. And we also understand that most of the international community wants this matter closed.
This becomes a problem for the Swiss government because it is difficult for the Swiss government to act as a single actor. There needs to be wider international support for Switzerland as it seeks to create such a platform. But the international community, of course, the Western powers and Turkey and Azerbaijan, including, when I say Western powers, including the heads of state who will be with you next week in Yerevan for the EU summit and the meeting of the heads of state of the European Political Community. Most of them would prefer this issue closed.
Life is easier for them if it is closed. The Armenian and Karabakh problem creates complications for them, and if they can find a way to close the issue forever, they will use that option. But there are voices that say, no, the issue is not closed, and we won’t let them just close the issue.
It will continue as long as there are Karabakh people, it will continue as long as there is the “Christian Solidarity International” organization, and as long as there are Swiss parliamentarians and parliamentarians of other countries, it will remain an open question. You are probably aware that not long after Azerbaijan’s ethno-religious cleansing of Artsakh, the European Parliament also passed its own resolution, and this resolution condemned Azerbaijan very strongly for violating human rights.
Aram Sargsyan. But have they already forgotten?
John Eibner. No, they haven’t forgotten yet. The members of the European Parliament remember that, but perhaps the most important thing in the resolution is that they, like the Swiss parliamentarians, said that there will be no lasting peace if there is no dialogue with the representatives of Nagorno Karabakh.
This is in the EU formula. Now it is not binding on the EU executive, but it expresses the view of the parliament. So we know that there are many voices across Europe who are in favor of trying to create a dialogue between the perpetrators of the actual genocidal crime and the representatives of the victims of the genocidal act in order to settle the matter once and for all on the basis of international human rights law. This is happening now. It’s going to be a long process, as I mentioned, because many states are resisting it.
They find that The Armenian question has plagued European statesmen since the mid-19th century. You can read about it especially in the British Parliament and other sources. The Armenian issue with massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. This issue repeatedly appears on the international agenda. It appears and then there is a period of silence. Then it reappears. Of course, it appeared during the genocide.
Aram Sargsyan. You mean the historically discussed Armenian issue, don’t you?
John Eibner. Yes. They call it the “Armenian question”. And now it’s up again. And Europe would find it very convenient if this matter were closed. And many European states and leaders, elites in Europe, will not mind if it is closed with the “final solution” through ethno-religious cleansing. For them, it is a small price to pay to close an issue that poses certain geopolitical problems and challenges for them. And Today, this issue of Karabakh stands at the center of the Armenian issue.
This issue of Karabakh has huge consequences. You are certainly well aware of the persecution of the Armenian Apostolic Church by the Armenian state. This is largely due to the fact that the Church defends the rights of people from Artsakh who were subjected to ethnic-religious cleansing, Armenian Christians who were expelled from their homeland, who, now that they were expelled from their homeland, and now the traditional methods of Turkey and Azerbaijan to try to destroy historical and cultural monuments, to destroy traces of Armenian civilization, are in progress.
And that is the main reason for this persecution of the Armenian Apostolic Church, because Turkey and Azerbaijan demand it as a condition of the promise of peace. And the government of Armenia, with the encouragement of the Western powers, is ready to fulfill almost any condition that Azerbaijan and Turkey put in front of it. This issue of Karabakh is alive and well. If it was closed, why would Azerbaijan and Turkey bother destroying churches in Karabakh? It is not closed to them. They continue to erase the traces of Armenian culture.
Aram Sargsyan. Including Stepanakert Cathedral.
John Eibner.Including, of course, the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God. The list goes on, but just recently they openly destroyed one of the major Christian monuments. Unfortunately, it is now a monument, not a functioning church, as people were forcibly evicted from there. But it is not closed to them. The Caucasus Muslim Administration, which is actually an Azerbaijani state apparatus, has recently tried to give Islamic legitimacy to the destruction of these Armenian Christian churches. So while the issue may be closed to Armenia’s prime minister, and Western leaders may prefer it to be closed, it really is closed. not for Turkey and Azerbaijan. The process is ongoing.
Aram Sargsyan. Mr. Eibner, you mentioned a number of key topics that are the main issues of our interview today, including the persecution of the Armenian Church, the human rights situation and, of course, the European Political Community and the EU-Armenia summits, but since we were talking about the Nagorno Karabakh issue and the genocide, as you know, a few days ago was the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, 111 years after 1915, and these days it is again becoming a topic of topical discussion. From this point of view, if we try to draw some parallels between the Artsakh issue and the Armenia-Azerbaijan process and, on the other hand, the Armenia-Turkey relations, can we say that there will be no real reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey without Turkey’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide? And secondly, Nikol Pashinyan said in his April 24 message:
“The greatest desire of the Armenian people has been fulfilled: we have a state and we have peace, and the state and peace are the guarantees that the Armenian Genocide will not happen again.” But if so, why did we allow genocide and ethnic cleansing in Nagorno Karabakh/Artsakh in 2023, having a statehood, the Republic of Armenia?
John Eibner.Yes, of course, simply having a state does not guarantee human rights and respect for the Armenian population, but it should be the responsibility of the state as a mirror, as an instrument of the nation. And this is where there is a lot of confusion in Armenia. What the prime minister calls “the real Armenia”, that is, the state, can sign a peace treaty. They can do whatever they want. They can give up. And actually what we’re talking about in terms of a treaty is a capitulation treaty, fulfilling Azerbaijan’s conditions for surrender. But it is not the same as the reconciliation between the Armenian nation and Azerbaijan. Armenian: the state is not the Armenian nation.
The Armenian nation is bigger than the state, and the state should serve the interests of the Armenian nation. And this is not part of the ideology of the current prime minister and the so-called “real Armenia”. So we can see through the politics being conducted that there is an effort to separate the state from the institutions of the nation. On the one hand, there are diaspora institutions, and there is an effort to disconnect the state from influences in the diaspora that the state does not welcome. There is an effort to force the Catholicos of All Armenians to resign and make the church a servant of the state.
Aram Sargsyan. And by the way, they included this point or goal in the program of the ruling “Civil Pact” party for the June 7 parliamentary elections. That point is to remove the Catholicos of All Armenians. I mean, is that legal? How would you evaluate this from the point of view of the Constitution and the law?
John Eibner.Well, first of all, I’m not a constitutionalist, but it’s certainly not compatible with religious freedom and the autonomy of religious institutions. You can have it in Azerbaijan, and they have it in Azerbaijan, where, for example, the head of this Muslim-Islamic Department of the Caucasus is an “aparatchik”. He serves the state, the Azerbaijani state. Now, this certainly does not conform to Western norms of religious freedom, where religious institutions are autonomous. They should be able to manage themselves. And this becomes of crucial importance for the entirety of Armenian society, so that you avoid dictatorships. The church must have voice – an independent voice, and not just be a part of the state apparatus, a “transmission zone” for the state. It should be the conscience of the nation.
Aram Sargsyan. And as you mentioned during one of our interviews. “Religious freedom is more than just going to church and praying. Religious freedom means whatever faith you belong to, to be able to publicly express your religious point of view, to comment on public proceedings, and to be able to say: “What is happening in our society is incompatible with our faith and beliefs. It’s morally unfair.” Very well said.
John Eibner. Well, you said it again. That’s the crux of the matter. A lot of people, and again, the government would like to give a false impression of religious freedom and say, look, people can go to church, they can pray in church, but religious freedom is so much more than that. Religious freedom is not simply the right to hold a certain belief or to go to a certain building and pray in a certain way, but to live your life as a Christian, or to live your life as a Muslim, or to live your life without faith.
This is what freedom of faith and conscience really is, and it’s very sad to see this being degraded in Armenia today, and we have a return to the state, an attempt by the state to control religious institutions, as Azerbaijan does today, or Turkey does today, or the Soviets during communism, when they claimed to control the church. They exercised political control over the church, and this was a symptom of the lack of freedom in society.
Aram Sargsyan. Sorry, I think there was a term for that. “Laychism” if I’m not mistaken.
John Eibner. Yes, secularism, secularism or secularism. In a way, and there is also a lot of confusion about what secularism actually means. We want to have a secular state, but that does not mean that the society should be secular, that is, without religion. We want a free society where people are free to be religious, free to express their views, free to influence the government with their religious beliefs. But the state must be religiously neutral in the sense that it provides freedom for all religious beliefs, or freedom not to believe.
Aram Sargsyan. Now, who do you think ordered this item in the CP plan to remove the Catholicos of All Armenians? Where did the order come from?
John Eibner.I have not seen the documents, of course, but all the evidence that we can see today shows orders, instructions or, let’s say, conditions being set by Azerbaijan and Turkey, not for peace, but for the promise of peace. No conditions have been confirmed. We don’t know what peace will look like. We don’t know what the guarantees will be, but they promise peace if certain conditions are met. One of them is closing the Karabakh issue. One of them is the end of state support for the recognition of the Genocide. Traditionally, Armenian governments have encouraged the international community to recognize Genocide.
Aram Sargsyan. Azerbaijan also demands to change the Constitution.
John Eibner. Azerbaijan and Turkey together demand an end to it. And they also set a condition that the Catholicos should be removed and that the state should exercise political control over the church. And how do we know about it? We know this because there are statements made by Turkish and Azerbaijani spokesmen, leaders, and the media that identify the Catholicos as a “war monger,” as an “obstacle to peace,” and they openly claim that the church, led by its leader, is an “agent of war.”
And so the Prime Minister of Armenia takes this condition and repeats it, saying that the Catholicos and the Armenian Apostolic Church as it stands today is a threat to national security. This is the message coming from the Prime Minister of Armenia, but he seems to be a “transmission zone” for the conditions imposed by Azerbaijan and Turkey.
And then we also see that he is using Turkish and Azerbaijani anti-democratic means to see that those conditions are met. Such as the imprisonment of bishops and priests and the wiretapping of people and the various means of state coercion used to promote these policies. And the need for states to use coercive measures to achieve these political goals strongly suggests that these are goals that are not supported by the Armenian nation. If they were supported by the Armenian nation, there would be no need for it to resort to illegal means of coercion.
He should be able to manage these affairs through normal political means, according to the rule of law and according to normal fundamental human rights.
Aram Sargsyan. And by the way, according to sociological surveys, the Armenian Apostolic Church is the institution with the highest support and rating in Armenia, even higher than the Armenian Army: about 65 percent support the Armenian Church, and the Armenian Army has 59 percent. I mean, the Church is the most supported institution in Armenia.
John Eibner. Yes, there is no doubt that the Church has deep roots in Armenia. The nation respects it, and for its suppression, the Armenian Prime Minister must resort to coercive, illegal actions. Means. That’s the only way it can be done, and he does it. This is what is expected of him by his so-called peace partners, Turkey and Azerbaijan. Western governments are willing to go along with it because it solves a problem for them.
Aram Sargsyan. Regarding, of course, Western governments and supporters of Pashinyan’s government, one of the main topics of our conversation is the summit of the European Political Community and the first EU-Armenia summit, as you know, will take place on May 4 and 5 in Yerevan. What are these summits really about, politically and geopolitically? What do you think? I mean, putting aside the visible formal and ceremonial aspects of these events.
John Eibner. The European Union and the European Political Community come to achieve a geopolitical goal. It is very clear from all their statements that their goal is to try to push Russia out of the region, to end Russian influence and fill the gap, at least in part, with their own influence. This is abundantly clear from the various statements made by the European leadership.
Now, to achieve that objective tactically, they must be here at this moment to support the re-election of the Armenian Prime Minister, who, again, is carrying out the integration of Armenia not with Russia, but, of course, with Turkey and Azerbaijan. That is the local reality. And the European Union, and also the Americans who were here in the form of Vice President Vance’s visit not too many weeks ago, are here to support that process. So, they would much prefer Armenia to be politically and economically integrated into the neo-Ottoman, Turkish-led, pan-Turkic alliance than Armenia to be in the zone of Russian influence.
This is the geopolitical, so to speak, big picture they are here for. And they’re here to ensure that happens by coming to what amounts to a re-election campaign for the Armenian Prime Minister. JD Vance publicly defended him. I am not aware that European leaders have given such public support, but they are here to try to create the impression, and I think it is a false impression, but to create the impression that Armenia is on the verge of being part of Europe and will enjoy the economic benefits, in particular, that most Europeans enjoy.
Aram Sargsyan. As we know, US Vice President JD Vance also supported the Prime Minister of Hungary, who recently suffered a crushing defeat in the elections. Do you think Nikol Pashinyan will suffer the same fate?
John Eibner. Well, one can never be 100 percent sure, but I believe that every means, fair or unfair, will be used to ensure his victory. And the Armenian state has many tools at its disposal to help it. And, of course, they can be helped enormously by the European powers and the United States. It is no secret that the United States in particular has interfered and brokered elections throughout its history. It has even brought down many governments. It had leaders that were killed.
Aram Sargsyan. In South America, or Central America, or even other continents.
John Eibner. Yeah, I mean, it’s a well-known fact. It’s not a secret. It is well documented. Everyone is aware of it. So why should anyone think that if it is in the American or European interest to ensure that one particular candidate wins this election, they will not use anti-democratic means to achieve it? And the fact that they use democratic slogans does not mean that they will behave democratically. Armenians also know this.
They are well aware of the beautiful slogans that have been around for years. You hear about democratic socialism and people’s republics and things like that in Armenia, but the reality was quite different because the government felt the need to use coercive means to achieve its goals.
Aram Sargsyan. Mr. Eibner, what should European leaders, delegations and media representatives coming to Armenia know about the state of democracy and human rights in Armenia before the CIS summit and the EU-Armenia summit? I mean, will they, or at least some of them, who are truly committed to democratic freedoms, objectively approach the current situation in Armenia?
John Eibner. I am afraid that they know even more about the real situation in Armenia and the decline of democracy than you and I. They have intelligence agencies. They know what’s going on. And they are also participants, just like the Russians. I mean, the Russians are there. They know what’s going on. They have their means of influence. So what we see today is that Armenia is a battlefield of great powers, it has turned into a battlefield of the so-called “big game”.
That’s what the British called Central Asia in the 19th century. “Big chess board”. There’s a big game going on, and it’s happening now with Armenia. So you have a situation where everything in the world is changing. Russia can no longer truly claim Armenia as its sphere of influence and defend its interests here as it did in the past.
So, it is an open area for Turkish-Azerbaijani co-ownership, first of all, because they are immediate neighbors, but also the European Union and the Americans want to plant their flags here. It is very similar to the 19th century scramble for Africa.
Powers compete with each other to be here, and some powers want to be politically ascendant, particularly Turkey and Azerbaijan. Other powers are happy for the process to continue, as it simply means that the area will not be in Russia’s sphere of influence. And of course you can build a barrier between Russia and Iran.
so that A big geopolitical game is going on to establish influence in Armenia. And the only real interest that these powers, the Western powers, have is to try to prevent, say, Russia, Iran, and even China, although China is not such an active player, to make sure that the so-called adversaries have no space to operate and exert influence in Armenian territory. That’s really what it’s all about. The European political community is here to promote this.
When they come, they’re already doing it, they’re talking about building democratic resistance, while at the same time they’re interfering in the electoral process in a very overt way.
They talk about building democratic resistance while the prime minister they support is persecuting the church, harassing the media and carrying out a major democratic backsliding to make Armenia look more and more like a one-party authoritarian state. So they use language like “democratic resilience” and “fighting disinformation.”
Aram Sargsyan. Countering hybrid threats.
John Eibner. Exactly, but they are actually engaged in their own hybrid war. There is a hybrid war being waged by all these parties. Russia, the United States, Europe, Turkey and Azerbaijan, all of them are using their means, so far they have been non-lethal means, it is not kinetic warfare, but there is information warfare, psychological warfare, there is economic warfare. All this is now about governing Armenia and deciding the future of Armenia. And Western powers seem to believe that Armenia’s future belongs to the Turkish-Azerbaijani alliance.
Aram Sargsyan. And who do you think is actually waging a hybrid war against Armenia?
John Eibner. All the powers I mentioned. Turkey and Azerbaijan are waging a hybrid war against Armenia, sometimes they are waging a kinetic war, or, in other words, a deadly war.
At the moment no one is killed in that war, but they did it, they did it in Karabakh. These Karabakh wars are still unresolved. So they’ve used lethal warfare methods, and when they’re not waging lethal warfare, they’re waging hybrid warfare, using different methods: soft power, economic power, using psychological warfare, using information warfare to coerce Armenia. The Europeans, Americans and Russians are using whatever tools they have to push Armenia in the direction they want.
So Armenia is a battlefield today. At the moment, no one is being killed on that battlefield, but the war is going on. And I wouldn’t want to say that the Russians are not waging a hybrid war. What I am saying is that everyone is handling hybrid warfare in their own way. And what I do know is that the Western powers have more sophisticated means of waging hybrid warfare than the Russians.
Aram Sargsyan. Armenia is a battlefield, you mean geopolitical conflicts?
John Eibner. Yes, it is a geopolitical battlefield. All these parties have a geopolitical interest. In fact, the economic benefit they have is marginal. It exists. But the main interest is geopolitical interest. The Americans have a geopolitical interest in creating a barrier between Russia and Iran: Also opening, of course, their “Zangezur Corridor”, “Trump Corridor”. The Europeans want to use the territory against their strategic adversary, which is Russia. We see this playing out in Ukraine. You see it being played in Moldova.
We are now seeing it played out in Turkey and Armenia. And then we see that Armenia’s immediate neighbors, Turkey and Azerbaijan, are demanding terms that would mean Armenia’s integration into this neo-Ottoman, pan-Turkic, geopolitical bloc, currently headed by Turkey. That is what is happening now with all these powers. Iran would also be in the mix, except that it is now fighting for its survival. Iran used to be an imperial power in Armenia, but it is “on the ropes” and doesn’t have the means to be a major player in this fight for Armenia.
Aram Sargsyan. And what if we look at these Armenia-EU issues, or these relations with the European Union, with Russia in the light of the recent meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Nikol Pashinyan, when Putin publicly raised many issues, including the issue related to the Eurasian Economic Union and the EU, and even the political processes taking place in Armenia. And what can the Armenian nation do to change the situation or prevent all these threats?
John Eibner.They are surrounded by threats. Each of these powers has certain leverage and can provoke and threaten Armenia. Of course, the biggest threat comes from Turkey and Azerbaijan, because they are immediate neighbors and they are already threatening war. Prime Minister Pashinyan admitted that the war may come in September. Well, where will that war come from? It is clear that from Turkey and Azerbaijan. If he doesn’t meet their terms, he says there could be war in September. And these other powers are pressuring and pushing each other, and it will take enormous diplomatic skills for Armenia to get out of this situation. to exit with sovereignty intact.
It’s not a simple question and I can be very critical of course. I can say that the Prime Minister of Armenia shouldn’t have done this and shouldn’t have done that, but I have some sympathy. Whoever is the Prime Minister of Armenia, if he loses the election and is succeeded, he will inherit an extremely difficult geopolitical situation. But I do not believe that the answer to this situation is to commit national suicide and give in politically and economically to the absorption of Armenia, which is actually a hostile Turkish-Azerbaijani alliance.
Aram Sargsyan. And as a conclusion, Mr. Aibner. Where do you think these processes and developments are leading Armenia, both domestically and regionally, certainly taking into account the situation around Iran, and how would you interpret the visit of Ukrainian President Zelensky to Armenia, which is expected by Nikol Pashinyan, as he announced the other day?
John Eibner. Well, you’ve asked some great questions and I can’t predict the future. What I can say is that Armenia is sitting on a powder keg and it may explode: And such questions as, first of all, You mentioned President Zelensky’s visit. He is the head of a European state, a member of the European Political Community. So he has the right to be in such a meeting. The question is: what problem does the Prime Minister of Armenia want to solve in his presence? Is he using it to provoke Russia, or is he just hosting him out of courtesy as a head of state, as he should be? We will see in the coming days whether the Prime Minister believes that it is in the interests of the Armenian nation and the Armenian state to provoke Russia, if he believes that Turkey, Azerbaijan, the EU and the Western powers will save Armenia if there is an open conflict with Russia.
Aram Sargsyan. I mean, geopolitically, isn’t Zelensky’s visit too dangerous in your opinion?
John Eibner. Of course it’s dangerous. I mean, Armenia has no way to avoid danger. There are dangers from many sides. The immediate danger actually comes from Turkey and Azerbaijan. This is where there is a real threat of war tomorrow or in September. There can be a war, an invasion, a military operation against Armenia, which comes only from Azerbaijan and Turkey. But, of course, if Armenia becomes a base of anti-Russian activities, then there will be some reaction from Russia. And the first signs will come through some kind of economic coercion.
Aram Sargsyan. But don’t you think that this narrative and discussions about the so-called “new war” are somewhat artificially exaggerated by the authorities in order to scare people and manipulate it before the elections?
John Eibner. I don’t think it’s entirely artificial. Armenia is really under the threat of war. There is no doubt about it. there was a war in 2020. OK? There was a war. Three years ago, Nagorno Karabakh was attacked. So to say, oh, there is no threat of war, I think is a big mistake. There is a threat of war. The question is how to deal with that threat and whether the threat of war is being manipulated in a way that is not in the interest of the Armenian nation. That is the question. The threat of war is real. There is no doubt in my mind about that, but it is being manipulated in the interests of Turkey and Azerbaijan, and it is being manipulated in a way that could lead to the destruction of the Armenian state.
Aram Sargsyan. And would you like to say something more positive and encouraging as a conclusion?
John Eibner. Well, yes, hope is there is always hope. I mean, Armenians can talk about hope much better than I can. Armenians have gone through genocide, massacres, pogroms, ethnic and religious cleansing. We are facing a threat today, but the Armenian nation has survived. And there is always hope that somehow one can get out of trouble or survive a terrible tragedy. So there is tremendous hope. I’m not one to testify, but just look at the history of the nation and the history of its church, 1,700 years, and you’ve survived, you’ve survived.
Aram Sargsyan. Thank you, Mr. Eibner, for an interesting interview.
John Eibner. Thanks for hosting me.
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Moldovan President Maia Sandu arrives in Armenia
President of Moldova Maia Sandu has arrived in Armenia to participate in the 8th European Political Community (EPC) Summit.
Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan welcomed President Sandu at Zvartnots Airport.
The 8th Summit of the European Political Community will take place on May 4, 2026, under the motto “Building the Future: Unity and Stability in Europe.”
The Summit will bring together European leaders and heads of international organizations at a pivotal moment of shaping and strengthening Europe’s collective path. It will serve as an inclusive forum for open dialogue, strategic coordination, and shared reflection on Europe’s priorities, fostering collaboration, mutual understanding, and tangible initiatives that support a more resilient and forward-looking continent.
Discussions in Yerevan will focus on strengthening democratic resilience, advancing connectivity, and reinforcing economic and energy security, while addressing evolving security dynamics and regional challenges. Participants will exchange ideas on how closer cooperation and coordinated action can contribute to a more resilient, secure, and united European space.
Published by Armenpress, original at
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Armenian PM holds meeting with Canadian counterpart
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a meeting with the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, who arrived in Armenia on Sunday to participate as a guest in the 8th European Political Community (EPC) Summit in Yerevan.
This will be the first time a non-European country participates in the EPC Summit.
According to the readout issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, PM Pashinyan welcomed his Canadian counterpart’s visit to Armenia, saying: “I would like to thank you for accepting the invitation to participate in the European Political Community Summit and for taking the opportunity to visit our country. I believe your participation makes this format more effective, as it clearly broadens perspectives and viewpoints.”
PM Carney thanked PM Pashinyan and the Armenian Government for the invitation to participate in the EPC Summit.
“The Prime Minister of Canada expressed gratitude to PM Pashinyan and the Government of Armenia for the support provided to Canadians in connection with the Iran conflict. He referred to the ongoing monitoring in the region in cooperation with the European Union and expressed readiness to provide support regarding the conduct of elections. The Prime Minister of Canada noted how impressed he is with Prime Minister Pashinyan’s leadership in promoting regional stability and advancing steps toward greater prosperity for the Armenian people,” the readout said.
During the meeting, the prime ministers discussed the friendly bilateral relations between Armenia and Canada and exchanged views on issues of mutual interest.
Published by Armenpress, original at
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Prime Minister of Georgia arrives in Armenia
Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze has arrived in Armenia to participate in the 8th European Political Community (EPC) Summit.
He was welcomed at Zvartnots Airport by the Speaker of Parliament, Alen Simonyan.
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Armenian President meets Bulgarian counterpart
President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan held a meeting with Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova, who arrived in Yerevan on Sunday to participate in the upcoming European Political Community Summit.
According to a readout from the President’s Office, Khachaturyan thanked President Iotova for visiting Armenia and participating in this highly important summit.
President Khachaturyan emphasized that the continuous development of friendly relations and close cooperation with Bulgaria is of great importance for Armenia, also taking into account the joint declaration on strategic partnership, which reflects mutual readiness to further deepen multifaceted cooperation.
President Iotova thanked him for the warm welcome and hospitality, stressing that there are established traditions of cooperation between Bulgaria and Armenia, which contribute to strengthening and expanding multifaceted interaction between the two countries.
During the meeting, the sides discussed prospects for expanding bilateral economic cooperation, reaffirming their commitment to developing trade and economic ties.
The importance of the Armenia–Bulgaria Chamber of Commerce and Industry was highlighted as an effective platform for strengthening business links and implementing new initiatives.
The presidents also discussed issues related to the international cooperation agenda. Khachaturyan highlighted that Armenia will host COP17—the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity—in October 2026, which will be preceded by a Leaders’ Summit scheduled for October 16, 2026, in Yerevan. In this context, President Khachaturyan expressed hope that the Bulgarian side will participate at a high level in the summit.
The sides also referred to regional developments, emphasizing that the established peace in the region creates new opportunities for promoting interregional connectivity and advancing communication projects. In this context, the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP) project was highlighted.
Special importance was also attached to the further development of cooperation in the Black Sea region, seen as an important platform for expanding Armenia’s transit and infrastructure capabilities.
The meeting emphasized the role of interparliamentary cooperation as an important factor in strengthening bilateral relations and institutional development.
The sides reaffirmed their readiness to continue cooperation in all areas of mutual interest, contributing to the further strengthening and development of Armenia–Bulgaria relations. Special attention was paid to the importance of exchanging best practices in the development and strengthening of democratic institutions and, where necessary, pooling joint efforts.
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Belgian PM arrives in Armenia for European Political Community Summit
Prime Minister of Belgium Bart De Wever has arrived in Armenia to participate in the European Political Community Summit.
The Belgian Prime Minister was welcomed at Zvartnots Airport by Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan.
The 8th Summit of the European Political Community will take place on May 4, 2026, under the motto “Building the Future: Unity and Stability in Europe.”
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Greek President visits Armenian Genocide memorial in Yerevan
President of Greece Konstantinos Tasoulas, who arrived in Armenia to participate in the 8th European Political Community (EPC) Summit, visited the Tsitsernakaberd memorial to pay tribute to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims.
The Ambassador of Greece to Armenia, Christos Sofianopoulos, accompanied the President during the visit, the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute said in a press release.
Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Acting Director Hrachya Tashchyan presented the history of the establishment of the memorial complex, its meaning and significance, and also referred to the memorial column, noting that it symbolizes the rebirth of the Armenian people.
President Tasoulas placed a wreath at the memorial in honor of the Armenian Genocide victims. The members of the delegation then laid flowers at the Eternal Flame and observed a moment of silence.
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Bulgarian President, Armenian PM Sign Strategic Partnership Declaration
Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership between the two countries in Yerevan on Sunday, the President’s press secretariat reported. The sides expressed hope that the new government in Bulgaria would more actively develop bilateral cooperation.
Iotova and Pashinyan highlighted the high level of political dialogue between Bulgaria and Armenia. Both were adamant that there is significant untapped potential for developing bilateral relations in a number of areas. They emphasized strengthening ties in the economy, energy, security, and defence.
The meeting highlighted the traditionally good relations between the Bulgarian and Armenian peoples. Pashinyan thanked Iotova for the conditions provided by the Bulgarian state to the Armenian community to preserve and develop its identity and culture.
Iotova stated Bulgaria’s readiness, as a member of the European Union for 19 years, to assist Armenia with its experience on the path to closer integration with the Union.
The military conflicts in Ukraine and Iran and their consequences in all aspects were also a topic of discussion.
The head of State is visiting the Armenian capital to participate in the 8th European Political Community Summit on Monday. The forum will bring together nearly 50 heads of state and government under the motto “Building the Future: Unity and Stability in Europe.”
/DS/
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Armenia Summits Show Europe’s Caucasus Rivalry With Trump, Putin
Twin European summits in Armenia are pointing to an intensifying contest for influence between major powers in the strategic Caucasus region.
(Bloomberg) — Twin European summits in Armenia are pointing to an intensifying contest for influence between major powers in the strategic Caucasus region.
The end of a decades-long conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is helping to sharpen the rivalry for dominance over energy and trade routes across the narrow belt of land linking Europe and Asia.
The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine are adding to the significance of the Caucasus, with routes to the north and south constrained by conflict, sanctions and geopolitical frictions.
Russia, long the dominant force in the region, faces growing competition from the US as President Donald Trump pushes a new transport and energy corridor in Armenia, as well as from Turkey, the European Union, and China.
“The current US interest in the South Caucasus is unprecedented and has permanently undermined Kremlin interests in Azerbaijan and Armenia to a degree,” said Kate Mallinson, a partner at PRISM Strategic Intelligence in London. “Washington’s approach is to facilitate the economic integration of the nations of the South Caucasus” and to expand those ties to include Turkey and Central Asia, she said.
Leaders from 48 countries have been invited to the European Political Community meeting on Monday in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, where they’ll discuss economic and energy security as well as “democratic resilience” and hybrid threats.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to attend the annual gathering as the first head of a non-European state, a signal of stresses in relations between the US under Trump and its traditional allies. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is also due to take part.
The first European Union summit with Armenia will take place the next day, aiming to strengthen bilateral ties. The government in Yerevan last year announced it would seek EU membership, pulling away from Moscow’s orbit amid bitterness at Russia’s failure to defend it during clashes with Azerbaijan over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The EU plans to strike a connectivity partnership with Armenia, including a potential funding package of as much as €2.5 billion ($2.9 billion), a senior official in Brussels said.
The goal is to support transport, energy and digital ties as regional borders open up in the wake of Armenia’s peace accord with Azerbaijan and warming relations with neighboring Turkey. That’s helping to bind the region together in the same way as coal and steel cooperation did in Europe, according to the official.
The bloc also intends to step up security cooperation with Armenia including with a new civilian mission to advise on responses to cyberattacks and disinformation, particularly ahead of June 7 parliamentary elections in the republic of about 3 million people.
Deep Economic Stake
The US-backed corridor, the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, emerged after the president held White House talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in August.
It gives the US a deep economic stake in the region for as long as 99 years through a partnership with Armenia to manage a rail and road route across the country’s south connecting Azerbaijan with its exclave of Nakhchivan. The agreement extends to development of oil and gas pipelines and fiber optic networks for digital infrastructure.
The global turmoil triggered by disruption to trade through the Gulf from the war in Iran is only increasing its strategic significance.
Turkey, which has a mutual-defense pact with its long-term ally Azerbaijan, is also close to opening its border with Armenia that it closed in 1993 in solidarity with Baku. Air services already run between the two states even as they’ve yet to formally establish diplomatic relations.
Armenia is turning toward the EU and the US despite currently being a member of the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union customs zone. It also hosts Russia’s only military base in the south Caucasus.
Russia President Vladimir Putin made clear his displeasure at Kremlin talks with Pashinyan on April 1, where he highlighted Yerevan’s dependence on Moscow for heavily discounted gas supplies.
“Simultaneous membership in the Customs Union with the European Union and the EAEU is impossible,” Putin told Pashinyan. “It is simply untenable by definition.”
This was the first instance when Russia used “quite direct threats against Armenia,” said Tigran Grigoryan, director of the Regional Center for Democracy and Security in Yerevan. “They are trying to show that there are certain red lines and if you cross them there will be consequences.”
That’s why Armenia is trying to tread carefully. The government in Yerevan asked to remove a reference to sanctions circumvention from the summit draft conclusions it’s negotiating with the EU, according to people familiar with the matter. The EU refused, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the talks are private.
Turning Point
Neighboring Georgia offers a cautionary tale. Its application for EU membership stalled after the Georgian Dream government passed a “foreign agent” law in 2024 targeting independent media and non-governmental organizations that Brussels and the US labeled as “Kremlin-inspired.” Opposition parties accuse the government of drawing closer to Russia.
The EU-Armenia talks come after the bloc held its first summit with the five Central Asian states — Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan — in April last year, signing a €12 billion investment program focused on transport, critical minerals and energy.
GLOBAL INSIGHT: Armenia’s EU Tilt Is More Optics Than Action
Trump hosted the central Asian leaders at the White House in November, a month after Putin met with them in Tajikistan. Chinese President Xi Jinping joined a summit with central Asian states in Kazakhstan in June to discuss boosting investments under his Belt and Road infrastructure program.
The TRIPP corridor is intended to link to the Trans-Caspian Trade Route from Azerbaijan to central Asia and China, while joining up with routes in Turkey that connect to Europe.
Pashinyan in January called the implementation of the project as part of the peace process with Azerbaijan an “historic and turning point opportunity” for Armenia.
“The involvement of the United States is viewed in Armenia as a form of political anchoring, offering reassurance,” said Narek Sukiasyan, a political scientist at Armenia’s Center for Culture and Civilization Studies. “While the official framing is economic, its strategic implications are clear.”
Aliyev told the Munich Security Conference in February that TRIPP would contribute to “an absolutely new situation” for trade and transport through the so-called Middle Corridor between China and Europe. “All the countries on the route will be more politically and economically integrated,” he said.
While Moscow’s dominance in the Caucasus is being undermined as the war in Ukraine drains its ability to devote resources to the region, “it is probably too early to say that Trump is decisively winning while Putin is decisively losing,” according to Natia Seskuria, senior research fellow in Russian and Eurasian Security at the London-based RUSI think tank.
“Russia still has long-standing leverage in the South Caucasus, and its influence has not disappeared,” she said. At the same time, “Trump has created incentives for countries in both Central Asia and the South Caucasus to look for alternative economic partners, especially at a time when Russia is widely seen as a less reliable, less militarily effective, and less economically sustainable partner.”
—With assistance from Jorge Valero, Ilya Arkhipov, Julius Domoney and Jeremy Diamond.
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A train carrying fertilizers has been sent from Azerbaijan to Armenia.
As reported by the “Caucasian Knot,” by April 24, more than 24,000 tons of grain had been shipped from Russia to Armenia via Azerbaijan.
The wagons depart from Azerbaijan first to Georgia, and from there to Armenia. On March 24, 271 tons of agricultural fertilizers and 68 tons of buckwheat were shipped. By this date, the volume of Russian grain shipped to Armenia via Azerbaijan exceeded 23,000 tons.
Analysts assessed the development prospects of the Middle Corridor
Today, from the Bilyajari railway station in the direction of the station A train consisting of eight wagons with fertilizers from Russia, weighing a total of 536 tons, was dispatched to Boyuk Kesik, Trend reports.
Including today’s shipment, more than 25,000 tons of grain, over 1,600 tons of fertilizer, and 68 tons of buckwheat have been transited from Russia to Armenia through Azerbaijan, Report writes.
According to Yandex Maps, the Bilajari (Bilajari) railway station is located in the Baku settlement of the same name, and Boyuk Kyasik (Boyuk Kesik) station is in the Aghstafa region of Azerbaijan, near the border with the Gardabani municipality of Georgia.
The volume of diesel fuel exports from Azerbaijan to Armenia exceeded 8,500 tons
Along with the transit of grain and fertilizers, the export of petroleum products from Azerbaijan to Armenia. As of May 3, more than 8,500 tons of diesel fuel, 979 tons of AI-92 gasoline, and 2,955 tons of AI-95 gasoline were exported to Armenia, the agency reports.
As a reminder, on December 18, 2025, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan delivered gasoline to Armenia for the first time, and on January 9, Azerbaijan sent a second shipment – 1,742 tons of gasoline and 946 tons of diesel fuel. By April 14, Azerbaijan had exported 6,312 tons of diesel fuel, 979 tons of AI-92 gasoline, and 2,955 tons of AI-95 gasoline to Armenia.
The volumes of gasoline supplied by Azerbaijan are insignificant; the deliveries can be viewed primarily as a political gesture in the context of a peaceful settlement, according to Armenian economists.
In October 2025, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced the lifting of all restrictions on cargo transit to Armenia. Armenian authorities considered this an important step in opening regional communications. In early November 2025, a shipment of Russian grain arrived in Armenia via Azerbaijan for the first time since the 1990s. The Armenian government noted that this was the fulfillment of one of the agreements reached in the United States, which contributed to strengthening peace between Yerevan and Baku.
On August 8, 2025, Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a declaration on the cessation of hostilities at a meeting in Washington. US President Donald Trump stated that the key issue that prevented the signing of a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been resolved: the issue of the Zangezur Corridor. The “Caucasian Knot” has prepared a report “Trump Route” (TRIPP): Transport Corridor through Armenia”.
On February 4, Aliyev and Pashinyan discussed the economic cooperation they had initiated at a meeting in the UAE and agreed to explore opportunities to expand trade. Although mutually beneficial, trade and economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Armenia will be limited in the near future, analysts in Baku noted.
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