Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi sent a congratulatory message to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, on the occasion of his party’s victory in the recent parliamentary elections.

“Prime Minister Al-Zaidi reaffirmed Iraq’s commitment to building a broad partnership with Armenia in a manner that advances progress and prosperity for both sides, highlighting the importance of addressing shared challenges and enhancing coordination across economic and development fields,” the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office said in a press release.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his Civil Contract party’s victory in the June 7 parliamentary elections.

“Your re-election reflects the belief and trust of the people of the Republic of Armenia in your leadership and your vision of a peaceful and progressive nation,” Sharif said in a letter addressed to Pashinyan, according to his office.

“I look forward to working with Your Excellency to strengthen Pakistan–Armenia relations, and I wish to emphasize that Pakistan attaches great importance to peace and constructive cooperation between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

We hope that your new term in office will contribute to the advancement of peace, stability, and economic development in the South Caucasus.

I wish you continued health and well-being, as well as progress and prosperity for the friendly people of Armenia.”

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that major changes are not expected in the composition of his new Cabinet, which will be formed following the results of the June 7 parliamentary elections, in which his Civil Contract party won a majority of seats in parliament.

“There will be no major changes,” Pashinyan said at a press briefing when asked by a journalist whether the new government lineup had already been decided and whether dismissals or changes in the Cabinet were expected.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday said that one of the priority issues requiring urgent solutions in Armenia’s aviation sector is the expansion of Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport.

“Zvartnots Airport must be expanded as quickly as possible,” the Prime Minister told members of his Cabinet, citing the need to increase capacity to accommodate growing traffic.

He also highlighted the importance of implementing international standard reforms and continuously updating them.

Pashinyan also spoke about the work that needs to be carried out to redesignate Syunik Airport in Kapan as an international airport.

He further stressed the importance of implementing necessary measures for the future development of Shirak Airport in Gyumri.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday accused the main opposition forces that won seats in the June 7 parliamentary elections of vote-buying and suggested that none of them, which he refers to collectively as the “tripartite war party,” would have entered parliament without bribery.

Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party received 49.825% of the vote, while Samvel Karapetyan’s Strong Armenia Alliance secured 23.281%, and former president Robert Kocharyan’s Armenia Alliance received 9.934%.

Business tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan’s Prosperous Armenia Party is very close to the 4% electoral threshold, having secured 3.996% of the vote according to preliminary results. A recount is currently underway ahead of the final results announcement on June 14.

Pashinyan has referred to the Strong Armenia Alliance, the Armenia Alliance, and the Prosperous Armenia Party as the “tripartite war party,” arguing that their victory in the June 7 polls would have triggered a new war.

Responding to a journalist’s question on whether there is any mechanism for assessing how cases of vote-buying by political forces may have affected the election results, Pashinyan said:

“Regarding the tripartite war party, none of them would have passed the parliamentary threshold without vote-buying,” Pashinyan said.

The Prime Minister stated that the criminal justice system, including judicial and law enforcement bodies, also bears responsibility for what has happened.

“The criminal justice system also bears responsibility for what has happened here, because those who engaged in vote-buying in previous elections are not only not in prison, but have also continued their activities in this process,” he noted.

“The criminal justice system must provide answers to the public, and the public must receive a clear explanation of why it funds the criminal justice system if criminals continue not only to walk freely on the streets but also to continue their criminal activities. I will obtain answers to these questions,” Pashinyan concluded.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that Armenia would take note if other member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) decided to remove the country from the bloc.

Member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) earlier agreed to consider applying a relevant provision of the organization’s charter to Armenia over its non-payment of membership fees for two years.

Armenia has not paid membership fees to the CSTO since freezing its participation in the bloc in 2024.

“I cannot comment on CSTO matters. I know that there is a mechanism for expelling a member from the CSTO. If member states decide to remove Armenia, we will have to take note of that decision. We would have nothing else to do,” Pashinyan said during a briefing with journalists, when asked whether there is a procedure for expelling a member state from the CSTO and whether such an issue could arise in Armenia’s case.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that as long as the Armenian government consistently pursues its peace agenda, there will be no war.

Pashinyan made the remarks during a press briefing when asked about his campaign statement that if the Civil Contract party does not secure a constitutional majority in parliament, a new war could break out in September.

“As long as we consistently continue the peace agenda and support it with all possible means, there will be no war; there will be peace,” the Prime Minister said.

According to preliminary results of the June 7 parliamentary elections, Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party won a majority of seats but not a constitutional majority.

Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party received 49.825% of the vote, while Samvel Karapetyan’s Strong Armenia Alliance secured 23.281%, and former president Robert Kocharyan’s Armenia Alliance received 9.934%.

Business tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan’s Prosperous Armenia Party is very close to the 4% electoral threshold, having secured 3.996% of the vote according to preliminary results. A recount is currently underway ahead of the final results announcement on June 14.

Pashinyan has referred to the Strong Armenia Alliance, the Armenia Alliance, and the Prosperous Armenia Party as the “tripartite war party,” arguing that their victory in the June 7 polls would have triggered a new war.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday that he will definitely visit Russia if such an invitation is extended.

Pashinyan said before the June 7 elections that he had agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold a meeting after the polls in the second half of June.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that a potential meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be decided only after the final results of the Armenian parliamentary elections are published.

Pashinyan was asked about the potential visit on Thursday.

“There has been understanding regarding a visit to Russia, but there must be an invitation for me to go. If there is an invitation, I will go; I will definitely not refuse it,” Pashinyan said when asked if he plans to visit Russia and meet Putin.

Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party received 49.825% of the vote, while Samvel Karapetyan’s Strong Armenia Alliance secured 23.281%, and former president Robert Kocharyan’s Armenia Alliance received 9.934%.

Business tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan’s Prosperous Armenia Party is very close to the 4% electoral threshold, having secured 3.996% of the vote according to preliminary results. A recount is currently underway ahead of the final results announcement on June 14.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday welcomed the opening of the largest international floriculture marketplace to Armenian flower producers amid efforts to diversify export markets.

“The Prime Minister of the Netherlands personally wrote to me that they will support by all possible means so that Armenian flower producers can gain access to that market and platform,” Pashinyan said at a press briefing on Thursday.

Flowers grown in Armenia are among the many goods that Russia has banned, prompting Armenian exporters to look for new markets.

The Armenian government has rolled out relief programs for exporters to help them find new markets and avoid losses. The European Union has pledged continued support to Armenia, including efforts to identify and develop new export markets. The EU announced immediate financial assistance worth over €50 million, in addition to other measures.

Most recently, a batch of flowers produced in Armenia was shipped to Latvia, while the Netherlands also announced the opening of its market. It was also announced that apricots will be shipped to Poland.

The announcement on the flower market was earlier made by Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen.

Armenia and Azerbaijan must work together to address the issue of missing persons in both countries, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said.

Speaking at a press briefing after the Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Pashinyan added that Armenia has not forgotten the issue of its citizens imprisoned in Azerbaijan.

He said bilateral trade between the two countries is also a very important pillar of peace.

“All legal processes related to the [border] delimitation process have been finalized and are legally binding in both Armenia and Azerbaijan. Now we must focus on the implementation of the TRIPP project, as well as continue our work toward the signing and ratification of the peace treaty,” the Prime Minister said.