Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan again highlighted that Strong Armenia Party leader and business tycoon Samvel Karapetyan, under current constitutional requirements, cannot run either for parliament or for the premiership.

Constitutional requirements for a prime minister in Armenia include having resided in the country for at least the previous four years and holding exclusively Armenian citizenship during that period. Karapetyan is reported to hold dual citizenship and has been based mostly abroad.

Strong Armenia nonetheless named Karapetyan as their candidate for prime minister in the upcoming elections and said that, in the event of gaining a majority, they would initiate legislative changes to change the requirement and elect him.

Speaking at a press briefing, Pashinyan commented on the recently released Strong Armenia party list for the elections, where the business tycoon’s nephew Narek Karapetyan is listed as number one, while the party continues to claim that Samvel Karapetyan is their candidate for prime minister.

“The whole world knows that the person you mentioned cannot be a candidate for parliament or prime minister. If there is still anyone in Armenia for whom this is not yet clear, what can I say—I can only state the obvious,” Pashinyan said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday that there are no grounds for an increase in the price of Russian gas for Armenia and dismissed hypotheticals about what the government would do if that were the case.

“[As the idiom goes], if my aunt were a man, she’d be my uncle,” Pashinyan said, dismissing the “what if” questions. “But if that’s not the case, what are those who ask that question supposed to do?”

The Prime Minister clarified that Armenia has long-term agreements with Russia, emphasizing that there is no basis for an increase in gas prices. According to him, two parties cannot interact under the assumption that one side will violate all agreements.

Nikol Pashinyan also addressed concerns raised by Armenian exporters of flowers and brandy to Russia, who have reportedly encountered difficulties in the Russian market.

“Armenia has long been prepared for all scenarios, but each case must be examined carefully and based on the facts. Since 2018, I have repeatedly spoken, both publicly and privately, about the need to standardize production in the country. We have allocated millions of dollars to support the economy so that producers can standardize their products. The issues that exist, related to the modernization of the economy, we will continue to support producers on those matters, but we do not agree that technical problems should be presented differently under the guise of political influence,” Pashinyan said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday that Kazakhstan, like many other countries, is interested in the TRIPP connectivity project.

“A new route for international communication is opening, and Kazakhstan is one of the major players in the international transport sector, particularly in terms of the flow of goods to and from China,” Pashinyan said at a press briefing on April 9, when asked about the Kazakh Foreign Minister’s visit to Armenia.

“Our Kazakh partners, with whom we also discussed this issue during my visit, are trying to gain a more concrete understanding of the transport opportunities that are opening up and how this will affect them. Kazakhstan is not the only country interested in this topic; many countries are. The process is public, and we do not intend to hide it from our partners. Naturally, we should invite Kazakhstan to be prepared to consider using transit routes through Armenia as part of their export, import, and transport service chains,” Pashinyan said.

The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) is a connectivity project in Armenia, envisaged under the U.S.-brokered Armenian-Azerbaijani joint declaration signed in Washington, D.C. The project is expected to unlock strategic economic opportunities, create long-term benefits by promoting infrastructure investment, and enhance regional connectivity. An Armenian-American joint enterprise is expected to develop the route.

On April 8–9, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister, Yermek Kosherbayev, will pay an official visit to Armenia. The delegation also includes Kazakhstan’s Minister of Transportation, Nurlan Sauranbayev. 

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia is not going to discuss “behind Russia’s back” the issue of potentially transferring railway management rights to another country.

Pashinyan was asked at a press briefing whether Armenia plans to discuss the matter with the Kazakh Foreign Minister and Transport Minister, who are currently visiting Armenia, despite Russia previously stating that it sees no grounds for selling its management rights.

“We do not intend to do anything behind Russia’s back. At this stage, as long as the opportunities for dialogue remain broad and open, we will continue our work,” Pashinyan added.

Pashinyan had previously called for an end to Russian management of Armenia’s railway network, which operates under a concession agreement. He specifically stated that, in the context of current regional connectivity development projects, it would be preferable for another country—particularly one with friendly ties to both Armenia and Russia—to take over management. He argued that some countries might choose not to make shipments through Armenia due to Russian management of the railway system, thereby reducing Armenia’s competitiveness.

Pashinyan also said that the matter was discussed during his April 1 visit to Russia.

In March, reports emerged about ongoing talks regarding a potential Kazakh takeover of the management rights. At the time, Prime Minister Pashinyan did not rule out the possibility of a Kazakh company taking over the concession agreement of the Armenian railways from Russia, but noted that the talks were still ongoing.

However, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk said there are no “objective reasons” to sell the management rights.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed confidence that both the United States and Iran will do everything necessary to achieve a peaceful resolution in the Middle East.

Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Pashinyan once again commended the recently established two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, as well as both sides’ willingness to negotiate.

“Knowing the leadership of both countries, I am confident that everything will be done to reach a peaceful resolution. I also want to thank both sides for agreeing to a ceasefire, because I can imagine how difficult it was to achieve,” Pashinyan said.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced the agreement late Tuesday, just two hours before a deadline he had set for Iran to open the blockaded Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of its “whole civilization.”

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a key mediator, said he had invited Iranian and U.S. delegations to meet in Islamabad on Friday for talks.

Shortly after the ceasefire was announced, Pashinyan said Armenia welcomes the “crucial decision” by the United States and Iran to cease all hostilities.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reiterated that peace is the most reliable guarantee of security.

“Every country must have its own internal security systems, but the broader the understanding of security, the better,” Pashinyan said at a press briefing after the Cabinet meeting.

“Now, for example, is peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan a security guarantee or not? Of course it is. Between whom was that peace concluded? Armenia and Azerbaijan. For whom was it concluded? Each for itself. But by concluding it for themselves, each side has also created a certain security mechanism for the other,” he said.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has received a delegation led by Kazakh Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev, who is on an official visit to Armenia.

Pashinyan welcomed the minister’s visit and underlined the strategic nature of the partnership between Armenia and Kazakhstan, his office said in a readout.

He said that recent high-level bilateral visits have given fresh momentum to the development of broad-based cooperation between the two countries, adding that this is also reflected in the substantive bilateral agenda.

Pashinyan also said that regional developments are having a positive impact on cooperation between Armenia and Kazakhstan, particularly through the railway connection established via Azerbaijan, Russia and Georgia, which he said is creating new opportunities to expand trade and economic ties.

Kosherbayev conveyed the warm greetings of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the Armenian prime minister and said he had held productive discussions with Armenian partners on all issues of mutual interest.

He expressed confidence that the newly established rail link would significantly expand bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

Kosherbayev also stressed the importance of unblocking regional transport routes and reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s support for both the TRIPP initiative and the Armenian government’s Crossroads of Peace project.

He said Kazakhstan is also interested in the implementation of those initiatives and in the expansion of regional trade and economic connectivity.

Pashinyan and Kosherbayev also discussed the development of cooperation in infrastructure, construction, agriculture, technology, air connectivity and tourism.

In that context, the two sides highlighted the launch of direct flights between Armenia and Kazakhstan, which is expected in the near future.

They also welcomed the upcoming visit of an Armenian business delegation to Kazakhstan, saying it would give further momentum to economic cooperation and business ties.

Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin and the embassy’s First Secretary, Alexander Malishev, met with Central Electoral Commission (CEC) Chairman Vahagn Hovakimyan.

The CEC said in a press release that “the ambassador inquired about the preparatory process for the upcoming general elections.” It did not provide further details.

Speaker of Parliament, Alen Simonyan, held a meeting with Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna during his visit to Yerevan.

According to a readout from the parliament’s press service, the discussions focused on bilateral and inter-parliamentary relations, as well as topics concerning Armenia–EU relations and democratic reforms.

Views were also exchanged on regional developments, with particular attention given to the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP) project.

The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) is a connectivity project in Armenia, envisaged under the U.S.-brokered Armenian-Azerbaijani joint declaration signed in Washington, D.C. The project is expected to unlock strategic economic opportunities, create long-term benefits by promoting infrastructure investment, and enhance regional connectivity. An Armenian-American joint enterprise is expected to develop the route.

Speaker of Parliament, Alen Simonyan, held a meeting on Thursday with an Austrian parliamentary delegation led by Martina von Künsberg-Sarre, Chairperson of the Austria-Armenia-Georgia Parliamentary Friendship Group at the National Council of Austria. 

The Speaker expressed gratitude for the visit to Armenia, noting that such trips serve as a significant boost for activating bilateral relations, the parliament’s press service said in a readout.

The discussion focused on bilateral and interparliamentary ties, ongoing democratic reforms in Armenia, the peace process established between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and regional developments.

Simonyan also drew the delegation’s attention to the issue of captives, unlawfully detained persons in Azerbaijan, and missing persons.