There is no washing machine that would “refresh” and “clean” more than Nicole.

June: 12, 2026

Political prisoner, RPA vice-chairman Armen Ashotyan sent a note from the detention center through lawyers, which we present below.

Being illegally imprisoned again and joining the ranks of dozens of political prisoners in Armenia, I was in a virtual information blockade. However, Edmon Marukyan’s next insidious and dirty discharge about Serzh Sargsyan and me penetrated even from the dark and thick walls of the prison.

During the entire election campaign, he tried to make himself important by regularly throwing stones in our direction, but we did not see the need to make a serious opponent out of him and totally ignored him.

Now that the election is over (with a particularly embarrassing result for Edmond), Edmond’s villainy has reached a new record high. Answer him from prison.

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Convey to him that this expired and discarded vintick, who worked in the Nicolaitan regime, has no political or moral right to moral discourse or analysis.

Convey to him that I, Armen Ashotyans, do not need to be mentioned by him or, even more, to be “worried about”. That I remember very well his behavior as Nikol’s ambassador in Vienna in December 2022, both in the presence of the Azerbaijani delegates and during his conversation with me.

Tell him that he wishes he had a friend like Serzh Sargsyan or as loyal as I am.

Convey to him that it is not decent and unethical to refer to a sitting person in such a way and drag him into a dirty topic (if, of course, he still remembers the meaning of the word).

If he doesn’t have the guts or conscience to talk about me being a political prisoner, let him shut up.

After all, there is no such washing machine that would “renew” and “clean” Nicole’s repeatedly used rag, and there is no wardrobe where that second hand has a place.

The rest after my freedom.

P.S. Dear compatriot, after the regular return to information streams from quarantine, I will again share my thoughts and opinions with you, as during the previous imprisonment. Thank you for your support to me and my family.

Freedom to all political prisoners.

ARMEN ASHOTIAN

Vice President of RPA

«Nubarashen» CCA

12.06.2026




The primary task of the army is to be a security factor. it cannot be considered o

June: 12, 2026

On June 9, our “Pashinyan broke his revolutionary promise: the armed forces should not be a political factor. In the footsteps of electoral processes” with the caption in the article we also referred to the participation of the army in the last NA elections as a political factor and the episodes of taking the soldiers to the precincts after 20:00 on the voting day.

We did not ignore CEC President Vahagn Hovakimyan’s operative regarding the opinion that military personnel will be brought to the polling stations after 20:00 on June 7. the claim or that nothing illegal happened.

“Before 20:00 in the evening, the soldiers were in front of the door of the polling station, waiting for their turn, and here a problem arose: either close the door of the polling station for the soldiers and not let them in so that they could exercise their right to vote, or let them in.” on June 8 in a conversation with journalists, he elaborated, stressing that those soldiers have been waiting in front of the polling stations for a long time and could not simply enter due to the queues at the polling station, and that such a problem occurred in only 2 polling stations.

On June 9 Edward Asryan, head of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, was also in the conversation with the journalists to assure that the soldiers voted within the law. In other words, according to the requirements of the Electoral Code, “it doesn’t matter if he is a soldier or an ordinary citizen, he is in the territory of the electoral district, he is allowed to continue his constitutional duty.”

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“Our servicemen were in the territory of the polling station at the appointed time, that is, no serviceman came to the polling station late.” Asryan emphasized.

In response to the objection that there is a precinct where the soldiers entered after 20:00, the head of the General Election Commission urged to address the remaining questions to the Central Electoral Commission and other related bodies.

And one more on June 11 The CEC convenes an extraordinary session and declares the decision invalid 35/65 (Syunik, Agarak) and 10/51 Voting results of (Nubarashen) precincts.

“The commission recognized as invalid the results of the voting in the electoral precinct No. 10/51 formed in the service area of ​​the electoral district electoral commission No. 10 and the results of the voting in the electoral district No. 35/65 organized in the service area of ​​the electoral district electoral commission No. 35 for the purpose of organizing and holding the regular elections of the National Assembly on June 7, 2026.

The commission decided to record the number of voting participants in precinct No. 10/51, 1287, as the sum of inaccuracies in precinct No. 10/51.

The number of voters in precinct No. 35/65: 1315 (one thousand three hundred and fifteen) was recorded as the total number of inaccuracies in Precinct No. 35/65.

The other results (numbers) of the protocols of election precincts No. 10/51 and No. 35/65, except for the amount of inaccuracies, were recorded as 0 (zero).

The materials of election precincts No. 10/51 and No. 35/65 have been sent to the prosecutor’s office,” it was noted at the extraordinary session of the CEC. protocol in

At the same time, CP deputy Vahagn Aleksanyan posted on his Facebook page note: does, noting:

“As a result of the hysteria raised by the opposition due to the soldiers’ vote, the results of 2 precincts are canceled. in which CP had a total of 1224 votes.

Any time this opposition utters the words “army” or “soldier” in the next five years, they must remember that they generated a process to invalidate the vote of the soldiers who got off the shift and voted.”

After this post, the deputies of the government put up appropriate “screens” from the representatives of the opposition forces, related to the soldiers’ vote.

Meanwhile, the opposition forces claim that all this is being done in order to steal the votes of the PAP and not leave it to the parliament. Maybe. In this case, the problem is not this, but that authorities can invalidate what they thought was legal within 2-3 days.

That is, when media was video publish that the soldiers were not in the precinct as of 20:00, but entered the precinct after 20:00, when the Eyewitness observation mission reported that about 480 soldiers were allowed to vote after 20:00, the authorities claimed that there was nothing illegal.

And after a few more days, it is decided to invalidate the results of the soldiers’ voting in the above-mentioned precincts and “throw” the blame for it in the pocket of the opposition.

If everything was legal, if the late entry of soldiers to the precinct, or the accumulation had objective reasons, as was presented a few days ago, although the shift could have been properly organized, then why is the army once again made a part of the political game and their votes are invalidated?

Is it justified to meet the dissatisfaction of the opposition when there is a problem of the reputation of the army, of course not. In other words, for the second time we are witnessing a disrespectful attitude towards the army in a short time.

If the government had to do this, why wasn’t it done immediately, why didn’t they demand responsibility from the relevant command? We think everything is obvious.

By the way, let’s mention that in one of Sotk’s precincts, it is also related to soldiers a shameful picture was presented, but there is no question about this, they did not manage to choose the soldiers who were brought to the precinct on the voting day. And? 35/65 (Syunik, Agarak) and 10/51 In the (Nubarashen) precincts, there should essentially be a re-vote and the soldiers should be decommissioned and taken to the polls again, perhaps at a time limit that has already been set.

To what extent some opposition forces have the right to name the army and the soldiers or not, it will still be discussed, maybe some of them don’t. But there are many episodes and cases that the government has deprived itself of its moral right for a long time.

The army and the soldier should first of all be considered as an important factor in ensuring the security of the country, and not become participants in petty political games, even if the problem, as it is presented, is to meet the dissatisfaction of the opposition, if everything does not lead to that.

Taxes are being raised because Armenia’s economy is not growing. Economist

June: 12, 2026

3 days after the elections, the Government raised excise taxes, which implies an increase in the price of cigarettes, alcohol and fuel.

The government has approved the draft law “On Amendments to the RA Tax Code”, which envisages revising the rates of goods subject to excise tax. According to the executive, the initiative aims to provide additional tax revenues, harmonize excise taxes with EAEU countries, as well as take into account the projected inflation in the coming years.

“When the law comes into force, the public will immediately feel the consequences, because it will have an immediate impact on tariffs.” 168.amreferring to the review of rates, he mentioned Economist Nairi Sargsyan, head of the “Armenia is me” political initiative.

Speaking about the justifications presented by the government, Nairi Sargsyan reminded that even before the elections, there were regular talks about the pre-election actions carried out at the expense of future taxes.

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“When the government showed haste, introduced a health insurance system, increased pensions, etc., they were not planned with the budget, and if they were not planned, naturally, they would not meet the budget expenses, and I will not be silent about the revenues at all. In such a case, when the economy does not have the potential to increase the volume of products and services, there is only one option left: increasing the tax rate or expanding the tax base. Now they have to raise taxes, because in reality, Armenia’s economy is not growing.

Here comes the question: what tax should we raise so that a wave of public dissatisfaction does not arise immediately after the elections due to political turbulence, that is, we have an adequate answer to it? it is the excise tax. Excise tax is almost always interpreted by many governments of the world as being aimed at taxing products that are harmful to health, and thereby trying to prevent the sale of products that are harmful to health, such as tobacco and alcoholic beverages, and public sentiments are softened, he explained.

According to the economist, for now they are increasing the excise tax, but in the very near future we will witness an increase in other taxes, and its impact will naturally be negative on the social condition of the Republic of Armenia, on the people’s standard of living, from agriculture to processing production.

“Let me say one conditional point. if, for example, the daily service fee for agricultural machinery is 100,000 AMD to cultivate a certain X amount of land, then due to the excise tax, the price of diesel fuel will increase and it will become, for example, 120,000 AMD. And he will obligatorily include the 20,000 drams increase in the tariff of agricultural products, which, if we correlate with the expected opening of the Turkish border and the flooding of the Armenian market with Turkish products, creates a favorable condition for the unhindered sale of Turkish products in Armenia and the complete elimination of Armenian agricultural products, agricultural products in general, “said Nairi Sargsyan, adding that the logistical costs possible inflation as a result of the increase.

By the way, if this draft is accepted by the National Assembly, the new rates will start to operate on July 1, just one month after the parliamentary elections.

RFE/RL – Armenian Election Results Thrown Into Uncertainty

June 12, 2026


Armenia – Police guard the entrance to the Central Election Commission building in Yerevan, June 12, 2026.

In a move which critics say is aimed at giving the ruling Civil Contract party a more comfortable majority in Armenia’s new parliament, the Central Election Commission (CEC) has annulled parliamentary election results in two precincts.

The CEC announced the decision on Thursday night, provoking a storm of condemnation from the country’s main opposition groups that had already refused to recognize Civil Contract’s election victory. One of them, the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), has been battling to ensure its presence in the National Assembly, which would deny Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s party a 60 percent majority required for enacting key laws and installing senior law-enforcement officials and judges.

According to preliminary official results of the June 7 elections, the BHK lacked just a few dozen votes to pass a 4 percent threshold for gaining parliament seats. It claims to have recovered more than 200 votes as a result of ballot recounts and verifications of vote protocols conducted in recent days. The annulment of the vote results in the two rural precincts essentially offset those gains. The BHK garnered 213 votes there.

The opposition party led by businessman Gagik Tsarukian accused the CEC of stealing its badly needed votes that would translate into 5 seats in the 105-member parliament. The other major opposition contenders echoed the accusations.

“This … once again proves that the ongoing process has nothing to do with the idea of fair and transparent elections and calls into question the legitimacy of the entire election process,” said BHK spokeswoman Iveta Tonoyan.

Armenia – Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukian campaigns in Syunik province, May 18, 2026.

The CEC did not immediately explain the controversial decision. Vahagn Aleksanian, the ruling party’s deputy chairman, attributed it to the fact that hundreds of Armenian army conscripts voted in the precincts after polls across the country supposedly closed at 8 p.m. on Sunday. Aleksanian argued that the opposition itself decried this fact as a serious violation of Armenian law.

Vahagn Hovakimian, a longtime Pashinian ally heading the CEC, as well as the chief of the Armenian army’s General Staff, Lieutenant-General Eduard Asrian, denied the violation earlier this week.

As of Friday afternoon, the CEC did not clarify whether its decision means that the parliamentary elections will be rerun in the two precincts. Environment Minister Hambardzum Matevosian, who is a also senior ruling party figure, said this is the course of action mandated by the Armenian Electoral Code.

“I’m not a lawyer, but as far as I know, when the results of a polling station are canceled, a rerun has to be called, according to the code,” Matevosian told journalists.

Some opposition representatives demanded a nationwide rerun of the polls, saying that vote results from the two polling stations affected the overall election outcome.

The CEC’s is due to release the final election results this Sunday. Its preliminary figures were rejected by the Armenian opposition as fraudulent even before its decision announced overnight.

According to them, Civil Contract won the elections with 49.8 percent of the vote. Billionaire Samvel Karapetian’s Strong Armenia bloc came in second with 23.3 percent, followed by former President Robert Kocharian’s Hayastan alliance (9.9 percent) and the BHK (3.996 percent). Strong Armenia and Hayastan plan to challenge these results in the Constitutional Court.

No one can explain to the international community where those 200 votes went

June: 12, 2026

The guest of 168TV’s “Zara has a question” program is lawyer, human rights defender Hovhannes Khudoyan.

Below are some of the theses voiced by Hovhannes Khudoyan during the conversation

  • A very clear requirement of the law stipulates that if, as a result of invalidating the results of any electoral district, after the total votes are counted, it will become clear that the votes of that district can have an impact on the results, then there should be a re-voting.

  • We have seen many election violations, starting from the beginning of pre-election campaigning to various anomalies during the counting process. Also, we do not see proper communication by the CEC with the public.
  • As for the applications to the Constitutional Court, I know that the applications are being prepared for the “Armenia” bloc, and I am helping to prepare such an application. Usually, the Constitutional Court requires mathematical precision in these matters. For example, even if we admit that the most surprising violations occurred in 10 precincts, they can be a basis for canceling the general elections if they were of national significance, that is, they had a quantitative impact. Now, in the example of the PAP, this is very clearly and formulaically confirmed. And if they commit illegality and re-voting is not scheduled in those precincts, this will definitely have grounds to satisfy the complaint in the Constitutional Court with simple arithmetic accuracy.
  • There will be a political desire to destroy everything and make people look like fools to move forward, but no one, and also in front of the international community, can never explain where those 200 votes went.
  • There are separate reports of international observers, which talk about many targeted violations, both in terms of abuse of administrative resources and the use of criminal legal instruments. More neutral reports or positive reports are about election day voting procedures because those last day actions, even if flawed, are very easily correctable; everything is recorded, all kinds of mistakes are recorded, and all guilty persons can be held accountable. Much more profound are all the violations that have a very intense intervention during the pre-election and pre-election campaign stage, but you cannot make them clearly measurable. For example, we have repeatedly talked about the involvement of law enforcement agencies in political propaganda.
  • We see double standards. when in the case of an action, criminal prosecution is initiated against the oppositionist, but when the same action or a more striking action is performed by the representative of the government, criminal proceedings are refused. For example, the mayor of Tallinn donates money from the municipal budget during the election campaign period. They say that there is no problem, when a representative of some other force is engaged in charity, they say that there is a legal requirement. And these episodes are many, if the law enforcement agencies spend their operational resources to intercept the opposition parties, to get information, we do not see that they are eavesdropping on the same theory, following government representatives, and there are many such data.

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  • Under the authority of the head of the communal department of one of the regional communities of the region, the workers are taken and registered in one of the remote villages, where he is the chairman of the commission, is this organic or not organic?
  • In the case where I strongly believe that if they do not commit a very obvious illegality, and the PAP passes the parliament anyway, and thereby deprives the CP of the 3/5 majority, causing very serious political problems for them, in this case the answer is unequivocally yes, the mandates should be taken. If they also violate this, I cannot give an unequivocal answer, although my personal opinion, all the same, is inclined to the idea of ​​taking a mandate, not because it is pleasant to go to the parliament to engage in various dialogues, fight, get hit, etc., but because having a faction in the National Assembly gives rights, even if the use of a part of them will make the struggle much easier than without them.
  • At least for a literate person, it should be obvious that all these actions are the result of a political directive.

Details in the video.




Iran is trying to act in the South Caucasus not only as a security force

June: 12, 2026

A few days ago, there were reports of American strikes against Iran, and today Iranian sources wrote that Iran has published a 14-point memorandum of settlement with the United States.

According to Mehr, the document includes the following provisions: an immediate cessation of fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon, the lifting of the naval blockade within 30 days and the withdrawal of US forces from the territories bordering the Islamic Republic, the submission of at least $300 billion in reconstruction projects by the US and its allies to Iran, and the suspension of sanctions on the sale of Iranian oil and petroleum products. In addition, according to the document, within 60 days, Iran and the USA should hold negotiations on the nuclear issue, as a result of which an agreement will be signed.
What developments will there be, will there be a new wave of serious military conflict on these and other issues? 168.amhas talked With Iran expert, political analyst Aram Shahnazaryan.

– The next potential Iran-US-Israeli military conflict is likely to be somewhat different from the 12-day and 40-day wars, as all sides already have a clearer understanding of the capabilities and vulnerabilities tested in the previous two wars. In case of a possible next conflict, the parties will act on the basis of already accumulated experience and revised military calculations. This means that the actions will be more targeted, technological and strategic in nature.

A key feature of a possible next war may be that the parties will try not to simply increase the number of strikes, but to more effectively target the enemy’s decision-making, command and control, air defense, communications and intelligence systems, and strategic economic and civilian infrastructure.

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During the 40-day war, it became clear that even the most advanced defense systems cannot completely prevent Iran’s missile and anti-aircraft missile threats, and mass strikes have a significant economic and psychological impact. Therefore, in a future conflict, priority will be given to those actions that will weaken the enemy’s control and reaction capabilities, as well as the rear.

At the same time, the possible war will most likely take on the character of a multi-domain and multi-layered conflict, including military, cyber, maritime, economic and energy directions, they will become the key elements of the conflict. The experience of the 40-day war showed that cyberattacks, operations against satellite and intelligence systems, attempts to control maritime communications, and influence energy markets can be as important as direct military operations.

From the global point of view, the main difference of the next conflict will be that it will take place in the conditions of the new military-political realities that have already formed. The 40-day war showed that a regional conflict can quickly turn into a challenge for international security and the world economy. In other words, the key issue in a possible future war will be not only the military outcome, but also whether the US will succeed in preventing the escalation of the conflict into a wider regional or international crisis or not.

– On the one hand, Turkish President Erdogan continues to consider Netanyahu’s administration to be genocidal, on the other hand, Turkey has started not to exclude the issue of normalization of relations with Israel, of course, setting specific conditions, including demanding the cessation of Israeli operations in Gaza. I would like to consider this issue also in the context of actions against Iran and Turkey’s position on this matter.

– That circumstance is important to take into account, because it changes the logic of the regional power equation.

If Turkey and Israel move in the direction of partial or gradual normalization of relations, then the possible next Iran-US-Israel conflict will take place in a significantly changed geopolitical environment. The experience of the 40-day war showed that the positions of regional actors can be no less important than direct military operations. In that sense, Ankara’s policy can become an important factor affecting the development of the conflict, especially if Turkey tries to simultaneously maintain its influence in both Western and regional directions.

From Iran’s point of view, the settlement of relations between Turkey and Israel can be perceived as an element of a new regional power arrangement. Tehran is traditionally sensitive to such processes that can increase Israel’s political, economic or security presence in Iran’s immediate neighborhood. Therefore, if the Ankara-Tel Aviv dialogue is restored, Iran will most likely try to activate its relations with other regional partners and strengthen its own deterrence mechanisms.

At the same time, the settlement of relations between Turkey and Israel does not necessarily turn into an anti-Iranian alliance.

Ankara usually strives to maintain its strategic independence and foreign policy maneuverability. Therefore, it is more likely that Turkey will try to use the settlement of relations with Israel as an additional diplomatic and economic resource, rather than getting involved in an open war architecture against Iran. However, even such a limited settlement could affect Iran’s strategic calculations and become an important external factor in future conflicts.

– Before the NA elections A framework agreement on strategic cooperation on the “Trump Path for International Peace and Prosperity” project was signed between the Republic of Armenia and the United States of America.  Today, when there are unresolved Iran-US issues and the page of military conflict is not closed, How do you see the fate of TRIPP, is there a change in the Iranian position or can there be?

– The fate of TRIPP, the “Trump Path to International Peace and Prosperity”, depends to a large extent on the extent to which it will be perceived by the states of the region as a platform for economic cooperation or as a tool for new geopolitical realignments. From Iran’s point of view, the main reservations about the initiative are preserved, because in Tehran it is viewed not only as an economic and transport project, but mainly as a mechanism for strengthening the influence of the USA and its partners in the region. The security challenges arising from the project are especially highlighted, as well as the fact that such projects can generally bypass Iran’s territory and significantly weaken its traditional role as an East-West and North-South communication hub. At the same time, the 40-day war has somewhat changed Iranian calculations.

The war showed that a regional strategy based on military and security factors alone is not enough to maintain long-term influence. Economic ties, logistics corridors, technological cooperation and regional integration projects are also turning into important tools of power. For this reason, Tehran will probably still not seek to openly obstruct all such initiatives, but will try to ensure that they do not lead to Iran’s isolation or a reduction in its regional role.

The main challenge for Iran is related to the security component. There is a fear in Tehran that some economic and transport cooperation projects could turn into political and security cooperation platforms over time, where Israel’s presence or influence will expand in Iran’s immediate neighborhood.

After the 40-day war, these concerns have become more acute, as Iran has begun to consider issues of regional infrastructure and communication networks not only from an economic perspective, but also from a national security perspective.

Therefore, there is no radical change in Iran’s position yet. Tehran continues to treat TRIPP with reservations, but after the experience of the war, it pays more attention not to the complete rejection of the initiative, but to what kind of place and role it can have in these processes.

Iran’s strategic goal is likely to remain the same: to prevent the formation of a regional economic and security architecture that would target its own security, diminish its geopolitical importance, or strengthen the positions of competitors in the immediate vicinity of its borders.

– What is Iran’s position in the region today?

– Iran strives to maintain the position of an influential and balancing actor in the South Caucasus, considering the region as an important and key component of its own national security atmosphere. For Tehran, the South Caucasus has long ceased to be only a neighboring region. it has become an important component of Iran’s northern security zone, where the ongoing geopolitical changes have a direct impact on the country’s strategic interests.

Especially in recent years, Iran has consistently emphasized the immutability of internationally recognized borders in the region and the need to exclude the political, military and security involvement of extra-regional forces in regional processes.

After the 40-day war, Iran’s position has gained a clearer security character. Tehran is watching with concern the deepening of the military-political cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan, the growing presence and influence of Israel in Azerbaijan, as well as the steps taken by the current authorities of Armenia towards the eastern change of Armenia’s foreign policy.

According to Iran, the formation of a possible new balance of power in the region should not lead to a situation where anti-Iranian security systems will be formed in the immediate vicinity of its northern borders or the influence of competing actors will be strengthened.

At the same time, Iran is trying to act in the South Caucasus not only as a security, but also as a transport and economic actor.

One of Tehran’s strategic priorities is the development of the North-South international transport corridor and ensuring its own participation in regional communication projects.

In this context, Iran is interested in communication solutions that will not change regional borders or balance of power and will not reduce Iran’s transit importance.

In general, Iran’s current positioning in the South Caucasus can be characterized as an “active defense strategy”. Tehran strives to prevent unfavorable geopolitical changes, to maintain the balance of power in the region, and at the same time to strengthen its own economic and transport role. For this reason, the South Caucasus continues to be considered not a secondary direction in Iran’s foreign policy, but a key area of ​​national security and regional influence.

– What picture do we have of Iran-Azerbaijan, Iran-Turkey relations now?

– Iran-Azerbaijan relations are currently in a complex and tense balance phase, where both the need for cooperation and the deepening strategic mistrust are combined. From Tehran’s point of view, the developments in Azerbaijan’s foreign policy in recent years, especially the high-level strategic relations with Israel and the expanding security and military cooperation, are seen as a direct challenge to Iran’s northwestern security zone.

The experience of the 40-day war only reinforced these concerns, showing that regional conflicts can quickly involve external actors and create a chain of new threats in the immediate vicinity of Iran’s borders.

At the same time, Iran is trying to avoid an open military or political escalation with Azerbaijan, taking into account economic, energy and transportation interdependencies. In such a context, Iran’s position is simultaneously tough in security matters, but cautious in terms of maintaining business relations.

Iran-Turkey relations have a relatively more stable and systematic nature, but here too there is strategic competition. Both countries are trying to expand their influence in the South Caucasus and the Middle East, often with different approaches.

Turkey is more active in the use of military and allied instruments, while Iran prefers the methods of deterrence, balancing and multilateral diplomacy. Despite this rivalry, the two sides maintain high-level economic ties and common interests in the energy and trade sectors, which prevents relations from turning into open conflict.

The experience of the 40-day war also affected perceptions here. Iran has more clearly begun to consider Turkey as a regional power, whose actions can quickly change the balance of power, while Turkey, in turn, is wary of expanding Iran’s direct or indirect influence in the border zones. Thus, Iran-Turkey relations can be characterized as “managed competition”, where cooperation and competition coexist.

In general, the prevailing logic in both Iran-Azerbaijan and Iran-Turkey relations is not open conflict, but balancing due to strategic calculations. But any new regional escalation can quickly change this balance, especially if it involves the involvement of external forces, the reshaping of communication channels or the formation of new security architectures.

To take the mandates or not? this is the problem

June: 12, 2026

Edgar Ghazaryan and Davit Sargsyan of the “Erku front” podcast in the next edition, they discuss the voting results of the national elections held on June 7, the widespread election violations committed by the administration, the significant inaccuracies, as well as the political positioning of the main actors of the opposition in the post-election period, first of all, the resolution of the issue of whether or not to take the mandates.

Details in the video




Putin’s waiting tactics. when will the kremlin bell ring?

June: 12, 2026

A few days have passed since the parliamentary elections held in Armenia on June 7, but the traditional congratulatory message to the “Civil Agreement” party and Nikol Pashinyan himself has not yet been heard from the Kremlin. This is despite the fact that, according to preliminary data, Pashinyan’s political force received almost half of the votes (49.81%), although the Armenian opposition, politicians, and public figures do not accept the results of the elections, they talk about administrative resources, unequal election campaign and other violations.

The Armenian domestic political discourse on this topic is a separate topic of analysis, referring to Russia’s positioning, let’s note that this marked silence of Moscow, combined with tough economic impulses, becomes the most eloquent indicator of the current crisis of Armenian-Russian relations.

Commenting on the results of the Armenian elections, the press secretary of the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov, tried to make it clear that Moscow will not be in a hurry. He mentioned that the Kremlin will wait for the final and official results of the elections to be summarized by the Central Electoral Commission, after which only appropriate announcements will be made. Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, adopted a similar expectant and restrained tone, referring to the “unclear moments” in the electoral process and the legal stage of the appeal of the results by the opposition blocs (“Strong Armenia” and “Armenia”). However, in addition to this, on June 8, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a rather harsh statement about the elections, talking about repressions, pressures on opponents, etc.

However, Russia’s waiting for official CEC data is not just a legal tact. This is a political position. Moscow shows that it does not accept the victory of the current administration in Yerevan as an absolute and unconditional reality, and that the new level of relations still needs to be “earned” at the negotiation table.

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  • This will lead to a very bad place… It is convenient for Russia, the EU and the USA to have a weak and non-national leader like Pashinyan. Raffi-Philippe Calfayan

Along with the diplomatic pause, Moscow switched to practical “whip” tactics. On June 11-12, Russia applied new, rather painful trade restrictions to Armenia. From June 12, “Rosselkhoznadzor” restricts the import of all quarantine products originating and delivered from Armenia, as well as the transit through the territory of Russia to EAEU member states. This is a classic Russian tool used in politically tense situations. Thus, Moscow reminds Yerevan of the true extent of economic dependence at the very moment when Pashinyan is trying to strengthen his domestic political legitimacy.

Yerevan seems to perfectly understand the seriousness of the situation and is trying to soften the atmosphere. Today, June 12, Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory message to Vladimir Putin on the occasion of Russia Day. In the text of the message, “readiness for an open and constructive dialogue based on mutual respect for sovereignty and state interests” was emphasized. And on June 11, Pashinyan openly stated that if there is an invitation from Russia, he is ready to go to Russia to meet Vladimir Putin. He also reminded that during his phone conversation with Putin on June 1 (his birthday), there was already a preliminary arrangement for such a meeting.

In similar crisis stages, the president of the Russian Federation has a clear behavioral model. he uses time as a means of political pressure. The Russian side is forced to remain in uncertainty, to experience economic and political discomfort, so that at the time of the meeting, the negotiation positions of the other side are as weak as possible.

Geopolitical logic suggests that events will develop in the following scenario. after June 14, when the RA CEC will publish the final data of the elections and the first wave of appeals will end, perhaps the Russian president will call Pashinyan. As the procedure in such cases implies, during that call, the official congratulation (which will be on record) will be formulated and there will be an invitation to Moscow. That meeting in Moscow will not be easy for the Armenian side. It will be a meeting to clarify “red lines” and report. Putin, again, as in similar cases, can put several key issues on the negotiation table, the main of which is the limitation of the foreign political vector, clarification of the choice of “EU or EAEU”. It is difficult to say how the Armenian side will behave, by what mechanism it will try to reach an agreement with the Russian side, but judging by the post-election rhetoric of the RA authorities, there is a desire to reach an agreement.

However, it is important to note that Nikol Pashinyan will go to Moscow with the vote he received in the elections, according to experts, with weakened legitimacy and economically besieged. In the Kremlin, he is expected to have a pragmatic but forceful dialogue, within the framework of which the agreement will imply a certain price. And what that price will be for Armenia or maybe for Russia, perhaps it will become clear already after that possible meeting.

168: We are at the beginning of the revolutionary process… everything depends on the solution of the PAP problem

June: 12, 2026

The main intrigue of this election process, one can say, is whether the PAP will enter the parliament or not as a result of the National Assembly elections held in Armenia on June 7. About this 168 TVof Revue said on the air of the program Gagik Minasyan, former member of the National Assembly, member of the RPA Executive Bodycommenting on CEC yesterday the decision about invalidating the voting results in two polling stations.

“The Electoral Code says that if processes take place during the electoral process that significantly affect the outcome of the elections, and it is not possible to restore it, then another article of the Electoral Code should call for re-voting in the entire territory of the republic. Now this evil government is taking steps that lead to a dead end. He wants to do everything to be good for himself, but he will pay for it in front of the anger of the whole people. See what will happen if the situation that objectively should have been formed, when the PAP objectively appeared in the parliament. If the PAP enters the parliament, the ruling force gets 61 mandates, the collective opposition gets 44 mandates, and in this case, the government did not have 3/5 of the NA deputies, which it needs to make changes in the constitutional laws,” commented Gagik Minasyan.

According to Minasyan, it is not possible to restore the true picture of the voting in the mentioned polling stations, because there was a gross election violation – voting after 20:00, and in this case, the only way is to organize a new vote.

Read also

  • No one can explain to the international community where those 200 votes went. Hovhannes Khudoyan
  • Pashinyan’s government did not win. the elections are not legitimate. Menua Soghomonyan
  • If they decide to remove him from CSTO, we will take note. We have an export deficit, we must ensure it. Nikol Pashinyan

Referring to election violations and the issue of rigging elections in general, in this context: During the pre-election campaign, the second president of the Republic of Armenia, the leader of the Armenia alliance, Robert Kocharian, said that “if they try to brazenly steal the people’s victory, they will get a revolution.”, Gagik Minasyan expressed the opinion that we are still at the beginning of the revolutionary process.

According to Minasyan, in this situation, everything depends on how the PAP problem will be solved, and the future of Armenia is decided today.

“This is not only the problem of PAP, this is not even the problem of the opposition forces that entered the parliament, this is the problem of all of us. either we keep this state Armenian, or Turkish-Azerbaijani agents make it Turkish. We must understand that this cannot be allowed. Every citizen, every political force, regardless of whether they have entered the parliament or not, should unite around this idea. I think that we should be guided by the call and joint decision of the titular opposition, “Strong Armenia”, “Armenia” alliance and “Prosperous Armenia”, and we should all combine our efforts to get rid of this evil,” added the interlocutor.

According to the former deputy of the “RPA” faction, Nikol Pashinyan deceived the people in the most vile way, declaring that if the CP does not form a constitutional majority in the National Assembly, “there will be a catastrophic war in September.”

We remind you that yesterday, June 11, The Central Electoral Commission in an extraordinary session declared invalid June 7 National Assembly election results in polling stations No. 10/51 and No. 35/65.

Full interview in the video.




RFE/RL – Karapetian Suggests Run-Off Vote With Pashinian’s Party

June 12, 2026

Armenia – Billionaire and opposition leader Samvel Karapetian speaks to journalists outside a court in Yerevan, June 12, 2026.

Billionaire Samvel Karapetian proposed on Friday a run-off vote between his Strong Armenia alliance and the ruling Civil Contract party as he continued to reject the official results of the June 7 parliamentary elections.

“[Prime Minister Nikol] Pashinian did not win the elections,” he told reporters. “They too know that and the whole world probably sees that … If he is sure that he won, we propose to legitimize all that … and go into a second round.”

The Armenian constitution allows for such a possibility if none of the parties or blocs win an absolute majority of seats in the parliament and strike power-sharing deals for a coalition government.

Karapetian spoke as Strong Armenia representatives formally petitioned the Central Election Commission (CEC) to annul its preliminary results that showed Civil Contract winning the elections with 49.8 percent of the vote. Strong Armenia came in second with 23.3 percent, followed by former President Robert Kocharian’s Hayastan alliance (almost 10 percent) and the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) (almost 4 percent).

All three opposition groups have rejected the results as fraudulent, saying that Civil Contract miscounted ballots, forced many public sector employees to vote for it and resorted to other irregularities. They say that mass arrests of their members and supporters, which continued on election day, also influenced the outcome.

Pashinian brushed aside the allegations on Thursday. He claimed that Strong Armenia, Hayastan and the BHK themselves bought all of their votes.

Karapetian said that Strong Armenia will appeal to the Constitutional Court in the likely event of the CEC rejecting its demand. Hayastan has also announced plans to challenge the vote results in the court whose justices have been installed during Pashinian’s rule.

Both opposition blocs have acknowledged that their chances of having the results overturned are slim. They are facing calls from some of their supporters not to take up their seats in the new Armenian parliament and thus undermine its legitimacy. Their leaders are clearly leaning against that option.

Karapetian, who has mostly lived in Russia since the early 1990s, was catapulted into Armenian politics after being arrested in June last year following his strong criticism of Pashinian’s crackdown on the Armenian Apostolic Church. He was prosecuted on charges rejected by him as politically motivated.

The 60-year-old tycoon set up his opposition movement before being moved to house arrest in December. It quickly emerged as the country’s leading opposition group.

Despite being unable to physically attend Strong Armenia’s campaign rallies because of the house arrest, Karapetian repeatedly expressed confidence about its victory in the run-up to the polls. He admitted on Friday that his expectations have not been met.

“We didn’t win. Pashinian didn’t win either. The Armenian people lost,” he said.

Karapetian also insisted that he has no plans to quit politics and will keep trying to “oust Pashinian in a legal way.”