TUG-OF-WAR OVER ARMENIA
- Paul Hansbury
- Jun 19
- 5 min read
I promised to write about the parliamentary election in Armenia. The 7 June vote has come and gone. I do not pretend any great expertise on Armenia, though I do keep my eye on what goes on. Given the deterioration of relations between Armenia and Russia in the past few years (see my blogs in September 2023, November 2023 and July 2025), the recent vote was an interesting test of where the country is headed. The framing as a geopolitical contest between Russia and the West excited foreign media.
Prime minister Nikol Pashinyan, a long-time sceptic of his country's traditionally close relations with Russia, has overseen steps moving the country closer to the European Union. In March last year the Armenian parliament adopted a law stating its intention to accede to the bloc. Public opinion supported this step: a late 2024 poll conducted for the International Republican Institute (IRI) found 58% of respondents saying that they would vote to join the EU were there a referendum on membership.
At the same time, Pashinyan's time in office saw the loss of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) territory to Azerbaijan in September 2023. Although the territory had been internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, its residents were mainly ethnic Armenians; a short military operation by Azerbaijan in September 2023 forced 100,000 ethnic Armenians from their homes. One might expect the incumbent Pashinyan to have lost some support in light of this major blow to Armenia. In fact, it damaged pro-Russian politicians in the country more since Russophile Armenians expected Moscow to support them against Azerbaijan.
