"Pashinyan Will Act More Boldly"
- 9.06.2026, 14:13
How will Armenia's course change after the election?
This question was Charter97.org posed to one of the leaders of the democratic movement in Armenia in the 1990s, former deputy of the Supreme Council of the Republic, and ex-Ambassador of Armenia to Russia Stepan Grigoryan:
— It is already clear that Armenia will continue on its path toward Europe. This is very good and very important.
The European integration process will continue. It is also very important that the TRIPP program continues. These are all programs related to the U.S. I think everything will be fine. But there will be problems with amending the Constitution and on other issues.
I think Nikol Pashinyan will now act more boldly after all. Fifty-eight percent in parliament is also a significant percentage. I think he will move toward European integration more consistently and decisively. Of course, Pashinyan will definitely call Putin. He’ll talk to him to avoid too much confrontation. He’ll take some steps to maintain a balance.
But this victory gives him the opportunity to lead Armenia toward European integration more consistently. After all, there was a lot of pressure from society. Many criticized this course, saying that European integration is bad, and that Eurasianism is our “sacred ground.” After these elections, he can move forward more boldly with steps regarding Azerbaijan. The mandate he has received is a mandate for peace.
— What does Pashinyan’s victory mean for Putin? How will the Kremlin react to the loss of Armenia and the weakening of its influence in the region?
— First of all, the Kremlin lost Armenia a long time ago. That happened when it handed over Karabakh to Azerbaijan.
But now the Kremlin has lost Armenia once again, this time for good. Why? Because Moscow waged a terrifying campaign. Every day, Russian officials tried to scare us. Then they closed markets to our goods. And nothing worked. They were unable to influence Armenian society.
This means that the Kremlin has lost significant influence in Armenia. Even blackmail didn’t work. This is a very serious defeat. This is the Kremlin’s second defeat following its betrayal of Armenia on the Karabakh issue. They lost us then, and now they’ve lost us again.
Russia began blackmailing Armenia and doing things that make absolutely no sense. Putin lost this dispute with Nikol Pashinyan. By April 1, 2026, it had already become an open dispute between Putin and Pashinyan. And based on the election results, Putin lost it.
Moreover, Putin was making threats right up until the very end. Every time he’d say: “We’ll do this, we’ll do that, come to your senses, or you’ll end up like Ukraine.” Despite this intimidation, the Kremlin lost completely.
Moreover, in Moldova, the victory of pro-European forces was clear, but still hard-fought. This was partly due to Moldovans living abroad. In the case of Armenia, citizens within the country voted against the Kremlin. This is a very important point.
I think the Russians managed to bring several thousand Armenian citizens from Russia so they could vote against Pashinyan. But Armenian citizens in Armenia itself voted for him. And Pashinyan won.
In other words, Putin is steadily losing Armenia, and thus losing the South Caucasus. Because Putin’s positions in Azerbaijan and Georgia have always been weak. Now he is finally losing Armenia, and thus losing the South Caucasus completely.
The Russians tried to scare us with the Ukrainian scenario. For example, just a day or two before the election, Alexei Overchuk said that if pro-Russian forces didn’t win, Russia would completely shut its market to Armenia.
But the response is already coming from the Europeans. The Netherlands and Latvia have opened their markets to our flowers. Yes, our flowers are already going to the Netherlands and Latvia. We have a large flower production, but not large enough to satisfy the Dutch market. Because the Netherlands is a global market, one of the centers of the global flower trade. And now the same thing will happen with other products.
For many goods, a shift toward Europe will begin quickly. We have good products. Yes, there are products that do not meet European standards. But there are also those that do. Europe will quickly help us reorient ourselves.
In other words, the first blow that Putin will deal to us will be mitigated. Of course, some economic entities in Armenia will suffer losses. But Nikol Pashinyan has promised to compensate for these losses.
There is another important issue right now. Let’s look at the actions of the pro-Russian opposition in Armenia. Lately, it has constantly been talking about serious violations. I believe the elections were fairly transparent. But if they believe there were violations, arrests, and so on, they should take to the streets in protest. They should file complaints with the Central Election Commission and the courts.
We’ll see whether they do that or not. That is also a very important factor in this situation.
It seems to me that a legitimate parliament has been formed in Armenia. These were competitive elections. Everyone had the opportunity to say what they wanted, when they wanted. Now let’s see how the opposition behaves and what it has to say.