Discussing the upcoming parliamentary elections in June, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has said that ‘the enemies of [Armenia’s] freedom do not sleep’, and are seeking to ‘derail our sovereign choice for peace and democracy’.
Mirzoyan delivered his speech on Wednesday at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Wednesday,
He described the June elections as ‘a vital milestone in cementing the irreversibility of our democracy’, while warning of the potential influence of ‘the enemies of freedom’.
According to Mirzoyan, these groups could be ‘very creative’ in their efforts, investing large sums of money in propaganda and ‘illegal schemes of interference’.
‘They want to derail our sovereign choice for peace and democracy, and they want to take us back into the darkness of authoritarianism, endless conflict with neighbours and weak sovereignty’, Mirzoyan said, without elaborating which countries those forces represent.
In December 2025, the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas noted that the EU has observed disinformation campaigns from ‘Russia and its proxies’ ahead of Armenia’s 2026 parliamentary elections, carried out by ‘the same networks that we saw deployed in Moldova’.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
Mirzoyan said that the ‘enemies of freedom’ and the Armenian government would both rely on mechanisms and tools offered by democracy — with the former using these tools to ‘destroy democracy’ and the latter seeking to protect it.
‘Our society has developed an immunity to lies, and our resolve to defend our hard-won freedoms is stronger than any shadow operation’, Mirzoyan said.
Peace and an ‘anchor’ in the EU
Peace and the normalisation of relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan remain a priority for Armenia, Mirzoyan implied.
He called the Washington Summit on 8 August 2025 ‘a historical turning point’, which saw the initialing of the Armenia and Azerbaijan peace agreement.
‘We will choose cooperation over confrontation, hope over despair, [and] development over decline’, Mirzoyan said.
Nate Ostiller
‘Respect for human rights and dignity is crucial to restoring trust and reconciliation’ between Armenian and Azerbaijani societies and a peaceful future, Mirzoyan said.
He added that the release of four Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan earlier in January ‘offers hope for this’, and that ‘a meaningful contribution to reconciliation’ would also include the release of the remaining 19 Armenian detainees and cooperation in clarifying the fate of missing persons.
Mirzoyan said that Armenia is ‘fully dedicated to the full normalisation’ of relations with Turkey, adding that the full opening of the border and restoration of the Gyumri–Kars railway, connecting Armenia to Turkey ‘will be a crucial investment in strengthening regional stability and prosperity’.
Talking about Armenia–EU relations, Mirzoyan referenced a bill adopted by the Armenian Parliament in March 2025 that called on the government to pursue EU integration. The bill was proposed by the Eurovote civic initiative, which gained public support through a petition.
‘This represents the democratic will of the Armenian people to anchor our future in the European family of nations as an authentic reflection of our values and identity’, Mirzoyan said.
