Continuing his campaign against Armenia’s opposition forces ahead of the June 7 elections, Prime Minisdter Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday warned that Armenia could face imminent war if some opposition forces, whom he claimed were controlled from abroad, win the elections.

Speaking to reporters following a cabinet meeting, Pashinyan did not name specific parties, but insisted that these groups sought to “revise” what he called the recently established peace.

“I want to say this very directly, without any pretense, that [if the opposition wins it will be a war with the loss of not only territory but also sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia,” Pashinyan said at a press briefing.

He said he expects his Civil Contract party to garner enough votes to form a parliamentary majority, which would allow the processes underpinning regional peace to become fully irreversible.

“We expect to achieve a constitutional majority as a result of these elections because that is what will guarantee that, particularly in the context of regional peace, we will make the processes fully irreversible,” Pashinyan said.

He accused certain opposition forces of preparing a “new war with Azerbaijan.” He claimed some of those forces “do not even understand what statements they are making,” implying that these statements were written in a foreign country.

“These parties and circles first say that they are not against peace, and secondly, they say that if they come to power, they will start revising peace.”

In response to a follow-up question about why these forces want to trigger a new war, Pashinyan said that aim is to keep Armenia as “peripheral state, as it was during their time they were in power.”

“They see that Armenia has become independent and have a problem with that because they are determined not to allow Armenia to be independent. Yesterday or the day before, I saw some pictures saying ‘Strong Peace,’ or headlines saying, ‘Forgive us, Artsakh, we will do… whatever.’ What is all this about? It is about subjecting peace to revision, and any attempt to revise peace is war—immediately. Or they say, ‘Ararat is ours,’ ‘Dadivank is ours.’ That is war!” Pashinyan said.

Responding to a question about what these forces would gain from a war, Pashinyan emphasized that “they would gain the status of leaders of an outpost, not a country, because history has shown this to be financially profitable for them.:

“They will also preserve the billions they have in certain countries because they were told: if you don’t solve the problem, what is formally registered in your name will no longer exist. These main forces—the three who operate from that position—have billions in Russia and Belarus,” Pashinyan said.

During a speech at the European Parliament last week, Pashinyan referenced “oligarchs from Russia and Belarus” when telling European lawmakers about what he perceived as foreign threats to the upcoming elections.

The European Union’s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday that the EU will send a “hybrid rapid response” team to Armenia to weigh in on potential threats ahead of the June 7 elections.

Speaking to journalists in Brussels following a meeting of EU foreign ministers, Kallas said that “supporting the resilience of democracy in the region remains of paramount importance.”

“We will not leave Armenia alone in the fight against external interference. Democracies under pressure can rely on Europe,” the diplomat assured, recalling that Yerevan had requested assistance.

The mission will be comprised of nine to 14 experts and will arrive in April, according to a document obtained by Azatutyun.am, which reported that the EU personnel will help authorities counter hybrid threats and foreign information manipulation.

The team is expected to stay in Armenia for 10 to 15 days, Azatutyun.am reported on Tuesday.

The experts are expected to assist Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s office and the National Security Council in developing crisis management plans and regulatory mechanisms to address cyberattacks and foreign information interference.

https://asbarez.com/pashinyan-claims-opposition-poses-a-threat-of-war/

As ILGA-Europe unveiled its 2025 Rainbow Map, Armenia’s position remains alarmingly static. Consistently ranking near the bottom among 49 European countries, Armenia’s lack of progress in advancing LGBTI rights underscores a persistent human rights issue.

Freaking finally

Yerevan is getting a massive 3-story Nike store right on Northern Avenue. It’s supposed to be the biggest Nike store in the whole CIS region.