Between Moscow and Brussels: Why Pashinyan’s Armenia Is Trying to Buy Time

As parliamentary elections approach in Armenia, political tensions are increasing. The country’s authorities are building their election campaign around peace with Azerbaijan, closer relations with Europe, and regional cooperation.

The decision by the government of Armenia to end the presence of Russian border guards may appear, at first glance, as a technical adjustment rooted in legacy agreements. In reality, it marks a deeper shift that touches on the very nature of Armenian statehood and its place in the regional security architecture.

Armenia and Turkey are stepping up efforts to reopen the long-closed Kars–Gyumri railway, holding a new round of technical talks as part of a broader normalization process between the two countries, Armenia’s foreign ministry said.

The security system of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan currently cannot be unified in the full sense of the term: the three countries have differing threats, alliances, and foreign policy orientations. Nevertheless, a functioning regional model is possible if it is built around shared rules rather than around a single center of power.