Hranoush Dermoyan

Armenia’s parliamentary elections are over, but the bigger questions about the country’s future are only beginning. Did voters simply return Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to power, or did they also endorse a broader geopolitical and security transformation? And what does the outcome mean for Armenia’s relations with Russia, the United States, Europe and its neighbors?

While obtaining Schengen visas remains a difficult, and often frustrating process for many Armenians, the European Commission has published its first progress report on Armenia’s implementation of the Visa Liberalization Action Plan (VLAP) following the EU-Armenia Summit. Armenia’s Interior Ministry later released the document publicly, while the Commission also submitted it to the European Parliament and the EU Council.

Armenia is hosting world leaders, deepening ties with Europe, and signaling a major diplomatic repositioning. Moscow is responding with warnings, threats and growing anxiety. In this episode of “State of Play”, Maria Titizian speaks with Dr. Nerses Kopalyan about the European Political Community summit in Yerevan, the first-ever EU-Armenia summit, and what these developments reveal about Armenia’s evolving foreign policy orientation and geopolitical strategy.