As Armenians approach the polling stations in the summer of 2026, each citizen will be choosing not only among candidates and parties, but between national dignity and conciliation. In making that choice, the people must ask themselves whether they are ready to reclaim their memory, values, and strength or whether they are prepared to settle for exhaustion and the illusion of peace.
True independence is possible only when a nation is able to assess itself, the world, and its place within it soberly. Freedom does not begin with slogans or external orientations. It begins with the rejection of self-deception.
Hambardzumyan insists that revealing the roles of Pashinyan, Sargsyan, and agents such as Mirzoyan is essential to restoring public control over the state and putting an end to manipulation by the special services.
The sentences pronounced in Baku in early February went far beyond the boundaries of judicial proceedings or even the context of a regional conflict. They were neither an attempt to establish the truth nor an exercise in justice. Rather, they constituted a public act of punishment, meticulously staged under the guise of legality. The Azerbaijani authorities used the trial as a continuation of the war and as an instrument to reaffirm its outcome.
The country went into elections still reeling from the aftermath of war, with thousands of casualties and a security system in disarray. Under normal circumstances, this would have sparked serious discussions on accountability. However, in Armenia in 2021, what unfolded was a political performance where the leading figure was Serzh Sargsyan, despite all his declarations to the contrary.
Today, we are witnessing an institutional assault on the Church as a centuries-old institution, not merely against individual clergy members.
In today’s Armenia, tensions between the government and the Armenian Apostolic Church have long surpassed the bounds of political debate, taking on a distinctive and dangerous dimension for national identity.
Kocharyan sharply criticized the moral image of the current authorities. According to him, Nikol Pashinyan came to power under slogans of love for the people, but in practice, it turned out that his true loyalty lies with money.
A new social contract has effectively taken shape in Armenia: the government disposes of public resources at its own discretion, while citizens are expected to listen to explanations about why they remain poor and receive no meaningful state support. While the authorities continuously emphasize budgetary constraints to the population, millions of drams are quietly distributed within government offices.
Today, the army risks turning into a “toothless dragon.” The reduction of the mandatory service term, budget cuts, and largely formal reforms are shaping a force incapable of containing external threats.
