Armenia Prepares for Parliamentary Elections as Russia Imposes Trade Restrictions

Armenia is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections on Sunday with 19 political forces, including two blocs and 17 parties, contesting the vote. According to government statistics cited in reporting, 38 percent of the country’s exports went to Eurasian Economic Union members in 2025, mostly to Russia, while 8 percent went to the EU.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party is the leading contender. Pashinyan has reduced dependence on Russia since 2023, when Armenia joined the International Criminal Court. The country suspended participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization in 2024 and declared its intention to join the EU.

It hosted the European Political Community summit in Yerevan in early May. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Thursday that the EU will provide 50 million euros ($58 million) in support for Armenia’s energy sector and digital economy.

A U.S. company will build a new nuclear reactor in Armenia.

Relations with Moscow deteriorated after Azerbaijan took full control of the Karabakh region in 2023. Armenian authorities accused Russian peacekeepers of failing to intervene. President Donald Trump hosted Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev to sign an agreement ending decades of hostilities.

The deal includes plans for a transit corridor linking Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan.

Pashinyan’s main opponent is the Strong Armenia Party, led by Armenian-Russian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, who is on trial for calling for the overthrow of the government. Former President Robert Kocharyan heads the Hayastan bloc. Russia maintains a military base in Armenia.

In recent weeks Moscow imposed new restrictions on Armenian produce, citing sanitation issues, and banned flowers, certain cognacs and wines, eggplants, potatoes, dried fruits, and fish. Armenia’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union was placed under formal review at a May meeting in Kazakhstan.

Daniel Ionnisyan, head of the Union of Informed Citizens, said his group documented Russian-linked social media campaigns, cyberattacks, and attempts to bribe journalists ahead of the vote. A Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe delegation that visited Yerevan in May reported similar findings of foreign interference.

Ulrich Schmid, Professor of Eastern European Studies at the University of St Gallen, said Armenia's upcoming parliamentary elections mark a “historic moment” for the country.