By Tigran Grigoryan The practice of initiating criminal proceedings against critics of the ruling party based on their public statements has been one of the important manifestations of democratic backsliding in Armenia in recent years. When the provision criminalizing “grave insult” was decriminalized in 2022 under public pressure, the practice of criminal prosecution for public […]
By Eduard ArakelyanIn September, Russian President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly declared that Russia was ready to withdraw its military base from Gyumri if the Armenian authorities decided that they did not need it. Armenia, speaking through its prime minister, responded that it would not seek the withdrawal of the base, but would also not object if […]
By Eduard Arakelyan Reform of Armenia’s Armed Forces has been under discussion for several years now. During this time certain processes are taking place: the manning system is changing, weapons are being procured from various states, defense cooperation is expanding, and a domestic defense industry is developing. Still, the real state of the army is […]
On September 23, the Human Rights Protection Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia had organized a discussion about the socio-economic and legal issues Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians face. It seemed that this should have been one of the rare platforms where it was possible to speak, without excessive politicization, about the problems tens […]
The image was created using AI tools. By Hayk Khanumyan The ongoing process of restructuring Armenia’s system of state strategies can formally be viewed as a change in the number and structure of strategic documents. However, the substance of these changes goes beyond mechanical consolidation. The initiative to develop six major strategies, if implemented according […]
By Tigran Grigoryan The visit to Nagorno-Karabakh for foreign diplomats, organized by the Azerbaijani government, and the events that unfolded during it triggered a strong reaction in Armenia. The most provocative episode was the conduct of Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, at Gandzasar Monastery. Hajiyev not only repeated Azerbaijan’s propaganda narrative about […]
By Eduard Arakelyan The Armed Forces Transformation Concept, designed for the 2024–2035 period, is an open professional document that coordinates the main directions of reform. The document is general in nature and does not contain detailed implementation mechanisms. In addition to the public component, there is a classified section covering governance, military science, troop training, […]
By Eduard Arakelyan The Investigative Committee of Armenia has once again reported that 3,833 people were killed as a result of the 2020 Second Karabakh War, of whom 3,755 were military personnel and 78 were civilians. A total of 191 people are listed as missing: 172 military personnel and 19 civilians. These figures were announced […]
By Grigori Sahakyan The main indicator of any armed force’s professional maturity is not only the organization of large-scale military parades or the acquisition of modern weapons systems, but also the extent to which the state is capable of protecting the lives and health of its soldiers in peacetime. In this regard, in Armenia, where […]
