Armenia’s pro-Europe party wins election and cements shift away from Russia

Armenia’s ruling pro-Europe party has won parliamentary elections, confirming the country’s pivot towards Europe and away from its traditional ally, Russia. Final results in the small South Caucasus country showed the prime minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party securing a slim majority, while the Strong Armenia alliance, led by the Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, won 25% of the seats in parliament. The result, which will be welcomed in Brussels but viewed with dismay in Moscow, strengthens Pashinyan’s hand as he pursues his signature and politically sensitive goal: a peace agreement with Armenia’s longtime adversary Azerbaijan and the normalisation of relations with Turkey. “The people of Armenia voted for peace, regional prosperity and regional cooperation, and I hope this will be met with a positive response from Turkey and Azerbaijan,” Pashinyan said at his campaign headquarters as the results began to trickle in. Pashinyan added that Armenia would continue to deepen ties with the west while maintaining its membership of the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union. A former journalist who swept to power during the 2018 Velvet Revolution promising to dismantle Armenia’s oligarchic system, Pashinyan has campaigned on a platform of peace, arguing that ending the country’s decades-long confrontation with its neighbours would unlock economic opportunities, improve security and reduce its dependence on Russia. …