Pashinian appears set to skip Moscow’s May 9 parade, will campaign in Syunik
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian appears set to skip Moscow’s May 9 military parade marking the 81st anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, signaling that he will spend the day campaigning in Armenia instead.
Russia’s ambassador to Armenia, Sergei Kopyrkin, said on Wednesday that Pashinian is among the leaders of “fraternal countries” invited to the parade, but added he does not know whether the Armenian leader will travel to Moscow. Hours later, Pashinian announced that he and senior members of his Civil Contract party will be in Syunik province on May 8 and May 9 to campaign ahead of next month’s parliamentary elections.
Pashinian attended last year’s Victory Day parade in Moscow. He most recently visited the Russian capital on April 1 for what turned out to be tense talks with President Vladimir Putin. During that meeting, Putin warned him against disqualifying Armenian opposition forces from the June 7 elections and cautioned of severe economic consequences from Yerevan’s continued efforts to join the European Union.
The prime minister reaffirmed the pro‑Western tilt in Armenia’s foreign policy during a European Political Community summit and a separate EU‑Armenia summit held in Yerevan earlier this week. He made clear on Tuesday that he will keep seeking EU membership if his party wins the upcoming polls.
Whether Pashinian’s campaign schedule definitively rules out a trip to Moscow on May 9 remains unconfirmed, but his stated plans underscore the sharper turn in Armenia’s diplomacy and the stakes ahead of the June vote.