Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has secured a significant political victory after his centrist Civil Contract Party won a crucial general election, reinforcing his government’s efforts to strengthen ties with Western partners while maintaining relations with Russia.

According to preliminary results, Civil Contract received 49.8% of the vote, comfortably ahead of the pro-Russian Strong Armenia Alliance, which secured 23.2%. The Armenia Alliance, another opposition bloc with close ties to Moscow, finished third with 9.9%.

The election was widely viewed as a referendum on Armenia’s foreign policy direction as the South Caucasus nation seeks to deepen engagement with Europe while navigating economic and political pressure from Russia, its traditional ally and largest trading partner.

Declaring victory after the results emerged, Pashinyan said voters had endorsed a vision focused on stability and cooperation.

“The Armenian people voted for peace, regional prosperity and cooperation,” he said.

The vote was the first parliamentary election since Armenia’s defeat in the 2023 conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a development that reshaped the country’s political landscape and remains a major issue in domestic politics.

International reaction was swift, with European leaders welcoming the result. The European Union and France congratulated Pashinyan and praised Armenia’s growing cooperation with Western institutions.

Civil Contract’s victory came despite a decline in the prime minister’s popularity since his landslide win in 2021. Opinion polls before the election suggested support for Pashinyan had fallen to around 30%, largely due to public dissatisfaction over the handling of the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis.

Nineteen parties and alliances competed in the election, though only a handful gained enough support to enter parliament. Voter turnout reached 59%, according to electoral authorities.

Among the opposition groups, the Strong Armenia Alliance was led by Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan, while the Armenia Alliance was headed by former Armenian president Robert Kocharyan. Both have advocated closer ties with Moscow.

Despite pursuing stronger links with Europe, Pashinyan emphasized that Armenia would continue participating in the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

“We will continue the course of rapprochement with the West, but we will also continue our participation and membership in the Eurasian Economic Union,” he said.

The election took place against a backdrop of increasing pressure from Russia. In recent months, Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Armenia to clarify its long-term strategic direction and highlighted the economic advantages the country receives through its membership in the EAEU.

Moscow has also underscored Armenia’s dependence on discounted Russian energy supplies and recently imposed restrictions on imports of several Armenian products, including flowers, mineral water, cognac, fruits and vegetables.

Since coming to power in 2018, Pashinyan has sought to reduce Armenia’s reliance on Russia by advancing legislation aimed at beginning the process of closer integration with the European Union and by pursuing a US-backed peace process with Azerbaijan.

His government also hosted a major gathering of European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Yerevan earlier this year, further signaling Armenia’s growing engagement with Western partners.

However, Armenia remains far from EU membership, and the country has not yet obtained official candidate status.

At home, Pashinyan continues to face criticism from opponents who blame him for concessions made during efforts to normalize relations with Azerbaijan following the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh. Many critics remain angered by his approach to negotiations and his handling of issues involving former leaders of the region who remain imprisoned in Azerbaijan.

Nevertheless, the election result provides Pashinyan with a renewed mandate to continue balancing Armenia’s complex relationships with both the West and Russia while pursuing regional stability and economic development.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has used a D-Day anniversary speech in France to criticize European governments over migration, warning that parts of the continent are facing what he described as an “invasion” of migrants arriving by sea.

Speaking in Normandy during commemorations marking 82 years since the Allied landings that helped liberate Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II, Hegseth drew a controversial comparison between the historic military operation and modern migration flows into Europe.

“Sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies,” Hegseth said. Referring to migrant arrivals on the shores of Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria, he asked: “When will European capitals do something about that invasion?”

Migration remains one of the most significant political issues across Europe, with several parties advocating stricter border controls and tougher immigration policies gaining support in recent years.

According to international migration data, sea arrivals into Europe reached their highest levels during the 2015 migration crisis, when more than one million people crossed the Mediterranean. Between April 2025 and March 2026, a combined 169,341 people arrived by sea in the UK, Greece, Italy, Spain and Cyprus, with crossings to the UK accounting for roughly 23% of the total.

During his address, Hegseth argued that some European countries had become too comfortable with freedoms secured through past sacrifices.

“The men who fought and died here restored freedom to Europe,” he said. “That freedom must be maintained by this generation of leaders and war fighters or what they fought for was merely temporary.”

The ceremony commemorated the historic D-Day landings of 6 June 1944, the largest seaborne military operation in history. The operation saw tens of thousands of Allied troops from the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada land on five beaches in Normandy as part of the campaign to liberate Western Europe from Nazi occupation.

Official figures show that between 1 January and 3 June 2026, 9,142 people crossed the English Channel in small boats from France to the UK, representing a 38% decline compared with the same period a year earlier.

Hegseth’s remarks are the latest criticism of European migration policies from senior members of the administration of US President Donald Trump.

Earlier this week, US Vice President JD Vance linked the fatal stabbing of British student Henry Nowak in Southampton to what he called a “mass invasion of migrants,” arguing that the appropriate response was “righteous anger.”

The comments drew criticism from the British government. A spokesperson for Downing Street said the victim’s family had expressed opposition to the case being used to deepen political divisions and criticized attempts by outside figures to interfere in British democratic debate.

Trump has also repeatedly criticized European immigration policies, previously telling the United Nations that several European countries were suffering the consequences of uncontrolled migration.

In response to similar remarks in the past, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer rejected the characterization of Europe while acknowledging the need to address illegal migration, particularly small-boat crossings across the English Channel.

China has imposed a one-year travel ban on four New Zealand lawmakers following their visit to Taiwan, marking the first known instance of New Zealand Members of Parliament facing such restrictions over a trip to the self-governed island.

New Zealand’s foreign ministry confirmed the move, with local media reporting that the MPs were informed of the ban after returning from their visit in May. According to reports, the Chinese Embassy indicated that the restriction could potentially be reduced or lifted if an apology were issued.

China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has consistently opposed official engagements with the island by foreign politicians and governments.

However, New Zealand officials noted that parliamentary visits to Taiwan have taken place for decades and are not viewed as inconsistent with New Zealand’s longstanding One China policy.

A spokesperson for New Zealand’s foreign minister, Winston Peters, said the decision came as a surprise.

“New Zealand MPs have visited Taiwan for decades and such visits are not inconsistent with New Zealand’s One China policy,” the spokesperson said.

In a statement, the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand said the restrictions were imposed because the lawmakers proceeded with the visit despite China’s objections. Beijing argued that the trip sent what it described as the wrong message to Taiwan’s ruling political leadership and supporters of Taiwanese independence.

China also maintained that the visit amounted to interference in its internal affairs.

The delegation included lawmakers from New Zealand’s governing coalition—Maureen Pugh, David Wilson and Laura McClure—alongside opposition Labour Party MP Duncan Webb.

McClure, a member of the ACT Party, rejected suggestions that she should apologise for the trip. Speaking to local media, she described the ban as a form of foreign interference and stressed that she had no regrets about visiting Taiwan.

She also expressed surprise at the decision, noting that similar parliamentary visits had taken place for many years without triggering such action.

According to McClure, New Zealand lawmakers have the right to travel internationally and engage with partners around the world as part of their role in a democratic society.

In response to the development, Peters has directed officials in both Beijing and Wellington to engage with Chinese authorities to gain a clearer understanding of what New Zealand views as a departure from previous practice.

New Zealand established formal diplomatic relations with China in 1972 and has since adhered to the One China policy, recognising Beijing as the sole official government of China. Under that policy, New Zealand maintains formal diplomatic ties with Beijing rather than Taipei.

At the same time, New Zealand has continued to maintain regular economic, cultural and parliamentary exchanges with Taiwan, reflecting its broader engagement with partners across the Asia-Pacific region.