The prime minister has long had a confrontational attitude toward critical press. Now he has escalated the fight by involving the security services and arresting the operator of a satirical site.
Pashinyan and other members of the new government have repeatedly framed the country’s economic problems, and the solutions required, in moral and psychological terms.
Georgian security services are looking into Georgian writings that appeared in the Christchurch shooting; Armenian groups condemned his citation of their history.
On the 11th anniversary of the worst political violence in Armenia’s independent history, many expressed hope that the new government would bring justice to the perpetrators.
As Armenia and the other CSTO member states appear increasingly at loggerheads about who should lead the group, Russia has resigned itself to letting no one have the position.
Huawei, a Chinese tech giant increasingly sanctioned in the West, is in talks with the Armenian government to install its controversial “Smart City” technology.
Washington is increasingly assertive in its criticism of Armenia’s ties with Russia and Iran, but it’s not clear whether it has the clout to do anything about Yerevan’s allies.
Journalists credit the new authorities for not directly interfering in coverage, but are concerned about Pashinyan’s regular attacks on the press and the public backlash to criticism
The discussion over the anthem is a long-standing one in Armenia, but many in the country wonder if it should really be such a high priority for the newly seated parliament.
