Pashinyan`s ally accuses AAC of serving foreign interests and hails  peace between Yerevan and Baku at PACE 

ArmInfo.Today, Armenia stands at a crossroads - between past models and future possibilities, and it has chosen peace over conflict, democracy over control, and dialogue over polarization. Hripsime Grigoryan, a member  of the Armenian parliamentary delegation, made this statement during her speech at the second part of the annual session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg.

According to the press service of the Armenian parliament, Grigoryan  noted in her speech that she was speaking in that hall not only as a  member of parliament, but also as a representative of a society that  has made a very conscious and sometimes difficult choice in recent  years, placing democracy and peace at the center of its statehood.  According to her, Armenia's democratic journey since 2018 has been  challenging and has been subject to numerous tests: war, regional  instability, and domestic pressure. "Today, Armenia is recognized by  leading international indices as a country with a high level of  freedom of speech and media. This is not an abstract achievement - it  reflects a reality where public debate is vibrant, critical, and at  times uncomfortable, but free. This is especially important in the  broader European context, where we are witnessing increasingly  complex electoral dynamics, including attempts to interfere in  domestic processes with foreign assistance through hybrid  instruments," stated the MP from the ruling Civil Contract party.

She went on to assert that Armenia today is also facing similar  challenges, including organized disinformation campaigns and the  promotion of agendas that serve foreign interests. In this vein, she  criticized  the Armenian Apostolic Church, accusing "the high-ranking  clergy, led by the Catholicos, of serving the interests of third  countries against Armenia," without providing any evidence to support  her claims.

"As parliamentary elections approach, we are receiving alarming  reports from law enforcement agencies about attempts to redirect  significant financial resources to Armenia, with well-founded  suspicions of their illegal use by the opposition in the electoral  process. There are also documented cases, including audio recordings,  indicating the opposition's systematic vote-buying efforts. I note  this to emphasize a simple reality: democracy in Armenia is not only  proclaimed but also actively defended, and the Armenian government  has sufficient political will and determination to do so," the ruling  party representative continued.

At the same time, she noted that a historic transformation is taking  place in the South Caucasus. "The peace agreement between Armenia and  Azerbaijan in 2025 has changed long-standing realities that seemed  unchangeable for decades: for the first time since independence, more  than two years have passed without any casualties or injuries on our  borders. Regional communications are being restored, and the logic of  confrontation is gradually being replaced by a one of  interconnectedness.

However, this progress is taking place in a fragile geopolitical  environment. Recent events in neighboring Iran and broader military  operations in the region serve as a reminder of how quickly stability  can be threatened," she concluded.