Armenia’s government has unveiled its 2026-2031 programme, setting key priorities for the next five years across foreign policy, the economy, energy, technology and domestic reforms. The programme places the institutionalization of peace with Azerbaijan, regional connectivity and diversification of Armenia’s international partnerships at the centre of the agenda.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan presented the programme as part of what he calls Armenia’s transition to a “Fourth Republic,” based on the “Real Armenia” vision. He stated that the years following the 2018 Velvet Revolution were dominated by crisis management because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Karabakh war and its aftermath, limiting the government’s ability to pursue its original reform agenda. Pashinyan noted that the current environment provides an opportunity to return to the priorities that remained unfinished after 2018.

On foreign policy, the government plans to continue what it calls a “balanced and balancing” approach. The programme calls for further institutionalization of peace with Azerbaijan, continued border delimitation and stronger economic and civil contacts between the two countries. Crossroads of Peace and TRIPP are identified as major projects for reopening regional communications.

Türkiye, Iran and Georgia are also given prominent regional roles. Armenia intends to work toward diplomatic relations and border opening with Türkiye, while Iran remains important for energy and transport links, including the North-South and Persian Gulf-Black Sea routes. Relations with Georgia are expected to expand through cooperation in trade, energy, transport, and joint infrastructure projects.

The programme gives particular importance to relations with the European Union and the United States. Armenia aims to continue aligning with EU standards, complete its visa liberalization action plan, and deepen sectoral cooperation with Brussels. With Washington, TRIPP remains a priority, including the development of railway and energy infrastructure. Russia is still included among Armenia’s foreign-policy priorities, but the programme calls for relations with Moscow to be transformed and developed under the region’s “new conditions.”

Pashinyan has also linked the foreign-policy strategy to diversification in the security and economic spheres. He noted that Armenia had moved from a situation in which “85-90%” of military-technical cooperation was concentrated with one country to cooperation with dozens of partners. He pointed to the May military parade, where equipment from seven countries was displayed, as a visible example of that diversification.

In addition, the programme pairs its foreign-policy priorities with a broad economic and domestic reform agenda. Pashinyan has described the strategy as the basis for a new stage of state development. “The Third Republic was founded from the very first day on the logic of conflict and confrontation, while the Fourth Republic was formed on the logic of peace,” he said. He also argued that the government’s decisions on Karabakh had removed Armenia from what he called a “trap of non-existence,” saying the population had twice expressed its position on the issue through elections.

The 2026-2031 programme will now go through parliamentary consideration and is intended to guide the government’s economic, foreign-policy, security and institutional priorities through the next national election cycle.