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Akbar Novruz

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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has downplayed recent efforts to unite opposition groups in the country, arguing that the forces seeking consolidation have long operated together and are "controlled from the same centre", AzerNEWS reports via OC Media.

Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Pashinyan was responding to comments by Samvel Karapetyan, who recently announced plans to consolidate opposition forces following Armenia's parliamentary elections.

"The consolidation you are referring to is not something new; it happened a long time ago, they just did not announce it so as not to lower public morale. These forces are the same, controlled from the same centre, operating on the basis of the same principles. What is new about that? It is an obvious fact," Pashinyan said.

The Armenian prime minister has previously referred to Karapetyan, former President Robert Kocharyan, and businessman Gagik Tsarukyan as a "three-headed war party," accusing them of seeking to undermine the peace agenda and increase the risk of renewed conflict. According to Pashinyan, unlike the government's balanced foreign policy approach, these political forces advocate closer ties with Russia.

Karapetyan made his remarks during an interview with several media outlets, arguing that opposition parties had made a mistake by failing to unite before the elections.

"Many opposition forces, who may have been honestly fighting, overestimated their strength. We could not reach agreements with many opposition forces. Hence, now this consolidation is very important for our country and our people," he said.

The Strong Armenia leader proposed the creation of a coordinating council for a post-election opposition coalition, which he said would discuss key national issues, communicate directly with the public, and formulate a common political strategy.

The publication of Karapetyan's interview also sparked criticism from members of the ruling party. Arman Yeghoyan sarcastically commented on the delay between the release of a teaser and the publication of the full interview, questioning the independence of the media outlets involved.

During the interview, Karapetyan further claimed that Pashinyan had not legitimately won the elections and described the current government as "illegitimate." He alleged that the administration had become "a mechanism created by Azerbaijan and Türkiye in Armenia" and pledged that his bloc would oppose what he described as efforts leading the country toward "Turkification and destruction."

Karapetyan did not specify whether his alliance would take up its parliamentary mandates but confirmed that it would challenge the election results in court while organizing public rallies alongside the legal process.

On Friday, the Strong Armenia team formally submitted an application to Armenia's Constitutional Court, seeking either the annulment of the election results certified by the Central Electoral Commission or the holding of a second round of voting.

The Constitutional Court is expected to issue its ruling within 15 days of the filing of the appeal.