Nicosia: Following Armenia’s Sunday elections, the EU stressed that it is working “as much as possible” to help the country tackle future reforms, said the EU foreign policy chief. Hailing the election results, which favored Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Kaja Kallas noted that despite “heavy Russian pressure,” Armenians have “still chosen to have a European future.”

According to Anadolu Agency, Kallas expressed optimism about the election outcome, highlighting the good turnout while votes continued to be counted. She emphasized the EU’s commitment to assisting Armenia in implementing future reforms. Kallas was in the Greek Cypriot Administration attending a meeting of defense ministers from EU member states, where discussions centered on addressing security challenges and enhancing coordinated EU responses.

Pashinyan declared victory early Monday as vote counting continued across Armenia. With ballots counted from 110 of the country’s 2,005 polling stations, his Civil Contract party secured 57.14% of the vote, as reported by Armenpress citing the Central Election Commission. The Strong Armenia party, led by billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, was in second place with 21.4%, followed by former President Robert Kocharyan’s Armenia Alliance with 8.2%.

Pashinyan stated his government would continue its policy of rapprochement with Europe while maintaining ties with Russia. He reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to the Eurasian Economic Union, a Russian-led bloc, and expressed intent to develop relations with Russia. A total of 18 candidate lists competed for seats in the over 100-seat parliament, with pre-election polls predicting Civil Contract’s lead. However, questions remain about whether Pashinyan can secure a parliamentary majority sufficient to push through constitutional amendments needed for a peace agreement with Azerbaijan.