On supporting democratic resilience in Armenia

B100195/2026

European Parliament resolution on supporting democratic resilience in Armenia

(2026/2701(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Armenia,

– having regard to the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,

– having regard to the European Convention on Human Rights,

– having regard to the Comprehensive and enhanced Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Armenia, of the other part,

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas over recent years hybrid threats facing Armenia have evolved from disinformation campaigns to orchestrated efforts to shape Armenia’s (geo)political trajectory; whereas Armenia’s democratic resilience is being put to the test by choreographed campaigns of foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), electoral engineering, illicit political financing, coercion and cyber-disruption;

B. whereas periods surrounding elections provide a particularly fertile environment for such operations, especially as the upcoming elections on 7 June 2026 are being positioned as a crossroads for the country’s geopolitical trajectory;

C. whereas Armenia’s turbulent recent history of armed conflict with Azerbaijan, shifting security partnerships and the peace agreement with Azerbaijan that has been initialled but not yet ratified has left Armenian society traumatised and the country in a fragile geopolitical situation; whereas the country has at times seen hostile public debates on the peace agreement with Azerbaijan, high levels of polarisation within society, public disagreements with the Armenian church and tensions between the ruling party and the opposition;

D. whereas Armenia’s Foreign Intelligence Service has warned against a growing campaign in which foreign entities put pressure on Armenian voters either directly through coercion or indirectly via disinformation campaigns; whereas Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kallas has stated that ’Russia and its proxies’ were behind disinformation campaigns targeting Armenia, though the latter’s authorities have refrained from naming culprits;

E. whereas the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe revealed, in its needs assessment mission report of March 2026 in view of the parliamentary elections in Armenia, that stakeholders are expressing concerns about institutional capacity and preparedness to effectively detect and respond to threats, including foreign interference, cyberattacks and online disinformation, citing a lack of clearly defined mandates and an inadequate regulatory framework;

F. whereas although the Armenian authorities have made some progress in making the framework to respond to FIMI and other challenges to the country’s democratic resilience fit for purpose, Armenian civil society has stressed that the mechanisms in place are not able to fully address covert, coordinated and cross-border forms of influence that often operate below traditional legal thresholds;

G. whereas over the past several years, the EU has made significant contributions to Armenia’s security and democratic development; whereas in 2023 the EU deployed its first civilian mission in Armenia under the common foreign and security policy (CFSP), the EU Mission in Armenia, tasked with observing and reporting on the situation on the ground, contributing to human security in conflict-affected areas and supporting confidence building between Armenia and Azerbaijan;

H. whereas in December 2025, the EU-Armenia Partnership Council endorsed a new Strategic Agenda for the EU-Armenia Partnership, building on the foundations of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement; whereas the EU will hold the first-ever EU-Armenia summit on 4 and 5 May 2026 in Yerevan;

I. whereas in April 2026 the EU established its second civilian CFSP mission in Armenia, the EU Partnership Mission in Armenia, to further contribute to enhancing Armenia’s democratic resilience by providing strategic advice and capacity building to Armenia’s institutions to respond to threats such as FIMI, cyberattacks and illicit financial flows;

1. Expresses serious concern about reports of hybrid threats against Armenia, including foreign interference, cyberattacks and online disinformation, in particular in the lead-up to the parliamentary elections of 7 June 2026, and warns that such malign interference could undermine the integrity of democratic institutions and the electoral process;

2. Underlines that these challenges to Armenia’s democracy are structural and are not only related to the upcoming elections; stresses, therefore, the need to strengthen the durable, long-term resilience of Armenia’s democratic institutions beyond the election cycle, to enable the country to adequately respond to these continuous and adaptive foreign influence operations;

3. Welcomes efforts by the Armenian Government to enhance the democratic resilience of the country; calls on the Armenian Government to insulate democratic processes from the dangers of foreign malign interference by increasing efforts to improve institutional capacity and preparedness, strengthening legal safeguards, enhancing political finance transparency, and developing structured dialogue and cooperation with independent civil society organisations and international partners, among other measures;

4. Underlines that other crucial elements of democratic resilience include the reinforcement of the rule of law, the safeguarding of democratic freedoms, the promotion of transparency and accountability and anti-corruption efforts, as well as avoiding disproportionate restrictions on civic space in response to threats;

5. Commends the work of Armenian civil society on investigating foreign interference campaigns, as well as cyberattacks and online disinformation; stresses that civil society plays a pivotal role in documenting foreign influence operations and notes the importance of integrating civil society into mechanisms for information-sharing and early warning;

6. Welcomes the establishment of the EU Partnership Mission in Armenia and calls on the Member States to ensure that the mission has sufficient financial and human resources to successfully execute its mandate;

7. Calls on Armenia’s democratic international partners to join the EU in assisting Armenia as it protects itself from undue foreign interference and builds its democratic resilience;

8. Calls on all stakeholders to step up efforts to ensure free and fair elections in Armenia, in line with international standards and the country’s international commitments;

9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High-Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the President, Prime Minister and Parliament of Armenia.