Armenia’s political arena is preparing for the 2026 elections. It is clear to everyone that these elections will determine the future of Armenia. “The Fourth Republic or the Republic of Armenia?” — that is the question that will be on the ballot in the upcoming elections. In other words, on one side stands the political process aimed at gradually turning the Republic of Armenia into the “Vilayet of Ermenistan,” and on the other — the challenge of reassessing and clarifying Armenia’s political role and significance in the region.
It should be noted that the second issue — formulating and solving the question of Armenia’s regional and political significance — directly concerns the broad opposition spectrum. Unfortunately, however, no political force has yet been able to clearly define what the vision of the Republic of Armenia’s existence and development should be in the coming years, at a time when new world order boundaries and principles are being established both globally and regionally.
Armenia’s opposition political forces have neither a proposal nor even a concrete understanding of what kind of Republic of Armenia should be built in the future — one that will remain an independent state within the family of world nations while realizing the centuries-old aspirations and goals of the Armenian people.
At present, Armenian political thought remains trapped within its traditional formula — viewing the world’s political map as divided between Russia (and China) on one side and the West on the other. Yet the main question that concerns us should not remain confined to this dichotomy.
Today, Armenian political thought must focus on finding ways to curb the rise of a new regional power — Turkey — while recognizing that within a Turkish (Turanic) world, an independent Republic of Armenia cannot exist. Indeed, even the very survival of the Armenian people in the Middle East would be in question.
Yes, the issue of “West or Russia?” should no longer dominate our political agenda, because Turkey represents both the West and Russia, while Pashinyan’s government represents neither. And this situation will persist until the nature of the new world order becomes clear. Turkey, in that respect, is far more advanced — it faces no dilemma about alignment or “switching camps.” It is we who must learn to understand the world better and advance our state interests under any circumstance.
Today, as Armenia’s political field prepares for the 2026 elections, the main unresolved problem remains the absence of ideological and programmatic state concepts among opposition forces. Instead, Armenian politicians continue to make empty, non-ideological proposals and gestures that fail to bring them closer to earning the public’s trust or presenting a clear vision of what kind of Armenia they intend to build if they receive the majority of votes.
Saro Saroyan