Pashinyan defends Khachatryan arrest, calls controversy ‘a disgrace’

In Armenia on 3 September 2026, Pashinyan defended the arrest of Khachatryan and called the controversy 'a disgrace'. He also denied reports of alleged business interests. On Russia, Pashinyan said a Russian military base is not a 'vital necessity' for Armenia and that if Russia decides to withdraw it, Armenia will not object, and Armenpress wrote that Armenia and Russia agreed to seek a solution to the railway issue. Separately, the OSCE PA president commented on peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia and on Azerbaijan's demining.