During a press conference, Ishkhan Saghatelyan, representative of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Supreme Body in Armenia and a deputy from the Hayastan alliance, addressed the opposition’s participation format in the upcoming elections. He stated that opposition forces must publicly commit in advance to not cooperating with the current authorities.

“In our view, opposition groups must clearly declare in advance that under no circumstances will they cooperate with these authorities. However, they must also be willing to cooperate on a number of critical issues,” he emphasized, as reported by Aravot.am .

Saghatelyan noted that whether opposition parties contest elections individually or as part of alliances, collaboration on key agenda items is essential. These include the protection of the Church, the issue of political prisoners, a mutual non-aggression pact among opposition parties, and ensuring oversight of the electoral process.

In response to a question about whether the ARF will once again run under the “Hayastan” alliance, Saghatelyan replied that discussions will begin first with their current partners.

He confirmed that preliminary conversations on the matter have already taken place with Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan. Both sides have expressed interest, though formal negotiations have not yet begun due to procedural steps that must be followed.

When asked whether cooperation with the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) is possible, or if there might be a non-compete agreement, Saghatelyan stated that the ARF has been holding active consultations over the past month with various political actors on fundamental issues.

“For about a month now, the ARF has been consulting with political groups on several key issues. These discussions generally focus on five main points, one of which is refraining from targeting one another and directing criticism toward the main adversary,” he said.

Saghatelyan also expressed a positive view of the newly formed "Mer Dzevov" (Our Way) movement, saying he hopes it will find a stable place in the opposition landscape.

“Samvel Karapetyan is a political prisoner, unlawfully persecuted by these authorities. What is happening to Samvel Karapetyan is unacceptable and condemnable to us. He is being directly targeted for standing with the Armenian Church.

We hope this new movement will find its role and place within the opposition. As for what kind of candidate for prime minister they will propose or what their program will be, that is no longer for us to decide. I am confident they have a team and a program in place and will present the public with viable proposals, and voters will decide accordingly,” Saghatelyan concluded.

Parliamentary elections in Armenia are scheduled for June 2026.