I think democracy always works for regional cooperation, and democracy is a tool for regional peace. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told this to reporters after casting his ballot in Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Armenia, as he addressed the question of what impact these elections will have on the region.

"I am confident in our regional peaceful future, because fortunately we [i.e. Armenia] have peace with Azerbaijan. We have very deep relations with Georgia. I expect to have diplomatic relations with Turkey. I am confident that in the near future the railway and roads will also be [re]opened with Turkey. The TRIPP [i.e. the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity] project is a game-changing project that will benefit all countries in our region. This is beneficial to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia, and Iran," Pashinyan said, adding that he does not see tension in relations with Russia, and it is an artificial tension.

"[Armenia’s] relations with Russia have institutional depth and are based on mutual respect. Some forces operating in Armenia are trying to create tensions in Armenia-Russia relations. These tensions are not created for the simple reason that we have very close relations with the Russian president," the Armenian premier concluded.