Anna Hakobyan Announces Separation from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan

BREAKING: Anna Hakobyan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have ended their marriage. Anna Hakobyan announced this in a video message published on her social media pages.

A few days earlier, Hakobyan had stated that her civil marriage with the prime minister had ended. The public interpreted this announcement to mean that they had legalized their marriage, since they had not previously been legally married.

“Some confusion arose due to the fact that I mentioned a civil marriage. I used that term because we do not have any other type of marriage. Today, on February 25, I am leaving the government residence. However, since it is very likely that in the near future taxi drivers and various unknown individuals in public transport will confidently spread different information about me, particularly about how I allegedly took this house from its foundation and took it with me, I consider it necessary to personally inform you of a few facts. First fact: I do not own a house. The house that we purchased with a loan has been bought, but the building is still under construction. Therefore, I am moving into a rented apartment. I also consider it necessary to say that there is money in my bank account remaining from the sale of a house. I do not remember the exact amount because I never take interest in it, and some of it has been spent for personal purposes,” Anna Hakobyan said.

Responding to Anna Hakobyan’s statement, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wrote on his social media pages:

“I respect Anna’s decision.

During all my difficult days over the past 30 years, she has been by my side. She has been my support and my pillar. I am not sure whether I have been the same for her.

Perhaps I have caused more bitterness, for which I apologize.”

The separation brings an end to a relationship that began more than three decades ago. Pashinyan and Hakobyan met at the Faculty of Journalism at Yerevan State University around 1995. At the time, Pashinyan was a fifth-year student, while Hakobyan was a freshman who had come to submit an article to a newspaper where he worked. According to Hakobyan, they met when she presented her article to the editorial board. She has recalled that Pashinyan “fell in love at first sight,” while her own feelings developed more gradually. Hakobyan has said they have been together since she was 17 years old, placing the start of their relationship in approximately 1994–1995.

Their first child, Mariam Pashinyan, was born in 1998, before Pashinyan entered national leadership. The couple later had three more children: Ashot (born 2000), Shushan (born 2007), and Arpi (born 2015). The family lived largely outside the public spotlight until Pashinyan became prime minister following Armenia’s 2018 Velvet Revolution.

Pashinyan previously stated that the couple did not officially register their marriage in the 1990s because he was an opposition journalist and activist who anticipated possible arrest and property confiscation. To protect his family, their jointly purchased apartment was registered in Hakobyan’s name, and the marriage remained unregistered for years even as he advanced in politics.

Hakobyan has frequently appeared alongside Pashinyan at official events and has led several public initiatives. Her recent announcement about the separation is a personal decision that has nonetheless attracted significant public attention due to their status as Armenia’s first family.

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