Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Longtime Partner Anna Hakobyan Legally Marry After Decades Together and Four Children

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his longtime partner Anna Hakobyan have officially registered their marriage, formalizing a relationship that began in the mid-1990s and spans nearly three decades and four children.

The couple had previously lived in a civil marriage, a fact Pashinyan had publicly addressed in the past. Their decision to legally marry is a significant personal milestone for one of Armenia’s most visible political families.

Hakobyan later confirmed on social media that their civil marriage had come to an end, asking the public for understanding and respect.

“I inform you that my civil marriage with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has ended. I ask everyone to show restraint and respect,” she wrote on Facebook.

Pashinyan and Hakobyan met at the Faculty of Journalism at Yerevan State University around 1995.

At the time:

• Pashinyan was a fifth-year student

• Hakobyan was a freshman

• She had come to submit an article to a newspaper where he worked

According to Hakobyan, she met him while presenting her article to the editorial board.

She has recalled that Pashinyan “fell in love at first sight,” while her feelings developed more gradually. Hakobyan has also 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, years before Pashinyan entered national leadership.

Mariam, the eldest of their four children, grew up largely outside the public spotlight until her father became prime minister following Armenia’s 2018 Velvet Revolution.

The couple’s children, in order of birth, are:

1. Mariam — born 1998

2. Ashot — born 2000

3. Shushan — born 2007

4. Arpi — born 2015

Pashinyan previously explained that the couple chose not to officially register their marriage in the 1990s due to political risks.

At the time, he was an opposition journalist and activist who anticipated possible arrest and property confiscation. To protect his family, he registered their jointly purchased apartment in Hakobyan’s name and avoided formalizing the marriage legally.

The arrangement remained in place even as Pashinyan rose through politics and eventually became prime minister.

The legal registration of their marriage formalizes a partnership that had long functioned as a family unit in practice. Hakobyan has frequently appeared alongside Pashinyan at official events and has led several public initiatives of her own.

Her announcement regarding the end of their civil marriage — following the legal registration — shows the personal nature of the decision while highlighting the intense public interest surrounding Armenia’s first family.

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