Pashinyan and First Lady Anna Hakobyan have separated

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and First Lady Anna Hakobyan have separated after about 30 years in a common-law marriage. Hakobyan announced the news in a video published on Facebook on Friday, asking the public to respect both her and Pashinyan’s privacy and to show sensitivity.

The prime minister also confirmed the news on Friday.

“I respect Anna’s decision. She has always been by my side through all of my rough days over the past 30 years. I’m not sure I was that way for her. I suppose I have caused more bitterness to her than she did to me, for which I apologize,” he wrote on Facebook.

Hakobyan had published an ambiguous post on Facebook last week that led to confusion on social media.

“Our common-law marriage with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has ended,” she wrote. Some users interpreted the wording as an announcement of divorce, while others expressed congratulations, assuming the couple had formally registered their marriage.

Despite being together for roughly three decades, Hakobyan and Pashinyan had not registered their marriage through state civil registration or a church ceremony. Pashinyan confirmed this in 2024.

“Our bonds are confirmed by us having children,” he said at the time.

He explained that when they began their relationship, he was an opposition figure and government critic who believed he could face imprisonment. In that context, they avoided registering their marriage to reduce the risk of potential confiscation of jointly held property.

Hakobyan works as editor-in-chief of the Armenian Times newspaper. The couple has four children.