Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been awarded the Hessian Peace Prize for his efforts to promote peace and non-violence in the South Caucasus, as well as his commitment to democratic reforms and closer ties with the European Union.
The award recognizes the 51-year-old prime minister’s continued efforts to strengthen democratic institutions in Armenia and pursue a peaceful resolution to the decades-long conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan.
The award’s website reminds that in August 2025, with U.S. support, Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev adopted a peace declaration. Pashinyan has also signed the “Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Inter-State Relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.”
Landtag President Astrid Wallmann, a member of the Hessian Peace Prize Board of Trustees, said the award highlights Armenia’s ongoing process of democratic reforms and rapprochement with its European partners since 2018.
“The lasting establishment of stability and peace in the region is an important basis for expanding and deepening these efforts,” Wallmann said. She added that the award recognizes progress in the peace process with Armenia’s neighboring country and sends a visible signal in favor of understanding and non-violent approaches to conflict resolution.
Prof. Nicole Deitelhoff, a member of the board of trustees and a board member at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF), praised Pashinyan’s consistent commitment to non-violence in what she described as one of the most deeply entrenched conflicts in the post-Soviet space.
She noted that both Pashinyan’s rise to power through the peaceful Velvet Revolution and his approach to relations with Azerbaijan have been guided by the goal of preventing further violence and avoiding military escalation.
“Precisely this deliberate choice of non-violence under extreme conditions constitutes his particular significance for peace policy,” Deitelhoff said.
Former Hessian Landtag President Karl Starzacher, chairman of the Hessian Peace Prize Board of Trustees and a former state minister, said Pashinyan’s political course was particularly deserving of the award.
“Instead of relying on rhetorical or military escalation, he relies on diplomacy, international mediation and political negotiations,” Starzacher said. He added that Pashinyan’s approach required political courage and foresight and demonstrated the close connection between peace and democracy.
Hessian Peace Prize
The Hessian Peace Prize, endowed with €25,000, has been awarded by the Albert Osswald Foundation since 1994. It recognizes efforts to end wars, violence and conflicts that carry the risk of violence, as well as preventive measures, strategies for avoiding violent conflicts and contributions to international understanding.
The prize was established by former Hessian Prime Minister Albert Osswald and his family. Its board of trustees includes representatives of leading German peace research institutes, who advise on the selection of recipients.
The award ceremony was suspended in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In subsequent years, recipients were honored for the preceding year. This year’s ceremony covers the 2025 and 2026 award years, with the organizers seeking to return to recognizing recipients in the respective calendar year. The €25,000 prize money will be awarded only once for this double award year.
