Starting November 1, 2025, the image of Mount Ararat will be removed from the border crossing stamp used at the entrance and exit of the Republic of Armenia. The government adopted this decision on September 11 under its non-reportable agenda.
During a press conference on September 18, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed the decision to remove the image of Ararat from the stamp. He noted that this image had been included since 2004 and suggested that the decision was intended to address the legitimacy of the government led by Robert Kocharyan.
“What did the absence of the stamp mean before 2004? And when it was introduced in 2004—if I recall the year correctly—what did its appearance signify? What was the political significance and subtext of its prior absence, and what were the political significance and subtext of its introduction? What had happened in 2004? What issue were the officials who brought in this new measure seeking to address? Perhaps it was a question of legitimacy,” Pashinyan said.
On September 15, Ruben Rubinyan, a deputy from the “Civil Contract” faction, stated on Public Television that the image of Ararat was not present on the stamp in 2004; it only appeared in the mid-2000s.
Another ruling party MP, Arman Yeghoyan, stated on Factor TV on September 16 that the image of Mount Ararat has been featured on the stamp for 19 years, not for decades as some might believe. He clarified that the outline of the mountain has appeared on the stamp since 2006.
The new executive decision states that an amendment and supplement have been made to the Government’s Decision No. 702-N of May 12, 2011, “On Establishing the State Border Regime of the Republic of Armenia,” No. 702-N, dated May 12, 2011. This decision was originally adopted on January 17, 2008. Among other things, it specified the design of the stamp: “The date stamp depicts Mount Ararat and the distinctive emblem of the air, rail, or automobile crossing point.”
Highlight:..depicts Mount Ararat and the distinctive emblem of the air, rail, or automobile crossing point.
“Verified” also sent a written inquiry to the Armenian government to understand when the image of Ararat first appeared on the stamp. The request was forwarded to the National Security Service, which responded that the image of Mount Ararat on the stamp placed in the passport of those crossing the state border was first provided for by the RA Government’s Decision No. 29-N of January 17, 2008.
*On the same day we received the response to our initial inquiry, we submitted a follow-up question to the NSS for clarification. We wanted to determine whether the response suggested that the image of Mount Ararat had not been featured on the stamp prior to 2008. The NSS replied on October 13, stating that the stamp depicting Mount Ararat had been in use since 2006, and that its design was officially approved by the Government of Armenia’s Decision No. 29-N on January 17, 2008.
The section marked with an asterisk was added on October 13, 2025.
