Something seems to be missing from Armenias new biometric passport. Thats according to many in the country, whohave flaggedan unusual image in the document.

Among pages showcasing Armenias heritage and culture is a picture of Khor Virap. The 17th century monastery is famous largely for its spectacular backdrop of Mount Ararat. In the passport, however, the monastery is depicted from an angle showing only nondescript mountains on the horizon. Critics havecalledthe unusual image a ploy to avoid including Ararat in the official document.

Pages 24-25 of the new Armenian passport

Mount Ararat is situated inside Turkey and officially known by its Turkish name Mount Agri, but the landmark rises prominently above Yerevan on clear days.

The 5,100 meter mountain was a part of ancient kingdoms of Armenia, but ethnic Armenians were driven from settlements around Ararat amid the Ottoman state-led killings, which have been recognized as genocide by dozens of countries including the United States. When borders in the region were redrawn following World War I, Ararat's twin peaks were included within the eastern edge of modern Turkey.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian recently hinted at the controversy over the passport depiction of Khor Virap,sayingduring a live stream with Interior Minister Arpine Sargsian that, weve chosen such a perspective to suit our policies and what we have discussed for a long time.

Given it is the passport of the Republic of Armenia," Pashinian added, the passport reflects the territory of the Republic of Armenia.

Mount Ararat (left) seen behind Yerevan's Mother Armenia monument

The absence of the mountain in the passports, which are set to be rolled out in the fall of 2026, follows a government decision late last year to remove snow-capped icons of Mount Ararat from passport stamps. That decision led to an uproar in the country, includinga lawsuitfiled against the government.

Opposition politician Hayk Mamijanian condemned the removal of the mountain from passport stamps at the time,telling reportersit never ceases to amaze how zealously Pashinian is ready to please Turkey or Azerbaijan."

Since Azerbaijans military recapture of the Nagorno-Karabakh region in 2023, Armenia has sought to normalize relations with neighboring Azerbaijan and Turkey, both historic foes of Armenia.

Armenia and Azerbaijan initialled apeace agreementin 2025 that includes a clause indefinitely forbidding either country from making territorial claims on the other. Turkey, a close ally of Baku, haslong objectedto Armenias use of Ararat as a national symbol, including in thecoat of armsof the Soviet Republic of Armenia.

A 2022 passport stamp for Armenia featuring the twin peaks of Mount Ararat

Joshua Kucera, a senior analyst for International Crisis Group, says the Khor Virap image appears to be, part of the larger real Armenia narrative that [Pashinian] is promoting, trying to refocus Armenians' attentions to the issues within their own borders rather than historical Armenia outside its borders.

The Caucasus expert says that reframing effort also includes the recaptured Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.

Some fear a more consequential target for the Pashinian government could be the current Armenian coat of arms, which features Ararat as its centerpiece, topped with Noahs Ark. The mythical vessel is believed by some Christians to have settled atop Mount Ararat following the biblical flood. In 2023, Pashinian criticized the emblem for representing "a dichotomy between historical Armenia and real Armenia.

A depiction of the Coat of Arms of Armenia featuring Noahs Ark resting atop Mount Ararat

Edmon Marukian, a politician and former ally of the Armenian prime minister, called the 2025 erasure of Mount Ararat from passport stamps a potential precursor to Armenias coat of arms being remade. Removing [Ararat] would require changing the constitution and the law, the politician noted, adding, are we, as citizens, ready to tolerate this?

In April, RFE/RL's Armenian Service asked Pashinian about the potential for Ararat to be removed from the coat of arms. The prime minister responded only that "I am not raising such a question."

Armenia And The Disappearing Mountain

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