For small states, international status also constitutes a key means to alleviate their structural constraints and vulnerabilities. To achieve this, they adopt unique national roles. The main purpose of this analysis is to find out what international status aspirations the ruling elites of Armenia had in 2008-2020, as well as how and by what means they tried to gain those statuses. What national roles were adopted by the ruling elites led by Serzh Sargsyan and Nikol Pashinyan and what international statuses in line with them did they aspire to?