By Harut Sassounian
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
Every time Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gives an interview, he puts his foot in his mouth. One of his close advisors should suggest that he simply remain quiet.
I don’t want to bore readers with Pashinyan’s continuous detrimental statements, but I believe that his words and actions must not remain unchallenged.
On March 21, 2025, Pashinyan gave a 45-minute interview, this time to Armenia’s Public TV, a taxpayer-funded media outlet exploited by the Prime Minister as his propaganda tool. Once again, he repeated his usual baseless statements. However, I must commend journalist Datev Danielyan for her persistent attempts to challenge Pashinyan’s answers.
Pashinyan once again bragged that his cherished “Peace Agreement” is complete and accepted by both sides, even though Azerbaijan refuses to sign it, demanding endless concessions from Armenia, such as making constitutional changes, the resettlement of 300,000 Azeris in Armenia, getting rid of the weapons recently purchased by Armenia, and opening of the so-called “Zangezur Corridor,” etc.
The “Peace Agreement” that the Prime Minister constantly promotes is nothing short of one-sided capitulation. Instead of explaining that Armenia’s crushing defeat in the 2020 war leaves him no choice but to make concessions to Azerbaijan, Pashinyan eagerly misrepresents this defeatist document as a great achievement. This is the same man who, in 2018, stood before a large crowd in Republic Square and promised not to sign any agreement without first getting their consent. Now, he is ready to sign a document whose contents remain a secret. For Aliyev, the “Peace Agreement” is a worthless piece of paper that will not deter him from any future attacks on Armenia.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan regularly threatens Armenia, referring to it as “Western Azerbaijan.” With a straight face, Pashinyan claims that once peace is established, Armenia will get rid of the EU Monitors, since they will no longer be necessary.
Pashinyan even suggested that he might sign the “Peace Agreement” unilaterally, without waiting for Azerbaijan’s signature, while admitting that he did not know if such a precedent existed in “the history of mankind.”
The only correct statement Pashinyan made in his lengthy interview was his rejection of the resettlement of 300,000 Azeris in Armenia, which Pres. Aliyev calls “Western Azerbaijan.” However, given Pashinyan’s constant contradictory statements, no one can be sure that he will stick to his word on this or any other issue.
Pashinyan claimed once again that Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed “to recognize each other’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, have no territorial demands from each other, and are committed not to propose such territorial demands in the future too.” This is untrue. The fact is that while Pashinyan has acknowledged Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, Aliyev has yet to accept Armenia’s territorial integrity.
The Public TV’s reporter asked Pashinyan: how peace could be achieved when the other side does not want peace and keeps demanding concessions? How many more concessions are we going to make? Pashinyan incredibly, replied: “what have we conceded?”
Pashinyan conveniently ignored the several major concessions he has made to Azerbaijan, including the surrender of Artsakh; Azerbaijan’s occupation of parts of the Republic of Armenia since 2021, while Pashinyan is declaring that he will take no action to oust the Azeri troops; dissolution of the Minsk Group; removal of EU Monitors from inside Armenia’s borders, saying: “we will no longer bother the [European] Monitors;” changing Armenia’s Constitution, while admitting that Azerbaijan’s Constitution refers to territorial demands from Armenia, with Pashinyan stating that he will not demand that Azerbaijan amend its Constitution; withdrawal of Armenia’s international lawsuits against Azerbaijan, prompting the resignation of the lawyer representing Armenia in international courts; loss of thousands of Armenian soldiers and the wounding of thousands more; doing nothing to secure the release of detained Armenian prisoners in a Baku jail where they are tortured and subjected to a sham trial; refusal to support Artsakh Armenians’ right of return; and many more concessions to come.
When asked who would guarantee the “Peace Agreement,” Pashinyan responded: nobody. “Peace is the guarantor.” It is alarming that the Prime Minister of Armenia would make such naïve statements.
Meanwhile, Pres. Aliyev, the brutal dictator of Azerbaijan, continues his hateful rhetoric, calling Armenia a “fascist state.” During his 15-minute speech in Aghdam on March 27, Aliyev used the word “enemies” 11 times to describe Armenians, without mentioning peace even once. In 2024, Aliyev referred to Armenians as “jackals,” “bloodthirsty enemies,” and “vandals.” These are the words of a warmonger, not a man interested in peace.
