Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has continued to advocate for his policy of appeasement towards Azerbaijan, suggesting that Armenians would rather enjoy their lives than engage in eternal struggles.
Addressing the leaders of his political party, Civil Contract, on June 23, Pashinyan rhetorically asked: “Can we perceive the state as a means to make the well-being of and happiness of the people living here possible and not as a springboard, an outpost, for some eternal struggle?…Is the Republic of Armenia an instrument of eternal struggle or is the Republic of Armenia an instrument of living?”
This is the rosy promise that Pashinyan made to the people to come to power in 2018. He deceived the Armenian public by pledging to bring them peace and higher income. We now see that he brought nothing but death and misery to the nation after sacrificing thousands of soldiers, the entire territory of Artsakh and parts of the Republic of Armenia. Contradicting his own criticisms of the previous regimes for increasing the national debt, he more than doubled it by borrowing billions of dollars from international financial institutions, thus placing a huge burden on future Armenian generations.
Pashinyan’s only accomplishment is creating a luxurious life for his own family by living in a government mansion, being driven in expensive cars, flying around the world in a luxurious government jet and staying in five-star hotels in various capitals. In contrast, he came to the office on a bicycle six years ago.
In his June 23 remarks, Pashinyan fabricated two non-existent challenges and threats that supposedly face the Armenian nation. He said:
1) “There are large countries, international big players, who tell us: ‘ …You are not really a living people; you are a suffering people. You have to suffer, you have to migrate, be slaughtered, have to struggle, and through all that, come and beg for salvation from me, and I have to come and save you.’”
2) Pashinyan said that the second challenge came from “Azerbaijan, especially Azerbaijan, whose words, to put it very briefly, are as follows: ‘You did not let me live for 30 years, I won’t let you live either, and I will take revenge on you.’”
Pashinyan provided in the above two defeatist statements the best evidence that he is not a competent leader, which necessitates his immediate resignation before he destroys the homeland.
First of all, no one in the world has said that Armenians must suffer. This is fake news. The only person that Armenians need to be saved from is Pashinyan. If Armenians want to continue their existence as a nation, they must replace Pashinyan as soon as possible with a more capable leader who could defend Armenia’s interests while ensuring the people’s proper living standards. These two goals are not mutually exclusive.
Secondly, why is Pashinyan acting as if he is the spokesman for Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev? Each time Pashinyan opens his mouth, one has the distinct impression that Aliyev is not sitting in Baku but in Yerevan on the Armenian prime minister’s chair! Azerbaijanis did not suffer for 30 years. They lived perfectly well earning billions of dollars from exporting their oil and gas around the world, building multiple sky scrapers in Baku and hosting prestigious international events and conferences. Even more astonishingly, since Pashinyan says that Aliyev is intent on seeking revenge on Armenia, why is he then begging Azerbaijan to sign a peace treaty? Will a piece of paper deter Aliyev from his fixation on seeking revenge from Armenia?
As if these absurd statements were not sufficient, Pashinyan spoke about the reasons why “the opposition movement” led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan “has waned.” Besides using outrageous lies to disparage the high-ranking clergyman, Pashinyan and his cohorts constantly repeat the fake notion that the opposition movement has failed. If the movement had really failed, why does Pashinyan keep talking about it? The truth is that Pashinyan and his followers are seriously worried about the archbishop’s activities and his numerous followers. The regime’s concern is justified, because for the first time in six years, one man has been able to unite the entire opposition field under one umbrella, something no one else has been able to accomplish until now!
By making such absurd statements, Pashinyan is simply trying to discourage his party members from giving up, like rats leaving a sinking ship. It is no secret that his followers in the parliament and government are very worried about their jobs and incomes if the opposition succeeds in toppling the government. Furthermore, Pashinyan and his supporters seriously fear that they will be arrested and charged with corruption, abuse of power, violating the laws of the Republic of Armenia and handing over Artsakh and the territories of the Republic of Armenia to Azerbaijan.
In recent days, Archbishop Galstanyan started to travel outside of Yerevan to gain supporters in other parts of the country. The archbishop must form opposition groups in all villages and cities throughout Armenia to expand the movement beyond Yerevan, making it national in scope. The second benefit of spreading the protests throughout the country is to prevent Pashinyan from being able to bring thousands of policemen from all over the country to Yerevan to suppress the opposition protests. If there are simultaneous protests in all regions of Armenia on the same day, the police will be forced to remain in their local areas, thereby making it impossible for them to come to Yerevan in large numbers to attack the protesters.
Finally, since the opposition movement is also supported by Armenians in the Diaspora, the Archbishop must appoint his movement’s representatives in various countries so it becomes a pan-Armenian worldwide movement rather than being limited to just Yerevan or Armenia.
Harut Sassounian
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Another delusional contribution by Harut. It is an accepted fact that Harut despises the democratically elected prime minister of Armenia and he will do and say anything to discredit him.
It is very interesting that Harut says the prime ministers only achievement is creating a luxurious life for his family. This is truly an absurd statement.
Harut forgets how the members of the former regime amassed immense wealth and actually lived in mansions and owned expensive cars.
Harut does not mention real achievements since 2018 such as the crackdown on endemic corruption, holding free and transparent elections, record economic growth, welfare support and assistance to vulnerable sections of society, pursuit of an independent foreign policy.
Harut conveniently forgets that until 2018 elections in Armenia were regularly rigged and falsified.
Harut forgets that as a result of corruption and clan rule, hundreds of thousands of Armenians fled during the decades rule of the old regime, causing Armenia’s population to dwindle dangerously to less than 3 million when it is surrounded by 100 million plus Turks.
Harut forgot that the old regime failed to recognise the independence of Artsakh or make it part of Armenia. Harut forgot that the old regime engaged in fruitless negotiations for decades and failed to turn the first Artsakh war victory into a durable and lasting peace. Decades long negotiations only afforded Azerbaijan time and the opportunity to use its petrodollars to strengthen and modernise its armed forces and attack Artsakh and Armenia.
It is easy for people like Harut who don’t reside in Armenia to prefer eternal conflict to peace. What Harut doesn’t realise is eternal conflict will cause Armenia to be erased from the face of earth.
Finally Harut makes the delusional statement that the Archbishop Galstanyan is supported by the Diaspora. That is far from the case. He may have some support but to say the Diaspora supports his movement is factually incorrect.
The Archbishop doesn’t enjoy widespread support in the Diaspora or Armenia for that matter as witnessed by recent weeks with fewer and fewer people bothering to turn up to his rallies which lack a clear agenda or purpose. It was entertaining seeing the Archbishop juggle a football. Maybe Archbishop Galstanyan could make a better contribution by joining the Armenian football team.
I don’t know why you are hiding behind the name Hagop. Is your first name really Hagop? What is your last name? If you want to express your opinion, why don’t you have the courage to sign your real or full name, like I have done for 41 years?
Secondly, everything you wrote is Pashinyan-fed propaganda — in other words, a bunch of lies. Naive people like you is the reason why Pashinyan remains in power, despite his devastating loss of the war in Artsakh, loss of parts of Eastern Armenia, concession after concession to Azerbaijan, until nothing is left of Armenia. Do you remember Pashinyan’s earlier pledge that he has a plan for Armenia to have five million population by 2050! Well, not only Armenia’s population did not increase, in fact it decreased by several hundred thousand. This is the man who constantly makes audacious statements, like “Artsakh is Armenia, period,” then does the opposite, conceding that Artsakh is Azerbaijan. It is shameful that he lies every time he opens his mouth, but it is more shameful that you swallow his lies and repeat your slave-master’s bullshit.
Thirdly, I did nit write a single word about the former leaders. I criticized them repeatedly when they were in power, sitting in front of them at the presidential palace. Where were you then? Hiding like a mouse? Now that they are no longer in power, you have mustered the “courage” to attack them.
Right now, the man in power is Pashinyan. The others don’t count. Pashinyan is the one who is handing everything wholesale to our enemies. Worry about the real loser because he is in charge now, not the previous ones.
You are wrong about Archbishop Galstanyan. He is very popular in both Armenia and Diaspora. He is the first person who has managed to unify the entire field of the opposition. It is not easy to topple an incompetent, but cunning Prime Minister who uses illegally the government’s considerable resources to attack his opponents, everything from beatings, arrests, and discrediting the Archbishop and his supporters with lies. This is an uneven battle, but thank God, the Archbishop is unyielding. He will continue the battle until Pashinyan is hounded from office.
Harut needs to remember that when he publishes an article people have the right to provide feedback. Making derogatory remarks on the feedback readers make is not an appropriate response for a person who likes to engage in public discussions.
In his response Harut fails to articulate anything that will manage the current issues that Armenia is facing other than advocate for an Archbishop who juggles a football to assume power.
What Harut fails to understand is that Armenia cannot engage in perpetual conflict when it is surrounded by external enemies numbering 100 million plus several thousand internal ones.
And to claim that the Archbishop is very popular in Armenia. He is not that popular and that is why there are no more rallies being planned. The people that attended those rallies, they got fed and received their 5,000 drams and now they have moved on.
It will also be interesting for Harut to disclose what he said to the members of the former regime when he met them it would make an interesting reading.
Finally the civilised method for changing authorities is free and transparent elections which were lacking until 2018. Authorities will not get hounded out of office as advocated by Harut. Governments change via democratic elections. And that time will come whether the Archbishop is juggling footballs or not.
Hagop, you are so delusional that I do not know where to start to bring you down to earth. You have the right yo provide feedback and I have the right to respond to you.
Secondly, I have suggested plenty of solutions in my columns and during face to face meetings with all of Armenia’s leaders, past and present. You are wrongly assuming that I was soft on previous leaders. I was just as critical to them as I am now to Pashinyan. Where were you hiding back when the previous leaders were in power? Watch my recent interview where I recalled saying highly critical things to Kocharian to his face sitting in the Presidential Palace.
Pashinyan was never elected. The Prime Minister is not an elective office. Nevertheless, he violated plenty of laws during the campaign from threatening to smash the heads of his opponents to violating campaign laws. It will do you plenty good if you follow what is happening in Armenia before you run your mouth.
Finally, we cannot afford to wait for the 2026 elections to get rid of this dictatorial regime simply because the way things are going, we are not going to have an Armenia.
Pakrad Srpazan is not done yet. Don’t dismiss him so quickly.
Shame on you for insulting the opposition by falsely claiming that they are being bribed to protest.
Why are you so afraid to disclose your real full name the way I do?