Pashinyan again makes anti-Armenia and anti-Diaspora statements

Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan meets with representatives of the Armenian community in Switzerland (Photo: RA Prime Miniser’s office, January 24, 2025)

The biggest tragedy for Armenians worldwide is that Armenia is ruled by a prime minister who is not only incompetent but also anti-Armenian.

During his interview with Armenia’s Public TV last Saturday, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan repeated his nonsense about the difference between “real Armenia” and “historic Armenia.” He even claimed that “historic Armenia” is the enemy of today’s “real Armenia.” Just because wars and invasions have shifted Armenia’s boundaries over the centuries, that does not mean there is no such thing as “historic Armenia.” Don’t be surprised if one day Pashinyan claims that Armenia has only existed since 2018, when he came to power!

Pashinyan is trying to deprive Armenians of the right to even dream of restoring “historic Armenia” someday in the future. He naively thinks that by announcing that Armenia does not have any territorial demands against its neighboring countries, he will convince Azerbaijan to sign a meaningless peace treaty with Armenia. The fact is that Pres. Ilham Aliyev has zero interest in signing a peace treaty. On the contrary, he repeatedly threatens to attack Armenia. He describes the Republic of Armenia as “Western Azerbaijan,” demanding the settlement of 300,000 Azerbaijanis in Armenia.

Rather than saying that we have no demands against anyone, Pashinyan should just keep his mouth shut. He should neither say we have demands nor say that we do not have demands. Armenia is currently weak and cannot militarily confront its much stronger enemies — Azerbaijan and Turkey. However, it is wrong to declare that we do not have any territorial demands, because that would give up Armenians’ right to someday regain their lost territories. To keep that dream alive, Armenia does not need a powerful army. It just needs to preserve its historic memory and transmit it to future generations until the day when, due to unexpected circumstances, the opportunity arises to recover what Armenians lost. If they do not keep the dream alive, even when such an opportunity comes up, Armenians will not be able to take advantage of it, because they will have voluntarily given up that right. The best example is what the Jews were able to accomplish after losing their homeland 2,000 years ago. By preserving their dream of “Next Year in Jerusalem” and transmitting it to future generations, they were able to take advantage of the opportunity created in the 20th century to return to their historic homeland.

In his interview on Public TV, Pashinyan stated that no one will sell weapons to Armenia if we keep mentioning Ararat as our mountain. This is totally false. Saying Ararat or Arakads has nothing to do with acquiring weapons. It has everything to do with knowing how to run a country and a military and having the funds to pay for the needed weapons. If saying Ararat deprived Armenia of obtaining weapons, then how did Armenia acquire, before Pashinyan, billions of dollars in weapons, which were regrettably captured by Azerbaijan during the 2020 war and are now displayed in Baku?

When Pashinyan was asked about the appropriateness of sharing videos riding a bicycle or making an omelet on Facebook, while the country is on the edge of war, he replied: “All the institutions of our country are working even when I am riding a bicycle.”

Pashinyan also excused his constant concessions to Azerbaijan by explaining that he does not want to respond to Azerbaijan’s escalatory rhetoric, which is aimed at provoking new hostilities. He does not seem to understand that making concessions to the enemy does not deter war. On the contrary, it increases Aliyev’s appetite to demand more concessions.

When asked about a diasporan Armenian’s dream to return someday to his ancestral homeland, Pashinyan nonchalantly and insultingly said: “[He] lives in Australia and wants to return to the birthplace of his grandfathers, let him return. What does that have to do with the Republic of Armenia?” He continued: “Our compatriot lives in Australia, wants to return to the homeland of his grandfathers, which could be anywhere in the world, including Mush, Ardahan, Sis, but for that we should make our soldiers a target? Is that what we want? In other words, we want missiles to fall on our military units at any moment because there are people in Canberra who want to return to the birthplace of their grandfathers, which is Adana. Is this logical?”

In response to a question as to why he has done nothing to secure the release of Armenian hostages in Baku, Pashinyan replied: “There are superpowers today that have citizens in the same situation in different countries and they are unable to bring them back for years.”

During his meeting with a group of Swiss Armenians in Zurich las week, Pashinyan raised unnecessary questions about the basic facts of the Armenian Genocide: “We need to also return to the history of the Armenian Genocide. We need to understand what happened and why?” Pashinyan is probably the only Armenian in the world who does not know what happened in 1915. He then continued with a nonsense question: “How is it that in 1939 there was no agenda for the Armenian Genocide? And how is that in 1950 the Armenian Genocide agenda appeared?” Pashinyan does not even know that the term genocide did not exist in 1939. It was coined in the 1940s by Raphael Lemkin. Until then, Armenians referred to the mass murders of 1915 as massacres.

As soon as a new patriotic leader comes to power in Armenia, he should announce that every one of Pashinyan’s orders, laws, statements and agreements is null and void.

Harut Sassounian

Harut Sassounian

California Courier Editor
Harut Sassounian is the publisher of The California Courier, a weekly newspaper based in Glendale, Calif. He is the president of the Armenia Artsakh Fund, a non-profit organization that has donated to Armenia and Artsakh one billion dollars of humanitarian aid, mostly medicines, since 1989 (including its predecessor, the United Armenian Fund). He has been decorated by the presidents of Armenia and Artsakh and the heads of the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic churches. He is also the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

11 Comments

  1. Thank you, Author Harut Sassounian, for your clear, honest, emphatical article about Pashiyan, All armenians are living in shock at his unhistorical, unjust, unanalyzed, haphazard speech… which tells as if he never read any history book…!!!
    I feel an Arab scholar of Beduin origin knows about the Armenian genocide more than him.

    I have a few lines to say about Our God Ararat…

    Ararat is the Armenian God
    No one can take from our hearts
    We are not only a few million…
    But billions and billions
    In each gene born Ararat.

    We can see our Ararat,
    Even after we are old… blind.

    Ararat is our God
    Born before Christ
    No one can understand
    Other than us who suffered 
    Genocides after genocides…!!!

    Dr. Sylva Portoian
    Written Instantly
    January 25, 2025

    I have a poetry book, “Churchill at Ararat,” Published in Yerevan, was Inaugurated at Komitas Museum, Yerevan, available in Komitas Museum free and on Amazon

  2. It is up to the citizens of Armenia as to whether they wish to vote Pashinyan and his party back in power in the 2026 elections. However the citizens of Armenia should also understand that alienating the Armenian Diaspora would be very harmful to the survival of the Republic. There are many Diosporan Armenians who act as activists and ambassadors with governments throughout the world to advocate for the survival of the Republic of Armenia. In addition there is much financial support sent to Armenia and it’s institutions from the Diaspora.

    When the Armenian Prime Minister makes these statements it is truly an affront to all Armenians who had ancestors killed during the Armenian Genocide.

    If the citizens of Armenia reelect Pashinyan and his government and he continues to make these statements, they should be ready for the inevitable backlash from many Diosporan Armenians who will pull their funding for Armenia and will discontinue their advocacy.

    Frankly it would be wise for the Armenian media should stop asking Prime Minister Pashinyan any questions relating to the Armenian Genocide.

  3. Dear Gary,

    Thank you for your comments. Here are a few points.
    1) Of course, the citizens of Armenia have the right to vote. Diaspora Armenians do not have that right.
    2) Most Diaspora Armenians will not stop their aid to Armenia despite their disagreements with Armenia’s leadership, simply because we are helping the people of Armenia, not the leaders. I have been sending humanitarian aid to Armenia (over $1 billion) for 35 years, even though I have had serious disputes with all of Armenia’s leaders, past and present.
    3) Pashinyan’s offensive comments about the Armenian Genocide were not prompted by the Armenian media. He has made frequent upsetting comments on the Armenian Genocide without any journalist asking him him about it. It is a self-inflicted wound.

    • Dear Harut,
      Thank you for your impressive service to the Armenian homeland. It is right and admirable and I am sure heartfelt. I as well do not intend to suspend my financial and advocacy support for Armenia despite my disagreements with the Armenian Government. I also believe that the Prime Minister’s statements will have little deterrent effect regarding an Azeri attack on the remaining Armenian homeland.
      However you and I are a sample size of two. Unless you have done some internal polling, how can we know what percentage of Diosporan Armenians will pull their financial and diplomatic support to the Republic of Armenia if the Prime Minister continues to make these egregious statements and despite that is reelected in 2026? If 25% of Diosporan Armenians support is not “ironclad” and would pull their support in such a scenario, that is very significant and would be devastating to the Republic of Armenia.
      The Prime Minister and electorate of the Republic of Armenia should be aware of this potential hazard if they are not already. As well opposition politicians should use this as an election issue.

  4. Those interested to hear what Nikol Pashinyan said about the genocide may watch the video between 19 to 21 minutes, and hear the PM’s 30 seconds long verbalizing on the Armenian genocide. Harut paints a picture of the esteemed representatives of the Swiss Armenian community seating in that meeting being stupid or unconcenred that the PM denies or questions the genocide to them and they accept it and not only let it go, but continue to raise issues with him over Diaspora-Homeland relations, the need of Armenian schools, Armenian illiteracy, calamitous exodus from Diaspora itself, Armenia State and Church relations for the next 45 minues, Over all, it was a very constructive meeting and ended up with applause, not out of common courtesy, but there seemed to be genuine rapport with the PM over the many issues that were raised in that over one hour long recorded meeting.

  5. Dear Vahe,
    You did not need to jump and offer your gratuitous and sycophant services to come to Pashinyan’s rescue. There are plenty of other people that actually work for him and get paid to do what you are trying to do unsuccessfully. No one needs to watch the video to know what Pashinyan said. I quoted him verbatim. Every Armenian in the world should condemn him for his childish and highly offensive attempt to question the well-known facts of the Armenian Genocide. Even worse, this is not the first time that the PM has said such insulting things about the Armenian Genocide. Is there any other Armenian in the world, other than the PM and you, who do not know what happened in 1915? By defending his anti-Armenian statement, you are encouraging him to continue his destructive steps to dismantle the Armenian Cause and Armenia itself. It is very sad that you have volunteered to help him along on his this anti-Armenian path. Finally, do you know personally any of the Swiss Armenians who were sitting there and listening to the PM? Do you know who they are? I do, because I lived in Switzerland for four years and know many of them. If you knew who they are, you would have known the explanations for their behavior. I did not write one word about their behavior in the room.

  6. Harut
    I am not ignoring you or avoiding answering you. The weekly is not the forum for back and forth argument or debate. I made my statement and I stand by it.

  7. Dear Vahe,
    I completely disagree with your pro-Pashinyan propaganda, but I respect your right to express your view, just as I have the right to express mine. We live in a free country, thank God, not in Nikol’s dictatorship. Very kind of the Armenian Weekly to allow this exchange.

  8. I feel Pashinyan’s comments were taken completely out of context. Where can I find the an unedited recording or transcript of his talk?

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