Our priorities: Strengthening security is an existential imperative
Today, there is growing discourse surrounding the so-called Armenia-Azerbaijan “peace agreement.” However, those who see through this illusion of peace point to one undeniable reality: Azerbaijan continues to issue explicit threats of renewed war, undermining any genuine prospect for lasting peace and stability.
The pursuit of this piece of paper—and its presentation to the people as a promise of peace—ignores an undeniable historical truth: real peace cannot be achieved without security guarantees and the just resolution of contentious issues. It is a historical fact that vulnerable security only brings the gravest risks of a new war and the destruction of statehood. A document titled “peace” can never curb the appetites of an enemy state.
There is no need to prove that the successive concessions made by Armenian authorities have failed to curb Azerbaijan’s growing list of unilateral demands. Therefore, if we are to secure real, stable and dignified peace, then the following realities must be considered:
- National ideology, interests and values: An external and internal policy guided by national ideology, interests and values is the most important prerequisite for halting the chain of defeats our nation has suffered in recent years. This simple truth is understood by all domestic forces that have rightly criticized the ineffectiveness of anti-national policies after the war. Were it not for the pursuit of power at all costs, even the political force that has raised the flag of anti-nationalism—whose every defeat emphasizes the bankruptcy of its platform—should also be convinced of this truth.
- Post-war security threats: Following its defeat in the war, the Republic of Armenia faced severe and immediate security threats. Geopolitically, it became a battleground in the clash of global powers. Due to a series of misguided policy decisions, Armenia lost access to vital tools needed to confront these dangers. Today, enhancing national security is not just a priority—it is an existential imperative. Breaking the cycle of setbacks and avoiding future crises requires a renewed and capable military, along with the strategic development of a domestic defense industry.
- Aggression from the enemy: The enemy’s ambitions did not stop with the occupation of Artsakh. Over the past two years, through military incursions and under the guise of border delimitation—and due to the capitulating policies of Armenian authorities—the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia has been violated. It is absurd to speak of sovereignty and peace without first addressing the restoration of Armenia’s territorial integrity—an essential prerequisite for preserving and strengthening Armenian statehood.
- Artificial polarizations on orientation: An artificial debate over geopolitical “orientation” is being promoted in Armenia—one that has no connection to our national interests. Creating artificial opposition between pro-Western and pro-Russian forces only aims to provoke internal conflict and diminish the strategic significance of pro-Armenian policies. Some, perhaps deliberately, attempt to equate Armenian national orientation with political isolationism, forgetting that Armenian orientation should not lead to international political isolation. Its guiding principle is to deepen relations with key influential global actors—to the extent that their interests align with our national priorities and goals.
In short, a state cannot be sustained through eroded security, anti-national policies, yielding to the threat of war and false peace.
This article was originally published in Western Armenian in Asbarez. The author translated it for the Armenian Weekly.
Khajag Mgrdichian
