Pashinyan has crossed all red lines: His days are numbered
Just when we thought that the situation in Armenia could not get any worse, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has devised new ways to destroy the country.
During his collapsing tenure, we lost Artsakh—after 4,000 Armenian soldiers were killed and many more wounded in the 2020 war. In 2023, the remaining 120,000 Artsakh Armenians were forced to abandon their millennia-old homeland. Now, the prime minister is urging Armenians to forget their glorious past and abandon their future dreams. Furthermore, he no longer wants to hear about the Armenian Genocide, Mount Ararat or Western Armenia.
Someone posted on his Facebook page the following bleak message: Armenia’s police are at Etchmiadzin. Two influential Armenian billionaires are jailed in Baku and Yerevan. Two archbishops are arrested and imprisoned in Armenia. The president is silent. The people are in a coma. The enemy is sharpening his teeth. The country is defenseless. The diaspora has given up.
Meanwhile, the prime minister is busy posting obscene messages about Catholicos Karekin II and other high-ranking clergy, instead of ensuring Armenia’s existence. The judges are obeying his political orders, and the parliamentary majority is blindly carrying out his wishes. In other words, we have a one-man-rule—a dictatorship.
All the primates and bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church from Armenia and the diaspora issued a joint statement last Friday, expressing their “deep outrage at the reprehensible campaign instigated by the Republic of Armenia authorities and the Prime Minister himself against the Armenian Church, the Catholicos of All Armenians and high-ranking clergy, which is accompanied by the spread of hatred and hostility towards the clergy, as well as personal insults and disrespectful expressions.”
The church leaders condemned “the invasion of Holy Etchmiadzin by state security agents to arrest Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, threatening to use force against the clergy and worshippers.” They also criticized the jailing of benefactor Samvel Karapetyan and Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, urging their immediate release. The Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, Arayik Harutyunyan, had sent a text message to all primates and archbishops in a failed attempt to dissuade them from issuing a statement in support of the Catholicos.
I believe the prime minister has gone too far this time. Before it’s too late, the people in Armenia will need to rise up to put a stop to his regime. Last week, despite the government’s repressive measures, thousands of Armenians marched in the streets of Yerevan to protest the arrest and jailing of prominent businessman Karapetyan, well-known for his many philanthropic activities. Unwittingly, Pashinyan has created a credible new opponent who can take the lead in toppling his regime.
Karapetyan’s only ‘sin’ was defending the Catholicos and the Armenian Church against Pashinyan’s unwarranted attacks. A subservient judge sentenced this innocent man to a preliminary two months in prison.
Furthermore, Pashinyan ordered the immediate confiscation of Karapetyan’s company, the Electric Networks of Armenia, in which he had invested hundreds of millions of dollars. Karapetyan’s Yerevan headquarters were raided by police, and two of his key executives were arrested under false pretenses. The cars of over 40 of his supporters were confiscated last month and not returned. Meanwhile, Karapetyan issued a statement from prison: “Nikol Pashinyan and his government have no place in Armenia and should have no ties to the Armenian people’s future.”
The prime minister’s illegal actions have severe consequences for Armenia. Pashinyan’s vengeful decision will likely result in Karapetyan taking the Republic of Armenia to international arbitration, potentially winning over a billion dollars in punitive damages. It is regrettable that Armenian taxpayers may ultimately pay this hefty sum.
After Pashinyan ordered Karapetyan’s jailing, government loyalists in parliament immediately passed a law nationalizing his electrical company. The expropriation of a private company will damage Armenia’s reputation with international financial institutions. It is the first company nationalized since independence 34 years ago and will likely lead to repeated disruptions of electrical service, as the Armenian government lacks the expertise to manage such an enterprise. These interruptions will only increase public discontent.
Once the international community and the Armenian diaspora learn that Yerevan is nationalizing private businesses, foreign investors will be unwilling to commit funds to Armenia.
To make matters worse, two prominent members of the prime minister’s political party defamed Karapetyan in parliamentary remarks. He filed lawsuits against Arsen Torosyan and Hayk Konjoryan, demanding they retract their defamatory statements, issue public apologies and each pay nine million drams (approximately $23,400) in compensation. Torosyan had falsely accused Karapetyan of following Russian KGB’s orders, while Konjoryan had claimed Karapetyan “robbed the Armenian people and the Republic of Armenia for decades.”
After prominent Armenians from various countries issued a joint statement condemning the Pashinyan regime, Torosyan lashed out, accusing them of not knowing what’s happening in Armenia. I assure Torosyan that the diaspora follows closely the tragic sell-out of the homeland with profound grief. They are not blinded by Pashinyan’s propaganda. Torosyan is using the regime’s favorite tactic: pitting the diaspora against Armenia, current leaders against former and Artsakh Armenians versus locals in Armenia.
Unless you are going to speak of policy changes and strategies we can implement – bashing a head of state in such a public manner, you are as much a part of the problem as the person you speak of. Educated people don’t need sensationalized words to fill in the gaps of the intelligence. You are speaking like a paid propaganda tool. Just here to divide our people. Get off your high horse.
Edgar, I am no propagandist. You are sadly mistaken. Most Armenians know who I am. My life is an open book, except for one or two people like you who have been secluded in a distant planet. You forget that as a human being, as a citizen of the United Stares, and as a journalist in a free country, I have the full right to criticize anyone I want. It looks like you prefer to live in a dictatorship.
You criticize. That is it. Unless you have problem solving solutions for the Armenian people we don’t want to hear another complainer. Everyone has opinions. Yours are worth as much as the dirt under my shoes for me. People like you are the enemy. Even if Pashinyan is an idiot. No one is denying. Doesn’t mean you go to public forums and bash the head of the state that you claim to love. You are trash. Open your eyes and get off your high horse like I said. You think so highly of yourself it’s obnoxious.
Edgar, you are a rude man with no manners. Practice a little politeness, if you can. Using vulgar language only exposes your low class (zibil) nature. You are in no position to lecture anyone on any subject. You should move to North Korea. You have no idea about the meaning of freedom of expression. I can write anything I want. That is my right. I do not need permission from a big mouth like you.
https://youtu.be/6tksGTuOwlo?list=RD6tksGTuOwlo
Edgar:
You make no valid points. Calling a man who has dedicated his life to justice for the Armenian Genocide “trash,” or to all any man “trash” is indicative of your own value.
Harut Sassounian IS the head of the diaspora, in my opinion.
He speaks for me, and he speaks for 90% of real Armenians across the globe.
Turkey and Azerbaijan are artfully crafting fictitious victimhood narratives about Turks ‘returning to their lands” in Yerevan. Ha! 300,000 square miles, 800,000 square kilometers, 5000 cities and villages, a million homes of Assyrians, Greeks and Armenians were burned or stolen. My family tree was 75% killed, 12.5% converted to Islam in abductions, and 12.5% penniless refugees.
Turkey and Azerbaijan have to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and publicly apologize, make amends, and open their doors to justice before we go to the next topic.
From before 1071 AD to today, Armenians have been abducted, kidnapped, forcibly conscripted into janissary corps, and stolen (devshirme), sent to sex harems, drowned in rivers, bagged and gagged, roped together to scream in each others ears as water suffocates them into moments of silence before they pass away, boys stripped and poked in the eye with shish kebab metal skewers to cause blindness and pain before being thrown into ditches to die in a pile of screaming agony (let me know if you need readable or video references), immolated, yes, burned alive, converted to the devilish invader satannic genital mutilation culture — and you are calling Harut Sassounian dirt. Who is on the high horse? You are under the horse, and let me tell you which part of it.
Sweet Edgar, you are welcome to go to your local mosque and join your fellow Turks, but a little part of you might need to be cut off first, so you can join their sadistic invader cult.
Sorry I hurt your boyfriend’s feelings and you felt the need to come defend him. No one born in Syria and who lives in the US has any right to claim to talk for the diaspora. His family left Armenia. He left Armenia. Instead of publicly bashing Armenian officials, how about he goes serve the country. No Armenian in Armenia will accept him. That is why he chooses to stick to opinion pieces and living on high horses. And by the way Turk@ mamat@ xaxpa
You continue in your anti-Armenian diatribe. Before you say one more non-sense about me, you should know that besides writing editorials for 41 years and educating ignorant Armenians like you, I have delivered to Armenia one billion and 60 million dollars of humanitarian aid in the last 35 years. What have you done for Armenia? Most probably nothing. Before you dare to lecture me about patriotism, I suggest first you do 1% of what I have done for Armenia. You are nothng but a foul-mouth creature.
Taking kirk krikorians money and transferring it to oligarchs and blood sucking church heads doesn’t make your actions noble. Again, you are so high on your horse you want a pat on the back for supposed charity work. The only noble thing you did is speak and bring attention about the genocide. And that was it. Don’t let your head get any bigger you might not be able to walk through any more doors.
You are the one publicly bad mouthing the head of the Armenian state and I’m the one who is anti Armenian. Very interesting logic you have. I guess you want us back to the same system that didn’t let us advance for over 30 years now. I’m sure it benefits you to have the same old regime back. That’s why you are a paid propagandist in my opinion and why I consider your opinions trash.
Edgar
Whether or not bashing Pashinyan or doing it in public is the issue here, isn’t Pashinyan doing exactly what you are preaching others not to do when he himself is bashing the head of the Armenian Church and doing it in public? Not that they should be exempt from criticism but doing it in a manner that Pashinyan is doing is unprecedented and it is very provocative and deliberate. Haven’t Pashinyan’s policies and actions been divisive? The real question here should be why is Pashinyan, after seven years in office, all of a sudden feel compelled to take on the Church leaders when there are plenty other and much more critical and existential problems to deal and tackle with and that there are many more issues to address to find solutions and resolve. When the leader of a nation interjects himself into the business of the Church where there are internal mechanisms already in place to deal with problems and he is doing it publicly then he obviously has a personal agenda and a vendetta. He sees the Church leaders as his remaining obstacles to get out of the way by silencing them using and misusing his power and by unconventional means for speaking up against the state’s foreign policy and in defense of an ethnically-cleansed Armenian population he has washed his off of in order to push forward his secret and disastrous agenda he has already decided on and has given in to the enemy in return for an unenforced and meaningless “peace treaty” to be used as his “victory trophy” to exploit disillusioned and gullible voters in upcoming elections in order to secure a manufactured victory to save his ministerial seat to avoid criminal prosecution.
Those who still claim that Pashinyan is a democrat, reformer and a patriot, should have their brains checked.
No one more intolerant than a commited liberal, clearly Pashinyan is heading that way. However it doesn’t alter the reality of Armenia relative decline regarding Azerbaijan since 1994 which many prefer to ignore and scapegoat him for.
Exactly. Since the early 90s. And these paid tools want to give us more of the same. Not one plan to fight back. Just fight each other. Especially people not even born in Armenia. We don’t care about their opinions.
Edgar, you are so ignorant that you don’t even know that the billion dollars of aid my charity, Armenia Artsakh Fund, has sent to Armenia does not include a penny from Kerkorian. You are confusing Kerkorian’s separate donation of $242 million through his Lincy Foundation for infrastructure reconstruction in Armenia. I am still waiting to hear if you have contributed a penny to Armenia.
Counter-Response: Defending Truth and Democratic Accountability in Armenia
The polemic presented against Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is a highly emotional, misleading, and deeply biased narrative that deliberately omits context, misrepresents complex national developments, and dangerously undermines Armenia’s fragile democracy. It weaponizes religion, national trauma, and diaspora sentiment in service of political score-settling.
Let’s break this down:
⸻
1. The Loss of Artsakh: History, Not Betrayal
Yes, the loss of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) was devastating. But blaming Pashinyan alone is intellectually dishonest. Armenia had been militarily and diplomatically isolated for years before he came to power. Corruption and cronyism flourished under previous regimes, weakening Armenia’s military preparedness while empowering oligarchs.
• The 2020 war was initiated by Azerbaijan, heavily backed by Turkey and Israeli military technology. Armenia stood virtually alone.
• Pashinyan inherited a broken system—corrupt defense procurement, inflated army rosters, and no international recognition of Artsakh.
• Russia, the supposed ally and “protector,” abandoned its role when Azerbaijan launched its final offensive in 2023, betraying both Armenia and Artsakh Armenians.
To say Pashinyan “devised ways to destroy the country” is not only factually baseless, it’s morally reprehensible.
⸻
2. Armenian Identity and the Genocide
The claim that Pashinyan wants to erase the Armenian Genocide or forget Mount Ararat is an outright lie.
• His government has repeatedly spoken about the Genocide on the international stage, including through diplomatic channels and commemorative events.
• The shift in rhetoric is about focusing on a viable future, not living in the past. Armenia cannot afford to be a hostage to symbolic politics while surrounded by aggressive neighbors.
Pashinyan has advocated for a realist approach to sovereignty, security, and statehood. That may not appeal to ultranationalists or some diaspora factions, but it aligns with modern statecraft, not self-destruction.
⸻
3. Church and State: Accountability, Not Persecution
The hysteria about a supposed “persecution” of the Armenian Church stems from accountability measures, not religious oppression.
• Several high-ranking clergy and church-adjacent oligarchs have faced investigation due to allegations of corruption, not because of their religious roles.
• The Armenian Apostolic Church is not above the law. Public trust in the Church has declined in recent years precisely because of its close ties with discredited oligarchs.
• Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, who is now leading political protests, is engaging in explicit partisan activism. When clergy enter the political arena, they must abide by the same legal and civic expectations as any other citizen.
The Church’s statement about “hatred and hostility” is inflammatory rhetoric designed to shield it from scrutiny, not a credible reflection of government policy.
⸻
4. Samvel Karapetyan: A “Philanthropist” or a Powerbroker?
Let’s not canonize Samvel Karapetyan so quickly:
• He is a Russian-Armenian billionaire whose fortune was built during Russia’s oligarchic privatization era. His ties to Russian financial and political elites are well-documented.
• The nationalization of the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) is not “vengeance”—it’s a response to long-standing concerns about monopolistic pricing, infrastructure neglect, and lack of transparency.
• Armenia’s parliament voted on this, not Pashinyan alone. Calling this a “dictatorship” is absurd when the legal process was followed, including the right to appeal.
Moreover, the diaspora outcry over Karapetyan’s arrest conveniently ignores that legal action does not equate to guilt, and wealth does not guarantee innocence.
⸻
5. The Myth of One-Man Rule
Pashinyan was elected democratically—twice—after the 2018 Velvet Revolution, which ended decades of authoritarian rule and crony governance.
• The opposition calling for an uprising does not represent all Armenians. Protests exist—but so does broad public support for anti-corruption efforts and economic reform.
• The judiciary remains functionally independent, with multiple high-profile cases decided against the government in recent years.
• The Armenian diaspora should support strong institutions, not return to the days of oligarchic impunity.
⸻
6. Investors, Institutions, and the Future
The alarmism about scaring off investors is unfounded.
• Foreign investment in Armenia has increased steadily since 2018, particularly in the tech and renewable energy sectors.
• International observers, including the IMF and World Bank, have commended Armenia for its fiscal discipline and anti-corruption measures.
If anything, reclaiming critical infrastructure is a signal that the Armenian government is serious about protecting public interest, not enriching foreign-based elites.
⸻
Final Thoughts
This piece is a masterclass in fearmongering, distortion, and weaponized nostalgia. It seeks to reestablish the nexus between Church, oligarchs, and former elites who ran Armenia into the ground.
Nikol Pashinyan is not perfect. His communication missteps and crisis management flaws are legitimate concerns. But to portray him as a dictator destroying Armenia is a gross and dangerous lie. Armenia needs reform, rule of law, and sovereignty—not a return to a feudal state run by clerics and tycoons.
Let the facts speak louder than fear.
Hagop,
I was reading your post (even though I disagreed with most of what you said) until your statement, “Pashinyan was elected democratically.” That one remark reflects who you are and what you stand for.
Pashinyan came to power during a coup supported by the European Union and Turkey. A five-year-old knows that Nikol Pashinyan was not elected democratically. Subsequently, he manipulated the elections using his party and state resources. There is no way an Armenian would support someone who has recently lost Artsakh. Even if that individual was the greatest and most qualified for the PM position.
Hagop, you are a Turkish puppet. And so is Pashinyan who last name reminds me of a Pasha. I would not be surprised at all, if we find out someday that Pashinyan is actually Turkish.
The polemic presented against Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is a highly emotional, misleading, and deeply biased narrative that deliberately omits context, misrepresents complex national developments, and dangerously undermines Armenia’s fragile democracy. It weaponizes religion, national trauma, and diaspora sentiment in service of political score-settling.
Let’s break this down:
⸻
1. The Loss of Artsakh: History, Not Betrayal
Yes, the loss of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) was devastating. But blaming Pashinyan alone is intellectually dishonest. Armenia had been militarily and diplomatically isolated for years before he came to power. Corruption and cronyism flourished under previous regimes, weakening Armenia’s military preparedness while empowering oligarchs.
• The 2020 war was initiated by Azerbaijan, heavily backed by Turkey and Israeli military technology. Armenia stood virtually alone.
• Pashinyan inherited a broken system—corrupt defense procurement, inflated army rosters, and no international recognition of Artsakh.
• Russia, the supposed ally and “protector,” abandoned its role when Azerbaijan launched its final offensive in 2023, betraying both Armenia and Artsakh Armenians.
To say Pashinyan “devised ways to destroy the country” is not only factually baseless, it’s morally reprehensible.
⸻
2. Armenian Identity and the Genocide
The claim that Pashinyan wants to erase the Armenian Genocide or forget Mount Ararat is an outright lie.
• His government has repeatedly spoken about the Genocide on the international stage, including through diplomatic channels and commemorative events.
• The shift in rhetoric is about focusing on a viable future, not living in the past. Armenia cannot afford to be a hostage to symbolic politics while surrounded by aggressive neighbors.
Pashinyan has advocated for a realist approach to sovereignty, security, and statehood. That may not appeal to ultranationalists or some diaspora factions, but it aligns with modern statecraft, not self-destruction.
⸻
3. Church and State: Accountability, Not Persecution
The hysteria about a supposed “persecution” of the Armenian Church stems from accountability measures, not religious oppression.
• Several high-ranking clergy and church-adjacent oligarchs have faced investigation due to allegations of corruption, not because of their religious roles.
• The Armenian Apostolic Church is not above the law. Public trust in the Church has declined in recent years precisely because of its close ties with discredited oligarchs.
• Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, who is now leading political protests, is engaging in explicit partisan activism. When clergy enter the political arena, they must abide by the same legal and civic expectations as any other citizen.
The Church’s statement about “hatred and hostility” is inflammatory rhetoric designed to shield it from scrutiny, not a credible reflection of government policy.
⸻
4. Samvel Karapetyan: A “Philanthropist” or a Powerbroker?
Let’s not canonize Samvel Karapetyan so quickly:
• He is a Russian-Armenian billionaire whose fortune was built during Russia’s oligarchic privatization era. His ties to Russian financial and political elites are well-documented.
• The nationalization of the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) is not “vengeance”—it’s a response to long-standing concerns about monopolistic pricing, infrastructure neglect, and lack of transparency.
• Armenia’s parliament voted on this, not Pashinyan alone. Calling this a “dictatorship” is absurd when the legal process was followed, including the right to appeal.
Moreover, the diaspora outcry over Karapetyan’s arrest conveniently ignores that legal action does not equate to guilt, and wealth does not guarantee innocence.
⸻
5. The Myth of One-Man Rule
Pashinyan was elected democratically—twice—after the 2018 Velvet Revolution, which ended decades of authoritarian rule and crony governance.
• The opposition calling for an uprising does not represent all Armenians. Protests exist—but so does broad public support for anti-corruption efforts and economic reform.
• The judiciary remains functionally independent, with multiple high-profile cases decided against the government in recent years.
• The Armenian diaspora should support strong institutions, not return to the days of oligarchic impunity.
⸻
6. Investors, Institutions, and the Future
The alarmism about scaring off investors is unfounded.
• Foreign investment in Armenia has increased steadily since 2018, particularly in the tech and renewable energy sectors.
• International observers, including the IMF and World Bank, have commended Armenia for its fiscal discipline and anti-corruption measures.
If anything, reclaiming critical infrastructure is a signal that the Armenian government is serious about protecting public interest, not enriching foreign-based elites.
⸻
Final Thoughts
This piece is a masterclass in fearmongering, distortion, and weaponized nostalgia. It seeks to reestablish the nexus between Church, oligarchs, and former elites who ran Armenia into the ground.
Nikol Pashinyan is not perfect. His communication missteps and crisis management flaws are legitimate concerns. But to portray him as a dictator destroying Armenia is a gross and dangerous lie. Armenia needs reform, rule of law, and sovereignty—not a return to a feudal state run by clerics and tycoons.
Let the facts speak louder than fear.
Please be careful presenting logic to these paid propagandists. You might make their brain melt.
I am glad you wrote something much more sensible than Edgar’s trash.
We still disagree, but without being disagreeable.
Let me see if I can briefly respond without writing an entire book.
First of all, I disagree with your first paragraph. The one who is destroying Armenia’s so-called democracy is Pashinyan himself. He has violated the Constitution and many laws repeatedly. Furthermore, he is totally intolerant of not only dissent, but also any opinion that is different from his. This is pure unadulterated dictatorship — a one-man rule. Pashinyan single-handedly controls all three branches of government.
No one is disputing that Armenia was facing much more powerful enemies in the 2020 war. However, that should not excuse Pashinyan’s incompetent decisions as Commander-in-chief, while not knowing anything about the military. He is a draft dodger.
When he first came to power in 2018, he foolishly announced that he will conduct the negotiations with Azerbaijan from his own starting point. I recall that Aliyev immediately announced that he cannot negotiate with someone like Pashinyan who is throwing away almost three decades of negotiations. Aliyev decided then, and said so, that the only option left is war.
Yes, Pashinyan inherited a broken system, instead of improving it, he made it worse, due to his incompetence.
You talk about Russia abandoning Artsakh in 2023. You forgot that Russia did that after Pashinyan announced that Artsakh belongs to Azerbaijan. Did you expect Putin to be more protective of Artsakh than the PM of Armenia? This was also after Pashinyan announced that “Artsakh is Armenia, period.”
You twisted my words by claiming that I wrote that Pashinyan wants to erase the Armenian Genocide. I did not say anything like that. I wrote that he does not want to hear about the Armenian Genocide. He said that the pursuit of genocide recognition is no longer a priority for Armenia. You then go on to repeat Pashinyan’s anti-Armenian agenda.
Pashinyan violated Armenia’s constitutional provision of separation of church and state. Pashinyan and his girlfriend used the most vulgar language to attack the Catholicos and other high-ranking clergymen. Pashinyan should be sued for libel. He has not presented a shred of evidence to validate his claim. Anyway, celibacy is none of the PM’s business. Have you read Pashinyan’s pornographic book?
Your fake excuses about arresting Karapetyan and nationalizing his business is laughable. Isn’t it funny that Pashinyan came up with his excuses after ordering Karapetyan’s illegal arrest. Why didn’t Pashinyan nationalize the company earlier? After all, he has been a PM for seven years?
You are also wrong that Pashinyan enjoys broad public support. I hope you know that his rating has dropped from 80% seven years ago to around 8% now. That is not a broad support. His only supporters are the thousands of government employees who will be fired if they dare to criticize him and the police whose loyalty Pashinyan buys by giving them monthly bonuses.
The Armenian government already has a couple of cases in international arbitration by foreign investors. Karapetian’s lawsuit can make Armenia liable for billions of dollars, at the Armenian taxpayers’ expense.
You are also wrong that I support the oligarchs and clergy. I have spent hundreds of hours harshly criticizing the former leaders and the Catholicos, while sitting in front of them, not on Facebook. Back then, I did not hear a peep from you. I am for a new competent and patriotic leader!
First off, the 2020 war was not an Azerbaijani war backed by Turkey. It was a Turkish war backed by Azerbaijan. It was a Turkish proxy war on Armenia using Azerbaijani armed forces, among others. Their joint military exercises in occupied Nakhijevan and Turkish defense minister Akar acting as Azerbaijan’s spokesperson and mouthpiece was a proof of this fact. Having said that, I don’t think Pashinyan alone is being blamed for the loss of Artsakh but it is a fact that this happened under his watch. He was the one who, instead of dialing down the temperature; he lit the fuse for the start of the 2020 war with his irresponsible rhetoric. Two examples come to mind that back this up. One, he reiterated and declared Artsakh as Armenia soon after his election and visit to Stepanakert, when there was no need for that kind of talk and besides Artsakh was de-facto a part of Armenia already due to the fact that its population was carrying Armenian passports and was using Armenian currency, and he also scrapped all negotiations taken place between the two sides thus far and began anew, started from “zero” as he put it. Second, his incompetent and delusional defense minister Davit Tonoyan while ignoring Turkey’s active and visible role on Azerbaijan’s behalf kept egging the enemy on with his claim and slogan of and I am paraphrasing “new clashes, new liberated territories” giving the enemy further ammunition and excuse to resort to military action. To back up their claims, what did Pashinyan and Tonoyan have to show for? Not much! They had spent several hundred million dollars buying Russian fighter jets without the capability to fire and never used in the subsequent war, instead of investing in hundreds if not thousands, of military grade UAVs (drones) and they had let go of all experienced and battle-hardened military leaders from the previous regime who had many victories under their belts from the 1990s Artsakh Liberation War and replacing them with inexperienced officers subservient to Pashinyan.
Based on enemy dictator’s racist and personal disdain for the Armenians, most likely due to his KGB father’s devastating and humiliating defeat at the hands of victorious Armenians, and lack of any willingness to compromise, it was quite clear that the reason this enemy dictator was going along with “peace negotiations”, a ruse in reality, was because he was not yet ready to begin a large scale attack. He was suffering from a very bad and failed experience in 2016 when he tried, without direct Turkish military support, and had lasted only a week with massive casualties He wanted to get everything peacefully until he was fully ready to get them by force in absence of Armenia bending to his demands. Mind you, all the posturing by Pashinyan and his defense minister was happening when they had very little or no military experience and at a time when NATO member Turkey, unlike in the past, had once again shown its ugly face on Armenia’s backyard after a century of absence and after the failed 2009 Armenia-Turkey reconciliation fiasco and in defense of Azerbaijan. As for Russia not coming to Armenia’s aid to honor its military obligations, despite the fact that the Russian peacekeepers did not perform their duties to keep the peace, they had no obligation towards Artsakh and the flip-flopping Pashinyan had already done a 180 turn and had declared Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan putting the lives of all Artsakh Armenians and their leaders in danger because by Pashinyan’s such cowardly and irresponsible declaration the Artsakh population had become hostaes to the enemy forces and all Armenian combatants and liberators in Artsakh were now viewed and treated as terrorists. In retrospect, Pashinyan ultimately bears a lion’s shares of the blames for what happened to Artsakh for his lack of diplomatic and military experience, empty bravado, narcissism and having a pacifist and globalist delusions of grandeur!
Let’s never forget that Mr. Pashinyan represents the democratic will of the Armenian people. Armenia is now a “Westernized” country with “European” aspirations. Always remember that. Therefore, let’s please show the duly-elected leader of Armenia some respect, as he is the Western-financed and Turkish-led political activist a clear majority of our people, both in the homeland and in the diaspora, wanted to lead Armenia not only in 2018 but also in 2020, 2021 and 2023. In 2024, Bishop Bagratyan finally proved that the Armenian people don’t want change. So be it. Let’s respect the “democratic” wish of the “people”. If you believe in “people power”, “democracy”, “westernization” and “the American way”, stop your constant complaining and start supporting Mr. Pashinyan in his historic mission to turn Armenia into a Turkish/Azeri Vilayet.
PS: I would really like to see Russia cut-off all financial, economic and energy ties with Armenia (the only thing keeping the remote, landlocked and impoverished nation afloat) and take its troops stationed on Armenia’s border with Turkey (the only thing keeping NATO-member Turkey out of Armenia) back to Russia. Sometimes you just have to let a terminally ill patient die (a la Kevorkian)…
The title of this article ” …his days are numbered..” is, unfortunately, erroneous.
Who’s warming up in the bullpen ?
We are sitting in the 9th inning of a lopsided contest.
Meanwhile the turks sharpen their knives.