YEREVAN— On August 18, 2025, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan delivered a televised address declaring that peace had been “established” between Armenia and Azerbaijan following negotiations in Washington, D.C., mediated by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Pashinyan called the agreement a historic turning point, claiming it marked the official end of the conflict and the beginning of a “completely new” era for Armenia and the South Caucasus. “We are now living in an entirely different Armenia,” he stated, attributing the breakthrough largely to Trump’s role and announcing a joint nomination with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
He outlined several outcomes of the August 8-9 Washington summit: the pre-signing of a peace agreement, the publication of its text on August 11, a joint memorandum with Trump on the “Peace Crossroads” infrastructure project and the launch of a U.S.-backed initiative called the “Trump Path for International Peace and Prosperity.”
According to Pashinyan, the deal ends Armenia’s 30-year isolation. He asserted that transportation routes between Armenia and Azerbaijan will reopen based on principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty and border inviolability—with no extraterritorial corridors and all crossings subject to customs and state authority. He added that border delimitation must precede route openings and will be based on Soviet-era boundaries as defined in the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration.
Addressing territories under Azerbaijani control, Pashinyan said peace requires a reciprocal view: if parts of Armenia are occupied by Azerbaijan, parts of Azerbaijan are under Armenian control, as well. He described this as the “new logic” of peace, calling for the abandonment of older narratives of victimhood.
Responding to criticism over the absence of any mention of Artsakh, Pashinyan reaffirmed his decision—first announced in March—to end Armenia’s involvement in the Artsakh movement, saying that continued focus on the issue is “dangerous and damaging.” He also dismissed the idea of displaced Armenians returning to Artsakh, calling such discussions a threat to peace.
On the issue of Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan, Pashinyan said that including their release in the peace deal could have delayed their return. He pointed to the repatriation of 58 detainees as evidence that quiet diplomacy works better than written guarantees and promised continued efforts to secure additional releases.
The prime minister highlighted the “Trump Path” project as part of the broader “Peace Crossroads” initiative, promising major U.S. investment, regional infrastructure and the transformation of Armenia into a logistical and energy hub.
Throughout his speech, Pashinyan described peace as a fundamental shift in national mindset. He likened it to a newborn requiring constant care and argued that Armenians must learn how to live in peace after decades of conflict. “Peace will look like what we make it look like,” he said, insisting it must be shaped jointly with Azerbaijan.
He even suggested that mourning practices and national memory around fallen soldiers must evolve, arguing that peace should become the true tribute to those who died. Framing the Washington deal not as a compromise but as a “win-win,” Pashinyan rejected diplomacy as a contest of victory or defeat, and instead portrayed the agreement as a shared success for Armenia, Azerbaijan and the United States.
He concluded by urging Armenians to care for peace as a long-term national project. “Peace has been established,” he said. “Our task is to take care of it and make it permanent.”
But behind the lofty declarations, choreographed symbolism and carefully chosen words lies a far more complicated reality. While Pashinyan presents the Washington agreements as the dawn of a peaceful era, critics argue that the narrative is built on omissions, false equivalencies and a strategic surrender disguised as diplomacy. What is being sold to the Armenian people as “peace” may, in truth, be a repackaged defeat—one that risks erasing justice, legitimizing aggression and abandoning those for whom no promises were kept.
The Washington agreements and the vision of “peace” they claim to usher in are not universally embraced. For many Armenians, including public figures and political leaders, what is being framed as a new era is in fact a dangerous distortion of reality.
Artsakh MP Metakse Hakobyan voiced her sharp criticism of what she calls the “so-called Real Armenia,” the ideological centerpiece of Pashinyan’s latest rhetoric. She warned that the government’s appeal to “realism” is not an honest reckoning with geopolitical truths, but a carefully constructed narrative designed to normalize defeat and silence dissent.
“At first glance, it seems like a call for honesty—an end to illusions,” Hakobyan wrote. “But beneath the surface, this new terminology is filled with perilous content. It does not free the people from delusion; it teaches them to accept loss.”
According to Hakobyan, the prime minister’s assertion that the return of displaced Armenians to Artsakh is “unrealistic” goes far beyond a policy position; it amounts to a rejection of fundamental national rights. By declaring homeland dispossession permanent, the state is conditioning its citizens to accept erasure. She cautioned that if today’s “reality” is an Artsakh without Armenians, then tomorrow that same logic could apply to any part of Armenia.
In this view, Pashinyan’s “Real Armenia” is not about security or sovereignty—it is about submission, adapting national policy to the adversary under the threat of renewed war. But as Hakobyan argued, “this is no longer statecraft; it is the philosophy of capitulation.”
She also highlighted growing repression within Armenia itself, including political trials, arrests and persecution of dissenters, such as parents of fallen soldiers, clergy and sitting MPs, which she said reflects a disturbing erosion of freedom under the guise of a new political order.
“If a country has political prisoners, that country is under occupation,” Hakobyan stated. “People are behind bars not because they broke the law, but because they refused to stay silent.”
In this “Real Armenia,” she argued, dignity is portrayed as dangerous, national ambition as outdated and resistance as criminal. The public is being taught to accept a diminished state—not as a transitional phase, but as a permanent condition.
“The so-called Real Armenia is not about building a national state,” she wrote. “It is a blueprint for dismantling the foundations of statehood. It tells us to live not as a free and dignified people, but as a defeated and compliant society.”
For critics like Hakobyan, the Washington agreement is not a new beginning, but the continuation of a long slide into strategic retreat, now wrapped in the language of peace. Speaking out against this path, she continued, can land people in courtrooms or prison cells, making the enforced “reality” one of repression rather than reconciliation.
“The only ‘Real Armenia’ is the one built on dignity and freedom. If the current government cannot deliver that, then it is the greatest threat facing our people today,” she explained.
The vision of “peace” has also drawn sharp condemnation from members of Armenia’s National Assembly. Opposition MP Garnik Danielyan, speaking to ABC Media, dismissed Pashinyan’s framing of post-Artsakh Armenia as an independent success story, calling it a “fabricated and shameful thesis” that attempts to present homeland loss as national achievement.
“The overwhelming majority of our people—over 90%—cannot envision Armenia without Artsakh,” Danielyan stated. “Artsakh was not only our shield; it was the foundation of our national security. After its loss, problems in Syunik, Gegharkunik and Tavush have only intensified.”
He argued that by surrendering parts of the homeland under the illusion of peace, the government has weakened the country, not secured it. The claim that independence was achieved through territorial concessions, he said, is historically false and politically dangerous.
Danielyan also pointed to ruling party MPs who now openly declare that, under their leadership, the question of Artsakh’s return is permanently closed—a position he sees as proof that the government’s objective was not to preserve Artsakh, but to abandon it.
“Today, the Armenian government works hand-in-hand with Baku to shut down any discussion of Artsakh’s future or the rights of its displaced population,” he said. “This so-called ‘era of peace’ has nothing to do with justice. It is simply a policy of disgraceful capitulation.”
Reflecting on why public discontent has not yet led to regime change, Danielyan cited systemic repression, media manipulation and foreign backing that shield the government from accountability. Peaceful demonstrators were met with violence, including the use of “Cheremukha” stun grenades that injured hundreds.
“People are persecuted for speaking out: national figures, clergy and activists alike,” he added. “This struggle is not personal; it is national. For the future of Armenia, Artsakh and the Armenian people.”
Danielyan concluded that the road to real peace and justice lies not through submission, but through national unity and resistance. He warned that the government itself has become the gravest threat to Armenia’s sovereignty and dignity.
Ishkhan Saghatelyan, representative of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Armenia Supreme Council and MP, described Pashinyan’s address as a “confession in real time,” exposing continued Azerbaijani demands and the likelihood of further concessions. Speaking days after the so-called “pre-signed” agreement, Pashinyan himself admitted that new negotiations were underway, undermining claims that a final peace had been reached.
“He acknowledged that Armenian-held areas are considered Azerbaijani by Baku—effectively justifying more territorial handovers,” Saghatelyan said. “This narrative does not end the conflict. It prolongs it, one concession at a time.”
The opposition MP also noted Pashinyan’s silence on Azerbaijani troops remaining inside Armenia’s internationally recognized borders, as well as the absence of progress on key issues such as the return of Armenian POWs and the rights of displaced Artsakh Armenians.
“You cannot speak of peace while soldiers are still occupying your territory and captives remain behind bars,” he said.
Saghatelyan also criticized Pashinyan for omitting President Aliyev’s ongoing demands that Armenia amend its constitution and accept the resettlement of Azerbaijanis in Armenia, calling the silence deliberate.
“This was not a peace agreement—it was a strategic retreat dressed up as a national milestone,” he concluded. “The more the truth is exposed, the harder it will be for the government to disguise the next concession as a historic victory.”
Can the supporters of this so-called “peace treaty” (and of Pashinyan by default) explain, how this is a “win” for Armenia?
You asked so here it is, Russia has mostly abandoned Armenia (militarily anyways). Everyone wants to live in the west or live within western standards like yourself (probably from Glendale). That includes the Armenian citizens. Hey, if poverty and the freezing Russian tundra is your thing Putin is offering free farming land for anyone that wants to relocate. Turkey pivoted towards the west 100 years ago and is doing great now days except Erdogan but he ain’t going to be there forever. If possible do what Turkey does, Russian nuclear power plant, oil, gas, etc and also NATO, EU partner… Compartmentalise and pick your side accordingly. Have Russian cheap gas but militarily be NATO partners. Now is also the perfect time to do it, Russia can’t do much these days (Ukraine and all).
Turks, because of their religion, can never, ever be part of the West.
Look at the EU, the Turks applied to join 40 years ago and are still not members.
Turks are not welcome.
Poor Armenians. Taking advice from a turk and cuckold named Charles. No wonder you get genocide.
Let me make it easy. Being friend with Turk is like being friend with bully who steals your money and rape your sister.
We Chinese have thousand year history with Turk, and have strategy beating them. That why they get beat down in West China.
We rule Turk, not try to be friend with them or any bully.
Armenian, start using brain.
The Han have the advantage of numbers more born each year than numbers of Armenians amongst other things hence could beat back Turanian aggression indeed it was the Han being too strong which set the Turks on a westward migration troubling the Armenians amongst many peoples.
Charles man
That the lamest advice a homey ever read
No wonder Tyrone calling the shots with you and da misses…
You got game like nikol pashinyan, and believe me homeboy, that ain’t a compliment
Facts hurt, just like Armenia losing, and Russia whom many Armenians had great reverence of, betraying with its support for Azerbaijan and coming short of expectations with the lachin corridor .
Good advice!
We love the Chinese. All our neighbors here in Toronto are Chinese. They are closer to us than relatives.
You are sarcastically stereotyping Armenians as western lovers who abandon their homeland yet you live in Australia according to your nickname. How about those two or three million plus Turkish German citizens whose parents were imported into Germany in 1950s due to labor shortage and today they and their children visit Turkey as tourists? A hundred years ago newly-invented and defeated Turkey was in cahoots with newly established USSR and received full financial and military support from them to kick the westerners out. It was only in 1952 after WW2 that Turkey joined the west and its NATO alliance and that for saving Turkey from Soviet takeover!
Let me say how. I will quote the last PM of the first Republic, Simon Vratsian who said” “”I am not carried away by illusions at all. I know what the Armenian-Turkish relationship means. I know how deep the hostility and hatred between those two peoples are. I know, too, what sorrow there is in the heart of every Armenian. But I also know that it is necessary for our own interests, for the very future of the Armenian people, that a tolerable way of life be created between Armenia and Turkey. And I am convinced that that day will come. When, how – I do not know.
But that day must come. And truly realistic and far-sighted figures must work to bring that day closer. Politicians must be able to overcome feelings and prejudices and “to rise above crowd logic.” (“Simon Vratsian, the last PM of the first republic – “American Armenian Encyclopedia Yearbook”, 1924/1925, «Ամերիկահայ հանրագիտակ տարեգիրք», 1924/1925)
On a personal note, I am amazed at the audacity of the Armenian denizens living in the Diaspora who comfortably carry on with their lives as citizens of countries that have peaceful relations with Turkey but have a thing or two to to the citizens of Armenia as to why they should conduct their lives, that is to say contrary to theirs. . I know that Hovhannes Tounanyan said “live, but do not live like us”,, but that was said in an entirely different context.
Now let me ask you. Why this peace deal is not a win for the citizens of Armenia?
@Vahe aapelian is arguing that nikol pashinyan is a far sighted man.
@Vahe, was nikol pashinyan also farsighted when he demanded the catholicos inspect his penis?
Or did Nikol Pashinyans statement make you envious as that demand was not directed at you?
My comment is in response to Steve M. who said “Can the supporters of this so-called “peace treaty” (and of Pashinyan by default) explain, how this is a “win” for Armenia?” I was expecting to hear from him but I came to read your comment made in anonymity.
Closer to EU & NATO. We will get there.
No one needs any advice and comments from Turks. Buzz off!
This man would be better than nikol. What has nikol gotten Armenia in any negotiations? Nuttin
This kid got a gold chain
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFYXTKVP5dC/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Armenia lost thus couldn’t set the terms it’s a bad peace as to be expected with a defeat but to move on and make the best of it.
Peace with the Turks but never trust.
If you want peace, prepare for war.
The Armenians need to become the Prussians of the Caucasus.
Can that happen?
It can but only with a paradigm shift in Armenian culture.
It’s hard to have respect for a people whose only ambition in life is a new BMW.
Have you seen the collossal amounts of money wasted at Armenian weddings?
How the heck do poor Armenians get married? I don’t know.
Waste and extravagance have to be replaced by a spartan emphasis on fortitude.
Are the Armenians capable of this paradigm shift in their culture? I don’t know.
What I do know is that if there isn’t a comscious attempt at change, Armenia faces a bleak future.
Stop day dreaming. Prussians were the way were because of their genetic makeup and culture. We are the way we are because of our genetic makeup and culture. We are similar to Kurds and Yezdis. The ONLY way Armenia can survive in the south Caucasus is through intimate relations with Russia. Period. Wake up already.
Yes to close relations to Russia!
When I say “Prussians” I mean the whole gamut of military culture, which is not exclusive to any one race but which can give Armenians a fighting spirit.
All “cultures” are genetic in origin. Historic circumstances during the past 1000-plus have “bred” Armenians to be the way they are today…
We all saw with our own eyes how Pashinyan humilliated Armenia by capitulating to the Turks in Washington.
Something has to change in Armenia or there’ll be further capitulations to the Turks in the future.
If peace is to give into enemy demands, instead of doing the honorable thing and resign for incompetence, to treat sacred Armenian territories as pieces of real state that can be auctioned off to the highest bidder or given away in exchange for holding on to power, to treat Armenian hostages and soldiers as forgotten insignificant and dispensable commodities, to treat the ethnic-cleansing of native Artsakh “karabakh” Armenians and their homeland devoid of all Armenians for the first time in their multi-millennial history as new reality, to leave the atrocities committed against the Armenian nation with impunity and only a century ago and the seizure and the occupation of the 90% of the total Armenian landmass as a result of such atrocities a thing of the past, to facilitate the unification of two unrepentant genocidal Armenian enemies to the east and to the west via Armenian territory and leasing this territory for 99 years to a foreign country thousands of miles away and one that is in the same NATO camp as our Turkish enemy with unconditional and direct military support for our current pseudo-Turkish arch-enemy, the very same country (USA) that failed to ratify the Wilsonian Armenian Mandate a century ago that it not only would have restored centuries old seized Armenian territories back to the murdered Armenian nation and bring security to Armenia but that its lack of support and failure instead caused the invasion of what little was left of Armenia by new leader of genocidal Turkey, and if to “lease” the most important piece of Armenian territory to such foreign country adversarial to an important friendly and historically significant neighbor to the south that had always acted as the most secure and reliable outlet to the outside world for landlocked Armenia, then for sure he has brought peace to Armenia!
This unpatriotic ignorant fool disguised as prime minister is the worst leader Armenia has ever had. He is everything that true blooded Armenians are not. He is delusional and an embarrassment to the entire Armenian nation. He was not even elected as the Armenian leader in 2018 because people wanted him to lead as many may think he was. He was a complete unknown to most Armenians. As a double-talking manipulative opportunist, he took advantage of the political vacuum created to seize power at a very opportune time when people would vote for anyone other than for those who through their strong leadership brought dignity to the Armenian nation, restored pride by liberating enemy-occupied Armenian territories and restoring them to their true indigenous Armenian inhabitants and brought the enemy to its knees shattering all their myths. Pashinyan lied his way into office by his so-called fake “velvet revolution” that was supposed to make life better for our people but in reality his fake “revolution” has benefited no one but our enemies because they got from this loser all they wanted and could not imagine getting in their wildest dreams and unable to get in three decades despite all their petrodollar wealth and war-mongering rhetoric. I look forward to his speedy exit. Traitors to the nation should have no right to make decisions for us and to plan our future!
You have to be very delusional to think we had any more hands left to play after a military defeat. You say we gave away lands like there weren’t drones and missiles raining down day and night. We lose blood they lost drones. Did you want to continue and lose more blood? We have another stunted generation missing a whole bunch of future fathers and growth to our population. At least learn how to live to fight another day. Sometimes you need to cut off your arm to save the rest of your body. Intimate relations with Russia for our entire Soviet history and 30 years after did nothing to protect us or build up any sector of our society. Did you not just bear witness to what happened? Or is the war just western propaganda that never happened but is said to have happened just to make Russia look bad. All this talk, where were you guys all these years? How come you didn’t go become president and save our country. Why are you talking after the fact? All words. 0 action.
And to whoever it is that keeps spamming the board with their 100 different split personalities, you are annoying and bring nothing to the table. And to the “turkish friend” don’t worry about our culture and society. All the advantages of wealth you guys have and you contribute nothing to the world stage. Not education. Not culture. Not music. Nothing. Look at your per capita numbers on the Olympics. Other than murderous tendencies you guys haven’t shown the world much.
Wars and conflicts happen because of diplomatic failures. Once they start no one can predict what can happen or what the outcome will be. No one wants drones raining down on them. Even one of our servicemen getting killed is one too many. But to avoid wars requires strong diplomacy from position of power. To win wars, or to minimize casualties in case the war breaks out despite all efforts to prevent it, requires strategy and advanced planning and preparation. Strategizing requires active enemy surveillance. Advanced planning and preparation require investing in weapons that neutralize enemy capabilities at the minimum. Pashinyan failed in all fronts and failed miserably because he was not only unqualified to run a country but more so a country in a state of war for the last three decades. Instead of building on the on-going peace process he scraped everything and started from “Zero” as he put it. Instead of toning down his rhetoric when he visited Artsakh soon after his fraudulent election into office, and under watchful eyes and ears of the enemy, he turned it up even higher with nothing to back it up and caused the enemy to be even more adversarial and much more determined to resort to military action now that Turkish defense ministry had joined forces with them. His incompetent defense minister made matters worse by challenging the enemy armed to the teeth claiming more territories will be liberated and seized with every enemy aggression. Instead of investing in modern weapons, among them military grade drones, he wasted hundreds of millions of dollars buying Russian made fighter jets without necessary ammunition and firing capability. In hindsight, they turned out to be weapons used for selfies only. He let go of all battle-hardened Armenian officers and generals who had served under previous regimes with many victories under their belts replacing them with inexperienced officers subservient to him. He had the opportunity to stop the war early on by way of proposed ceasefire during the war early on to avoid thousands of casualties while maintaining control over much of the Armenian liberated territories with some enemy preconditions and he did not because according to him he did not want to be labeled traitor which today is the least of what he is labeled. The list of his failures goes on and on. You see, I pay attention to details, research the subject matter to the best of my abilities and express my thoughts accordingly and with logic and common sense. All you are doing is printing off-the-cuff remarks, showing knee-jerk reactions to complicated matters, and make personal attacks with insults because you don’t like what you read and fail to grasp the intricacies of the subject matter.
What are you even talking about knee jerk reactions off the cuff remarks. For someone who says they go off logic, doesn’t logic require proof ?
You said fraudulent elections, illegitimate leader. You are doing nothing but peddling false claims. 0 evidence of anything you are saying.
Talking about peace agreements that should’ve been signed that would’ve saved our lands. Where are they? Other than conspiracy theories, where are these agreements that we never got to see. You think the enemy would stop in the middle of a war they didn’t even need to send their own troops into and make a deal that gave us what they wanted?
You are delusional. You are just too delusional to see it. Name me one thing I said that was opinion and not fact. You are the one that has a hard time with reality and you try to make yourself seem so smart, why don’t you just make points that don’t involve opinion and we can decide for ourselves how smart you are or aren’t.
I don’t really care whether I look smart or not. What I care about is details and the full picture of what transpired. And for your information, what I meant by off-the-cuff remarks and knee-jerk reactions is that you tend to display impromptu and spontaneous reaction and speak with emotions that defy logic. The 2018 elections were fraudulent because there is no way an unknown like Pashinyan could get over three quarters of the votes casted. He lied and made promises he could not and never kept. As we know now, he turned out to be a double-talking flip-flopper who would say one thing and do another. His failed foreign policies were full of secrecy and lacked transparency.. Fraud takes different forms and it does not necessarily have to be done with bribery and other illegal means.
After getting elected and taking full control of the country he began singing tunes far different from his pre-election lectures and preaching. He said he was only the leader and the prime minister of contemporary Armenia throwing the majority of the world-wide Armenian population under the bus by undermining decades of painstaking work to hold our Turkish enemy responsible and accountable for their past crimes which is exactly what our enemy wanted. Did he not? He was walking around with his Armenian map cut-out emphasizing his stand in full view and approval of our enemy. He became more popular among our enemy population than he never was among ours.
He rejected Russian proposed ceasefire on October 10, 2020 only two weeks into the joint Turkish-Azerbaijani invasion of Armenian liberated territories and at a time that it was obvious the war was already lost. He could have ceased the opportunity presented to him and save thousands of lives, and while in control of most of the Armenian liberated territories, but he did not for selfish reasons.
You question and claim that the enemy in no way would have stopped in the middle of the war already in full progress for the proposed ceasefire and I say YES the enemy would have because we saw what happened in 4-day war of April 2016 when the enemy started a full-scale attack, after a decade of militarization with annual military budget more than the entire Armenia’s annual state budget, and lasted only a week accepting, some even say requesting, a ceasefire agreement. Why did they not go all the way and put their money where their mouths were at that time? With October 10, 2020 Russian ceasefire proposal, and with Turkey’s direct military involvement on our enemy’s behalf, Pashinyan had more of an urgent reason to accept the proposed ceasefire than Sargsyan had in April of 2016. Besides, that would have given our side plenty time and room to breathe and to regroup. In hindsight, according to the enemy itself and soon after the start of the war, they were already beginning to run out of military supplies because of their original “shock and awe“ attack and also because the winter was around the corner in that region of the world that could hamper enemy efforts in major ways and cause the war to drag on for months giving our side even more opportunities to counter. Pashinyan was not a military man attempting to direct a war with fully prepared enemy with NATO member Turkey on its side and with seven decades of experience in warfare and terrorism since its membership in that alliance back in 1952. There are many more reasons and proofs…
Curious, I thought that Artsakh *was* Real Armenia.
I’m not sure what anyone was expecting from a Trump-brokered, “Peace Plan,” except Baku getting what it wanted. I recall so many people were dismissive of Harris during the elections because, “she only supports the status quo on Nagorno-Karabakh … but Trump will give us back Artsakh!” I don’t know how many people voted with that mindset, but clearly enough. Would Harris have been different? Vo’chinch. We’ll never know.
So here we are, with Pashinyan urging that Trump gets the Nobel Peace Prize for making sure that Artsakh, at least during my lifetime, remains under Azerbaijan rule. Talk about sleeping with the enemy.
For more than thirty years, Armenians have been told that dignity comes from fighting, that patriotism means sacrifice, and that survival is tied to endless struggle. But where has that led us? Empty villages, grieving families, and a generation raised under the shadow of funerals instead of futures. Peace, however fragile or imperfect, is not betrayal—it is the only way to stop the bleeding.
Opponents of peace cry “capitulation,” yet they never answer the most basic question: what is the alternative? Do they truly believe Armenia can outgun an oil-rich dictatorship backed by Turkey? Do they expect Russia—who abandoned us when it mattered most—to suddenly reappear as a savior? Or that Europe, drowning in its own crises, will send soldiers for Artsakh? Their rhetoric isn’t strategy—it’s theatre, and it is paid for with Armenian lives.
It is easy to demand “resistance” from the safety of a television studio or a parliamentary bench. It costs nothing to shout about “dignity” while demanding that someone else’s son picks up a rifle. The same voices promising “no compromise” are the ones who never stand in the trenches themselves. They trade in illusions because illusions keep them relevant. But illusions can’t protect Armenia—they can only bury it.
The loss of Artsakh is unbearable. No honest Armenian denies that. But pretending we can simply win it back through sheer willpower is a lie that keeps displaced families trapped in limbo, feeding them false hope while offering no real path forward. Courage is not promising what cannot be delivered. Courage is admitting that war brought us to the edge, and only peace can pull us back.
Critics claim peace is humiliation. But what is more humiliating than sending wave after wave of young men to die in battles that cannot be won? What is more humiliating than clinging to slogans while the economy shrinks, borders stay closed, and people leave the country in despair? It is not peace that weakens us—it is the refusal to accept reality.
Peace is not just an agreement signed in Washington or Moscow or Brussels. It is a mindset. It is the choice to stop defining ourselves only through enemies and instead start building a country worth living in. Reopened trade routes mean jobs, infrastructure, energy security, and fewer Armenians forced to emigrate. They mean our children growing up with schools, not sirens; with opportunities, not funerals.
For the first time in decades, Armenia is being asked to think differently about itself. The government’s new idea of a “Real Armenia” is not just a slogan—it is an uncomfortable but necessary break from the illusions of the past. It says: this is our homeland as it exists now, within our borders, with the resources and challenges we actually have. It tells us to stop defining our lives around lands we do not control, and instead build strength where we stand.
This is a radical shift because for generations Armenians have been raised on the dream of “Greater Armenia.” In textbooks, politics, and public life, the image of a homeland stretching across four neighboring states has been held up as destiny. But that destiny is impossible. Holding onto it has not brought us security—it has brought us isolation, repeated wars, and a future mortgaged to grief.
The “Real Armenia” concept feels harsh because it forces us to accept painful truths: Artsakh will not return, lost lands are not coming back, and mourning cannot be the foundation of national policy forever. But accepting reality is not weakness—it is survival. A nation cannot live forever in the past. If Armenia is to endure, it must let go of maps that exist only in history books and nationalist posters.
Meanwhile, the opposition clings desperately to “Greater Armenia,” insisting that anything less is betrayal. But betrayal to whom? To our children who deserve a chance at life beyond war? To our economy that suffocates under closed borders? To our soldiers who have already died in battles with no endgame? No—the true betrayal is pretending Armenia can endlessly fight for lands it cannot hold, sacrificing generation after generation to a dream that will never materialize.
The “Greater Armenia” mindset is not strength. It is a trap. It convinces people that dignity means sacrifice and that mourning must define us forever. It demands blood without offering a future. In reality, it is less about saving Armenia than preserving the pride of politicians who cannot admit their vision has failed.
“Real Armenia,” by contrast, is not about giving up. It is about starting over with what is truly ours and making it work. It means strengthening our institutions, reopening trade routes, creating jobs, and building a state where Armenians don’t have to leave to survive. It means turning Armenia into a functioning country that looks outward to the world instead of inward to its wounds.
This new concept unsettles people because it trades the false comfort of “Greater Armenia” for the harder work of defending and improving the Armenia we actually have. But if we don’t do this—if we cling to illusions—even the Armenia we still possess risks being lost.
The truth is, peace is the only ground on which “Real Armenia” can grow. It may be fragile, imperfect, even painful—but it is the only soil from which a stable, dignified state can emerge. Those who oppose peace in the name of “Greater Armenia” are not defenders of the homeland. They are defenders of a dream that has already cost us too much.
We owe it to ourselves, and to those who come after us, to let go of the ghost of “Greater Armenia” and embrace the reality of a “Real Armenia.” Because dignity is not in dying for lost lands. Dignity is in living for the land we still have.
Quite so Hagop, the denialism is rife and the world is replete with examples of nations going for greater and seeking to regain ancient lands and ending up with lesser such as Germany in 1945 and in it’s way Russia invasion of Ukraine hadn’t restored the Soviet/ Russian empire but accelerated the decline of its legacy in the former USSR.
@Hagop. The major fault with your logic is that the enemy you are capiltulating to (Aliyev) is so flagrantly dishonest that any agreement you sign with him is worthless. So in essence you are giving and getting nothing in return and weakening your nation. Aliyev’s elections are all fraudulent, most notably the 2013 election where the results were accidentally released one day before the polls opened. In 2012 he was named Person of the Year by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. He broke multiple provisions of the Nov 9 2020 tripartate agreement just over 2 years after it was signed. He is a serial liar, murderer, and thief.
While it is up to the Armenian people who they wish to govern them, one can only hope the elections are free and fair.
You are correct that Armenia has no chance in “winning” a war against Azerbaijan backed by Turkey mainly because Armenia has no true allies and that is because from a transactional perspective it doesn’t have enough to offer.
What Armenia can do however is arm itself to the teeth (including cyber warfare) and make it clear that an attack on the Armenian homeland would be exceedingly painful to Azerbaijan which would include multipronged attacks on all it’s vital infrastructure including oil pipelines. From there try and negotiate where at least your adversary will still hate you but at least he might respect you. And even then you can’t trust him for a second.
Thank God we finally freed ourselves from the Russian yoke. This must be proud day for all proud American-Armenians. Good bless democracy and the American way.
Agree 100%. Let them enjoy it as much as they can because it won’t last long. The road back to Armenia and Artsakh will start with a Russian victory over the collective West in Ukraine. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
Hear! Hear!
Facts hurt, just like Armenia losing, and Russia whom many Armenians had great reverence of, betraying with its support for Azerbaijan and coming short of expectations with the lachin corridor .
In an exclusive interview with 168 Hours, the world-renowned economist says the US role in the South Caucasus is dangerous — dragging Armenia into Israel’s war with Iran and risking the country’s future with a shocking 99-year land lease deal. Sachs calls it a provocation, not peace, and a gamble that could turn Armenia into another Syria or Ukraine.
https://youtu.be/GhKYBky_2bI?si=ZCJvMj63sXt4kkyP
Russia although recently having fallen out with Azerbaijan who wasn’t taken in by Russia ingration with it only liking Russia as much as it needed to and Azerbaijan having formed a territorial defence pact with Turkey, has ever since Moscow decided karabakh was part of Azerbaijan has never changed it’s position on the matter. It strung Armenia along with false hopes when it condemed Armenia for recognising Artaskh area as part of Azerbaijan . Russia whom many Armenians put faith in failed to protect Armenians in Artaskh when Azerbaijan imposed its blockade which in a backhanded way showed Armenia and Armenians Russia limitations. Regarding Ukraine this shows Russia utter hypocrisy in admonishing Armenia for occupation of parts of internationally recognised Azerbaijan and shill Andrew korybko mocking Armenia use of unguided missiles and shells against Azerbaijan in 2020 and the fact Armenia never recognised Artaskh as independent let alone formally incorporate into Armenia yet little over a year later Russia would invade internationally recognised Ukraine causing exponentially greater scale of destruction and it’s declaration of annexations including over land it didn’t even control! Even if the conflict there ends probably with some kind of ceasefire perhaps akin to what Armenia had in 1994 , Russia is going to be “picking up the pieces ” and dealing with the ” day after” from its conflict and is likely remain under significant international sanctions . Thus the notion that Russia and maybe Iran whom Russia despite cooperation in Syria would do nothing against Israeli attacks upon its battlefield partner , will come riding to the rescue is risible and hope against hope much like the bitter reality in 2020 and 2023. Do temper views of Russia with realism to avoid disappointment . Indeed observe it’s actions in Ukraine and Syria etc so as not to view it dispassionately and realistically.
You are a paid for Russophobe and geograpically illiterate.
All you ever do is spread despair, doom, gloom and defeatism.
Why are you even here?
You are not Armenian and your frequent mistakes in English show that you are not British.
Go and get on your knees to serve your Pasha.
You’re probably right. It seems like this “Charles” character is more than one individual. They seem to be part of a cyber group tasked with spreading disinformation. Wouldn’t be surprised if Turkish.
Robert Whig your devotion to your abuser is touching even concerned seems to have given up.
Besides it’s hard to respect someone who stated crackpot proposal to induce an earthquake in Istanbul with missiles and yes if some Chinese was to suggest the same thing for earthquake prone Japan and Taiwan they would deserve similar derision and ridicule. Also the Kremlin hadn’t been keeping you up with facts since you stated about Armenia needing to recognise Palestine when they had done that last year yes the Pashinyan government making an anti Israel gesture that the previous prime ministers never did despite Israel being no friend.
Pointing out that Armenia doesn’t adjoin Russia is too literate for those infused with Kremlin lies and soviet ignorance.
@Charlie
I look at the geological maps of Istanbul and I smile.
If I can see exactly where Armenian missiles must hit, don’t you think the Armenian High Command also knows?
Devastating Istanbul is Armenia’s ultimate insurance against the Turks.
Speaking of Turks, you are not Armenian and you are not British but you are one of them.
As stated the idea of trying to cause an earthquake in Istanbul (or indeed anywhere else for that matter) with missile strikes explosion is insane given reasons of the fact that the driving process is deep below the earth’s surface involving sustained pressure and the centre of the movement is deep below the earth’s surface. Some incidents of fracking for oil and gas seems to have caused low strength earthquakes and notice how surface and underground nuclear tests haven’t caused earthquakes of any note as they would be too shallow and too short duration to do anymore than a tremor. Indeed the Mt st Helens eruption in 1980 was described as emitting the energy of 500 Hiroshima bomb a minute perhaps this gives an idea of the colossal forces at play. But if the daft idea keeps one happy and hopeful why not but fool you are.
I’m not Turkish I’ve never been there met some over time and encountered their foodstuffs and products over time as would be expected with globalisation but that’s it
Why are you here, Charlie?
You never have anything good or encouraging to say about Armenia.
You never criticise the Turks.
So why are you here?
@ Robert
Flattery leads to self gratification
I haven’t particularly criticised the Turks their ways are known but haven’t exalted them either and admonished the deranged @ Sevan Peter B who would exhalt them
As for Russia it had been Armenia main ally and had manipulated Armenia and the contention with Azerbaijan and the animosities with Turkey over the genocide had been a boon to Russia, sometimes in embitterment one can fail to realise that a seemingly allied country can infact be manipulative and even betray and blinded to the reality and only a catasophe reveals the reality . Simply an enemy can’t betray a friend can and it’s easier to forgive an enemy than a friend who has betrayed them. Indeed betrayal can be surprisingly difficult to realise, such as Iran eventually realised that Assad was betraying them to assuage Israel and when they did abruptly withdrew support hastening the rapid collapse of the Syrian regime. “Turk lover ” is just an escapist smear like “Nazi” in response to wokery and ” Zionist ” by Arab despots to distract from their own misrule and so on..
@Charles – correction you only admonished the deranged sevan peter b/sevan balci only when he started attaching himself to you. And you also praised him several times
Where are the massive street protests? Where is the public outrage? Where is the revolution? Where are our patriots? Where is the ARF? This is yet another black page in our history, yet again authored by Armenians. What a pitiful people.
In other countries, even a fraction of what Armenia is going through, would have caused huge mass protests, mass strikes, uprisings and in a revolution or in a coup d’état, deposing the leader(s) and the government. The initial outrage and loud protests after losing the Second Artsakh War in 2020 and after the collapse of Artsakh in 2023, have given way to widespread resignation and even apathy in Armenia. This disturbing trend is a case study for historians and sociologists.
Armenians had it ‘rough’ about 100 years ago, displaced all over the globe. Its not easy. Small landlocked country, small population, location itself and so on. You never know what time will show us, maybe with this peace you can prosper and be strong enough to get your way. I still believe being friends with Turkey is the best defence against Azerbaijan. Dont read too much into the 2 people’s, 1 nation or whatever else parroted by the government. Its no different then saying Turkey is high majority muslim. The majority mosque goers are old men these days.
If you believe Russian actions in the last wars were in line with being treaty allies, friends then thats just your opinion. Russia will never ever come to your aide, Gyumri base is for Russian power projection, nothing to do with Armenia’s security. They would leave in a heart beat with a good enough deal from Erdogan.
You admit that you are a Turk so you get credits for honesty.
Trying to split Armenia from its only ally is an obvious Turkish ploy and will never happen as that will leave Armenia naked.
Armenia will never become the Turkish vilayet of Ermenistan.
That “Armenians had it ‘rough’ about 100 years ago, displaced all over the globe” is called the ARMENIAN GENOCIDE perpetrated by your Turkish compatriots, which Turks like yourself never care to mention, let alone utter those two words. Instead of coming here and preaching your nonsense, shut the hell up and get lost.
@Steve M
Pashinyan is going to over-reach.
His next step will be to outlaw the ARF and other opposition parties.
When that happens the ARF and others will go underground and that will create a pre-revolutionary situation.
Then you will see the real resistance.
It’s a moot point that when Timur invaded Armenia and Anatolia in the 15th century attacking the ottomans that many Armenians sided with the ottomans given Timur anti Christian actions. This shows limitations in pan turkisim and that Turks and Armenians have aligned together at times.
You want Armenia to be friendly with Turkey, the very same Turkey whose defense ministry conducted a proxy war on Armenia in 2020 with no provocations from Armenia towards Turkey whatsoever and in defense of defeated and militarily incompetent Azerbaijan, as a means to avoid conflict with Azerbaijan? Where is the logic in that? That statement sounds more like a warning than anything else. It means if you don’t become friends with Turkey, Azerbaijan can get hostile against Armenia because Turkey has their back. But what does being friendly with Turkey entails? To stop the pursuit of holding Turkey responsible for the 1915 Armenian Genocide and territorial demands in regards to the loss and seizure of their homeland in Asia Minor which you summarized as “Armenians had it rough about 100 years ago”? Azerbaijan on its own is no real threat to Armenia and we have proven this many times over throughout the last thirty years of conflict with them. It is Turkey that is the real threat and loves to flex its muscles against much smaller and weaker nations but when it comes to equal or higher power they tend to sing a whole different tune. In the former case they encourage aggression while in the latter case they resort to con games and reconciliation to avoid embarrassment. The last time Armenia tried to be friendly with Turkey was back in 2009 Armenia-Turkey reconciliation process in which the two sides signed official document for unconditional rapprochement in the presence of the representatives of USA, France and Russia and in front of the whole world but soon after Turkey, under pressure from Azerbaijan, and in retrospect in return for cheap Caspian oil and gas as well as Turkey acting as the region’s energy hub, put preconditions for the ratification of those documents and the whole thing fell apart. Turkey showed once again that it can never be trusted!
Dealing with a Turk is like dealing with a con man, loan shark, robber, kidnapper, rapist and murderer, rolled into one. Armenians had to endure that for eight centuries! Relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan today, would again be like dealing with a con man, loan shark and thief, and Armenia would be exploited by them to the fullest. Armenians who are willing to open up Armenia to Turkish and Azerbaijani economic exploitation and dominance disguised as “trade”, are blind fools and totally unpatriotic.
I forgot to mention that I never believed in the so-called “2 people’s, 1 nation” slogan as you put it. That is one thing I can agree with. The first time I heard this slogan, “two states, one nation” more accurately, I knew exactly what it really meant and not what the two sides advocated. To me this slogan was nothing more than a euphemism for the destruction of the Armenian statehood. The leaders of these two nations with very little in common had concocted this falsehood and drilled into the heads of their politically ignorant population to manipulate and to exploit their feelings towards a common Armenian enemy. The majority of people living in Turkey today are not even of Turkish origin. They are people mostly transplanted there from Northern Caucasus, such as the Circassians, who mostly served in Turkish military and acted as royal guards, as well as others from various parts of the Balkans. A tiny fraction of Turkey’s population today is truly Turkish with Turkish roots which means originally being from Central Asia.
What we call Azerbaijanis, with the name taken from the Persians and misappropriated, are at best Turkified population and not Turkic. They are pseudo-Turkish. A people who adopted the Turkish language which by the way it is filled and mixed with Persian words. They are total opposites religiously. One is Sunni like the Arabs and the other is Shiite Muslim like the Persians. Azerbaijani customs and traditions are more aligned with Persian and Kurdish customs and traditions. Now, given all these falsehoods and contradictions and putting them aside for a moment for the sake of discussion and assume what their slogan says is true, logic and common sense dictate that “two states, one nation” advocates would be in full alliance. But the reality is far from this exposing the falsehood of this slogan. If what this slogan tries to promote were true, Azerbaijan would have recognized Northern Cyprus as Turkish and it has not in 53 years since 1974 Turkish invasion of the island. If this slogan were true, both Turkey and Azerbaijan would stand united against Israel for Israel’s destruction of Gaza and the ethnic-cleansing of the Palestinians from Gaza but surely that is not the case. Turkish leaders are very hostile towards Israel and call their leaders terrorists and worse than WW2 German henchmen committing genocide while Azerbaijan considers Israel as one of its closest allies and remains silent in full view of what Israel is doing in Gaza. All fake propaganda for common cause!
Whilst close there are significant differences between Turkey and Azerbaijan. Turkey is more democratic and has especially in the western half of the country a stronger civil society than Azerbaijan which is a family firm in it’s governance. Turkey recognises Kosovo, Azerbaijan doesn’t. Azerbaijan has only been able to have a foreign policy since 1992 thus until the dissolution of the Soviet Union wouldn’t have been able to express it’s own policy on Turkish northern Cyprus so 33 not 51 years is valid in that case actually. Turkey in public condemns Israel and has restricted some trade but serves as bound by contract to convey Azeri oil and gas to Israel which obviously helps support that countries economy and military. It’s generally considered public rhetoric for the Muslim mob in Turkey and beyond what Erdogan says much like the mantras of the “Arab street” regarding Israel especially in previous years about liberating Jerusalem but no such thing was even sincerely being planned. Also when Armenia recognised Palestine in 2024 Turkey commended Armenia whilst Azerbaijan was silent it having lost little time after independence like Georgia in doing so. Armenia for various reasons refrained from doing so for 32 years.
The so-called bromance between Azerbaijan and Turkey, and Heydar Aliyev’s slogan of “One Nation, two states” are a farce. The maxim of “There are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends, only permanent interests”, is valid for all times and for all countries. I am surprised that Azerbaijani-Turkish relations have not ruptured nor have even taken a dent, despite the aforementioned chasm in their foreign policies and clashing foreign policy interests between them.
@Robert Whig
Yes, absolutely, that’s where things are heading to.
Pashinyan will very likely try to go into full dictator mode and attempt to ban and suppress the ARF and all other opposition parties, groups and people, because he knows that he has no chance of winning an election fairly and squarely and attain a democratic, legitimate mandate from the voters anymore.
He is already trying to intimidate all his opponents with lawsuits, bogus charges and prison sentences.
He has indeed overreached himself and is pushing the population to the brink with his authoritarianism and his appeasement of Azerbaijan.
There is bound to be an explosion and uprising in Armenia to Pashinyan’s misrule, because every nation has a tolerance threshold, even Armenia, where this has lasted unusually long, considering the disasters that has befallen the Armenian nation during the past five years.
Pashinyan ought to look at the fate of the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu, if he doesn’t want to end up like him.
We have to have faith that the ARF knows what it’s doing and that it has made its plans.
This is an ARF site, after all.
😀
Pashinyan will ban the ARF, the ARF will go underground and the resistance will start.
@Robert Whig
Indeed. The Armenian Apostolic Church and the ARF are first on Pashinyan’s target list for suppression. Every political party and organization in Armenia which opposes Pashinyan and which he regards as a threat to his rule, need to prepare for that possibility and make contingency plans. At least, the ARF has branches outside Armenia and thus has a safety net, can regroup and rally support. The other opposition parties in Armenia, don’t have branches abroad and that safety net.
Anyone here remember how we treated Sargayan’s so-called protocols 15 years ago?
Where is the outrage in Armenia? Where are the protests in the diaspora? Where is the ARF? Where are our big talking “patriots”? Busy watching porn?
It’s been 7 years and Pashinyan is still in power. We deserve all the bloody pages in our history. Any other people with a spine and a brain would have gotten rid of this Western financed and Turkish led traitor right after the defeat in 2020. The only hope for Armenia still resides in Russia. Pray for the day Moscow completes its task in Ukraine and returns its attention to the south Caucasus. Pray for the day Moscow annexes Armenia and puts this nightmare known as “independence” behind us.
At the end of the day, Ivan will eventually come back and Pashinyan’s “triumph” will be shortlived.
No matter how hard the Pashinyan supporters, also here in the comment section, try to spin, defend and argue for the non-existent “pros” and “merits” of this despicable agreement, it is a hollow, rotten and treacherous capitulation treaty to its core. Pashinyan is desperate to implement this so-called “peace treaty”, despite its destructive provisions against Armenia. On Alarabiya News channel, Aliyev said about Trump, “He was so generous to give all [these] gifts, even more than was planned. He [is really] a person who deserves a lot of credit.” He of course meant this agreement. How will the supporters of this agreement defend Aliyev’s admission?
Dear Amerigahays,
What you are seeing in Armenia during the last 7 years is called “democracy” “westernization” and last but not least “independence” from Russia. I am sure you are very proud of yourselves. Enjoy the fallout.