Former RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan stated that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s diplomatic inexperience has put Armenia in front of serious geopolitical challenges and security threats. He said this in a video message published on social networks.

According to Oskanyan, Pashinyan is not able to conduct a balanced policy between different power centers. As an example, the former minister recalled the meeting with the President of the Russian Federation in Moscow, noting that the Prime Minister gave a “wrong” answer regarding EAEU-EU relations.

“Even a 7th grade student would not give such an answer. Pashinyan is a person far from diplomacy, he has not learned anything during these years,” said Oskanyan.

According to him, all the severe consequences of recent years are caused by the fact that the authorities have always made wrong decisions when faced with a dilemma. Despite the European summits and various events held in Armenia, Oskanyan claims that Armenia-EU relations are in the weakest phase of the last three decades in terms of content.

The former foreign minister drew parallels with his term of office, noting that during those years, Armenia simultaneously developed relations with the European Union, NATO, Russia, the USA and other partners without aggravating relations. According to him, in previous years there were greater opportunities for visa liberalization and deepening of cooperation within the framework of the CEPA agreement.

Oskanyan also accused the current authorities of failing the biometric passport process, claiming that the process of visa liberalization was delayed for years as a result. In his assessment, real partnership has been replaced by a “show”, which has only deepened the tension in relations with Russia.

Referring to the thesis of the authorities that there will be a war after their departure, Oskanyan called it an “absolute lie”. According to him, scaring one’s own people with such threats should be criminally punishable. At the same time, he predicted a severe economic crisis in case of Pashinyan’s re-election.

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