To those who still doubt that the war and the post-war disasters – the depopulation of Nagorno-Karabakh, the occupation of Armenia’s sovereign territories, and the compliant acceptance of all of Azerbaijan’s demands – could have been avoided if the person leading the state had any understanding of diplomacy, foreign policy, and the value of words, I simply recommend listening to just one part of Pashinyan’s speech,” former Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan wrote, commenting on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s speech at the European Parliament.

“A man went to the podium of the European Parliament and declared that the bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church had violated certain spiritual rules known only to him, that they are agents of influence, and that they seek to undermine his ‘peace.’

If you cannot imagine what an absurd – at best ridiculous, and at worst contemptible – impression such remarks may have made on those sitting in the hall, I would struggle to describe it in words.

And if you can imagine it, then it is not difficult to understand that since 2018, during the negotiations over Artsakh, before the war, during the war, and in the post-war period up to the present day, the country has been led by a person who has failed to grasp what should be said and what should not be said; what is expected of a statesman; what no one is interested in hearing; and what ultimately reveals weakness, ignorance, fear, and sheer incompetence.

The answer to why Armenia has found itself in its current state lies precisely in this simple reality,” he wrote.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed his anger that the name Artsakh continues to be mentioned during Holy and Immortal liturgies of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

“What does that mean? It means a call to war – nothing else,” he said, speaking with reporters.

According to Pashinyan who declared war against the Church, the Catholicos and other members of the clergy have “taken the leadership of the war party.”

“There should not be such a situation. How can there be six different foreign policies in one country?” Pashinyan emphasized.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that he and the President of Azerbaijan are now speaking not about relative stability but about peace.

He noted that quiet, calm, and consistent diplomatic work is underway toward signing a peace agreement.

“I have no doubt that the agreement will be signed. It may be signed in April, May, June, or September – when exactly is a secondary issue, but it will be signed,” he said.

According to Pashinyan, although the agreement has not yet been finalized, peace has already been established.

He added that there are forces in Armenia – and presumably also in Azerbaijan – that are not satisfied with the establishment of peace and may attempt to reverse it.

“We must stand up for the established peace and make it irreversible,” Pashinyan added.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated during a briefing with journalists that the new Constitution should not include any reference to the Declaration of Independence, while adding that he sees no need to alter the text of the Declaration itself.

“The Declaration of Independence is built on the logic of conflict. We cannot continue with a logic of conflict if we want to build an independent state,” he said, noting that he had already expressed his position in detail in his message on the day of the Declaration of Independence.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday he had asked the director of Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, Edita Gzoyan, to submit her resignation after she presented a book about Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) to U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance during a tour at the Armenian Genocide Memorial. 
 
Speaking at a press briefing in Yerevan, Pashinyan confirmed reports that Gzoyan’s departure was linked to the incident and said the move was necessary because foreign policy is determined solely by the Armenian government. 
 
“When the country’s prime minister says there is no ‘Karabakh movement,’ what does it mean to present a foreign guest with a book about the Artsakh issue?” Pashinyan said. 
“In Armenia, foreign policy is conducted by the government,” he added. “Any state official who says or does something that contradicts the government’s foreign policy must leave their position.” 
 
Responding to a question from reporters about whether Gzoyan’s removal was directly connected to the book given to the U.S. vice president, Pashinyan said: “Yes, I asked her to write a resignation letter. I regarded this as an action contradicting the government’s foreign policy and considered it a provocative act.” 
 
The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, located at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex in Yerevan, is Armenia’s leading state research institution dedicated to the study and commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. 
 
Nagorno Karabakh, or Artsakh, historically populated by ethnic Armenians, has been the center of decades of conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Following a 44-day war in Fall 2020 and occupation of swaths of territory in Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan continued military provocations along the new Line of Contact, and following a 9-month siege of the region (despite presence of Russian peacekeepers), launched a two-day war in September 2023 and took full control of the region, prompting more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians to forcefully flee to Armenia. 
 
Pashinyan’s government has since signaled a shift in policy toward recognizing what he labeled as ‘Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity’ as part of efforts to negotiate a peace agreement between the two countries.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that recent military developments in Iran are likely to affect the progress of the TRIPP program.

“It is obvious that, at least for the US administration today, TRIPP is not among the priorities. We see what is happening and what they are doing. Unfortunately, there is a high probability that this will impact the timeline of the processes,” he said in a conversation with reporters.

According to Pashinyan, the US government is currently focused on events in Iran.

“But if it turns out that it will not have an effect, all the better,” he added.

The Chairman of the Pan-Armenian Council for the Preservation of the Armenian Church, Harutyun Agha-Sargsyan, has issued a statement regarding remarks made by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan about the Armenian Church at the European Parliament.

The statement reads:

“From the podium of the European Parliament, Nikol Pashinyan carried out an open and brazen attack against the strongest pillar of Armenian statehood – the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church. Instead of defending the interests of the country, he used that prestigious platform for the insidious purpose of desecrating national sanctities and belittling the Church in the eyes of Armenia’s adversaries.

This was not merely another political mistake or an act of ignorance; it was a direct, deliberate, and treacherous blow to the two-thousand-year-old spiritual backbone of the Armenian people. When the so-called leader of the country presents his own Church to foreign audiences as a nest of conspiracies and a threat to national security, he ceases to be merely a political opponent and effectively places himself in the service of those who seek to undermine the identity of the Armenian people.

The Armenian Church is not an ‘agent’s den,’ as those who have sold their souls to foreign interests attempt to portray it. The Armenian Church is the guarantor of the Armenian people’s existence – their memory, their blood, and their inalienable sanctuary. Anyone who slanders that sanctuary on international platforms commits one of the gravest offenses against the state and the nation, undermining the spiritual security of the entire people.

This shameful campaign must be viewed as part of a single destructive chain: as Armenia’s statehood and sovereignty are consistently weakened, the attack has now reached the last bastion of the people’s resistance – the Church. Under the false and repugnant guise of “peace” and “democracy,” a program of national dismantling is being imposed on our people. The campaign against the Armenian Church is not an internal political dispute; it is a treacherous assault on the Armenian nation itself.

We strongly condemn and consider unacceptable this anti-church and anti-national behavior by Nikol Pashinyan. Offering up national sacred values in order to gain external support for attacks on the Church is a pitiful and disgraceful step.

Let it be clearly understood: the Armenian Church is not a political toy of temporary rulers and will never become their sacrificial victim. Anyone who dares to raise a defiling hand against the Mother Church will face the righteous anger of the Armenian people and the merciless judgment of history.

Pashinyan’s statements against the Armenian Church in the European Parliament represent nothing less than the height of national disgrace.

This is no longer merely a dispute between clergy and laity. It is a sacred struggle for our existence, for the Armenian gene, and for our dignity. In such a struggle, silence and compromise are tantamount to surrender.

We will not remain silent. We will not allow it.”