Armenian-Russian relations are at the most critical stage of their post-Soviet history, where diplomatic coolness can turn into confrontation.

The “silence” established in relations since June 7, the indifference shown to bilateral official contacts, high-level phone calls and each other’s political agendas, seems to have been softened by the Armenian side today. According to the message of the Russian Government, a telephone conversation between Pashinyan and Mishusti took place at the initiative of the Armenian side.

This was the first Armenian-Russian high-level phone call after the parliamentary elections held in Armenia. According to the announcement of the RA government, the interlocutors discussed agenda issues of Armenia-Russia cooperation, which related to the trade-economic, scientific-technological and cultural-humanitarian spheres. By the way, it is noteworthy that the Russian side did not congratulate Pashinyan on his re-election, even though the issues related to violations in the elections continue to be discussed in the CC.

The other day, talking about his visit to Moscow and the elections, which he announced on June 1, Pashinyan said that there was no scheduled meeting, and that there will be contacts with the Russian side in the near future.

Perhaps Pashinyan meant the telephone conversation with Mishustin. Pashinyan answered the question: Is a meeting planned within the EAEU session to be held in August? “There is a meeting of the intergovernmental council and the prime ministers are participating, the presidents are not.”

In other words, the Russian President will not participate in the August meeting, but Mishustin will. Therefore, if the Russian side does not congratulate Pashinyan at the highest level even after the completion of the legal processes in the RA CC, the situation in Armenian-Russian relations will become unprecedented. All this will prove that the relations are not experiencing a temporary crisis, but have faced serious problems. The threatening rhetoric coming from Moscow, the harsh application of economic levers, and the public dissatisfaction with Yerevan’s foreign policy actions show that the Kremlin has switched to an openly intolerant policy regarding Armenia’s foreign policy orientation.

Along with all this, remarkable announcements are being made from Russia. Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Galuzin stated that the TRIPP project will pass through the territory, the security of which is ensured by the Russian and Armenian border guards, so Yerevan will have to take Moscow’s position into account in any case.  He noted that Russia’s participation would only benefit the project.

“Trump’s route” will pass through the zone guarded by the Russian border guards, who have been serving for decades together with their Armenian colleagues in the direction of protecting the borders of Armenia, Turkey and Iran. Therefore, in one way or another, it will be necessary to take into account the opinion of Russia, it will also be necessary to take into account the opinion of the Eurasian Economic Union. That is why we believe that Russia’s participation would only benefit the project,” he said.

He also specified: “Transit through the territory of Armenia, by the way, if we are talking about the Eurasian Economic Union, should be carried out in accordance with the norms and rules of the Eurasian Economic Union, from which Armenia, as it declares, does not want to leave.”

RA Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan also said yesterday in a conversation with “Azatutyun” radio station that at the moment TRIPP is being implemented in the RA-US format, an agreement has been signed and it is in the process of implementation. The deputy foreign minister, answering the question whether the effectiveness of TRIPP from Moscow without the Russian side is being questioned, is Moscow’s involvement in TRIPP in any format acceptable for official Yerevan or can it be discussed in the future, he also emphasized. “I didn’t want to say anything about the future at this time.”

Mnatsakan Safaryan noted that at the moment the Republic of Armenia is a member of the EAEU, and the transit rules are based on the EAEU regulations, so he hinted that the TRIPP will be based on the EAEU regulations. “The EAEU customs regulations are carried out by our customs bodies, so we don’t see a question there,” stressed the deputy foreign minister.

The statements of the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Galuzin regarding the TRIPP project are not accidental. Galuzin, using the theme of Russian-controlled border and infrastructure leverage, directly implies that any transportation project in Armenia without Moscow’s “dabro” or direct participation is doomed to uncertainty.

This approach of Moscow, of course, has a clear goal: to return the lost control over regional communications. The Russian side’s arguments about EAEU norms, the width of railway lines and border security actually show Russia’s desire to participate in TRIPP. RA Deputy Foreign Minister gave a cautious response to another Russian assertion of this content.

However, there is a subtle question hidden here: is it possible for the parties to make a “big bargain” on this issue in a situation where Russia is putting pressure on the RA authorities, raising the issue of withdrawing Armenia from the EAEU in case of the continuation of Armenia’s European integration agenda?

In this situation, it is possible that Galuzin’s statement is an invitation to negotiate on this issue. Moscow can eliminate the economic restrictions, the tough position on the EAEU issue towards RA, if the RA authorities provide the Russian side with technical participation in TRIPP. If Russia’s participation in TRIPP is ensured in any way, it can become the point that will soften the current acute crisis of Armenian-Russian relations.

With pressure, Moscow is trying not only to solve the issue of RA’s foreign policy, but also to strengthen it if possible. And TRIPP can be one of the options.

The Kremlin is not only trying to curb Yerevan’s foreign policy orientation towards the West, but is also looking for security and economic tools with which it will be possible to maintain its influence in the region. For Yerevan, the problems in the Russian direction are complicated: will the small cooperation on TRIPP become a means of de-escalation of relations, will Moscow accept the small cooperation, at the same time, it is unlikely that the RA authorities actively cooperating with the West will give more leverage to Russia in TRIPP and find themselves dependent.

After all, no matter how deep the factors of the bilateral crisis are, judging by the statements, Russia seems to be preparing for negotiations at this stage.

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Doctor of political sciences, professor, energy security expert Vahe Davtyan writes. “Von der Leyen announced in Yerevan that the EU is ready to support Armenia in case of possible problems related to gas supplies.

The President of the European Commission referred to the rich experience of solving similar problems in Moldova and Ukraine.

Not a bad series, of course.

Moldova, a country that is ready to become part of another state under the name of European integration.

Ukraine, a state stuck in a long war with huge human, territorial and economic losses.

This is not even candy with which they are trying to tempt Armenia. This is a bitter pill. Here, swallow it. As “success stories” for Armenia, states that are themselves in severe crises are presented.

I have a few questions regarding possible support from Brussels. Rhetorical.

1. How long can this support be provided? Short-term subsidies, allocation of grants for solving current problems, maybe not bad. However, it is unlikely that they will solve the issue of ensuring energy security at the systemic level.

2. According to von der Leyen, the EU will also support Armenia in the field of renewable energy. This, of course, is positive, but it is not enough for stable energy supply. RE plants, unlike CHPs and NPPs, have a low installed capacity utilization factor. If it were possible to ensure energy security through RE development, many European countries would not maintain gas generation and would not return to nuclear energy.

3. How to deal with the Armenian gas transport system, which, by the way, is not actually entirely Armenian. A change of ownership? It is unlikely that Brussels means such radical steps by support. Therefore, regardless of the support, the 100% ownership of GTR of Armenia to “Gazprom” remains an important, if not a key factor in the energy reality of the republic.

4. How is geography in the European Commission? Next to Moldova is Romania as a “metropolis” that supplies it with natural gas. Ukraine receives gas in reverse flows, also from Europe. In other words, the EU’s energy support to Moldova and Ukraine has clear geographical bases.

In the case of Armenia, the alternatives are very limited. It is noteworthy that Von der Leyen arrived in Yerevan immediately after his visit to Baku.”

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The South Caucasus tour of Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, has ended. The visits to Baku and Yerevan on July 1-2 actually confirmed that the European Union is moving to a much more practical and practical policy in the South Caucasus, adopting a strategy of economic and infrastructural integration of the region.

If in previous years the main priority of Brussels was the mediating role in the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiation process, now the EU has moved on to the promotion of specific projects, the strategy of connecting the region to the EU, integrating it and completely removing it from Russian influence. The statements made in Baku and Yerevan once again showed that the EU views the region as a corridor connecting Europe with the Black Sea, the Caspian Basin and Central Asia. That is why von der Leyen emphasized the idea that peace is a necessary condition for economic and geopolitical investments. “We need to move peace from paper to real life,” he announced in Baku, presenting the “Peace through Connectivity” initiative.

Azerbaijan, as a regional connecting node, was at the core of the European Commission president’s messages in Baku. Von der Leyen announced a grant program of up to €200 million to boost transport, energy and digital connectivity, further attracting up to €2 billion in public and private investment. He spoke about the development of the port of Baku, railway communication in the direction of Nakhichevan, regional channels of the South Caucasus and even the possibility of electric power infrastructures passing through Armenia. At the same time, von der Leyen highly appreciated Azerbaijan’s role in Europe’s energy security, reminding that “when Russia turned energy into a weapon, Azerbaijan helped Europe.” This was a key impulse, Brussels reaffirmed that Azerbaijan remains one of the key energy partners of the EU.

In Yerevan, however, the emphasis was different. The primary topic here was not energy, but Armenia’s economic resilience and integration with European markets in the face of Russia’s economic pressures. Von der Leyen openly stated that Armenia can “rely on the European Union”, stressing that Brussels is ready to support Yerevan in mitigating the impact of Russian economic restrictions.

In that context, financial support for Armenia was announced, as well as the initiative to eliminate customs duties on around 80 percent of Armenian exports. Von der Leyen specially emphasized that it is not only about financial aid, but about changing the economic direction of Armenia through integration into the European economic system.

He noted that the EU is ready to support not only economic diversification, but also energy diversification, stressing that the EU has rich experience in such matters, which it has accumulated through the examples of Ukraine and Moldova. Therefore, according to him, EU experts will arrive in RA and study the issues on the spot. He also spoke about energy, linking it to the region.

If the two visits are considered as a whole, and they are clearly within the scope of one agenda, it becomes obvious that the European Union is trying to build a new geopolitical architecture of the South Caucasus. In that EU project, Armenia and Azerbaijan are considered not as separate partners, but as components of one regional system.

It is this political, transport and energy connectivity that will enable the EU to implement the communication, energy and digital projects planned within the framework of the “Global Gateway”. By the way, the EU recently launched the “Connectivity Agenda Platform” initiative, which was created in order to strengthen the connectivity agenda between the South Caucasus, the Black Sea region, Turkey and Central Asia and promote the interregional connectivity agenda within the framework of the EU’s “Global Gateways” strategy.

In other words, the EU strives to form a unified logistics axis, which will gradually reduce the importance of traditional communication routes passing through the territory of Russia and increase the European presence in the region.

The Russian factor was not absent from these visits. Although it was presented differently in the two capitals, it was actually the context of the entire visit. In Baku, von der Leyen reminded that Europe was able to reduce its dependence on Russian gas during the energy crisis thanks to Azerbaijan, and in Yerevan he already spoke about Russia’s economic pressures and the EU’s willingness to compensate for this impact.

Thus, Brussels solves several geopolitical problems at the same time. And it does it in a rather fast and intense mode. Therefore, von der Leyen’s visit should be considered not only as an initiative to promote Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, but also as part of the European Union’s long-term competitive strategy aimed at limiting Russia’s influence in the South Caucasus.

The European Union is starting to act in the region not as a classic mediator, but as an investor and economic actor. Thus, the visits on July 1-2 can be evaluated as the start of the new South Caucasus strategy of the European Union, where the EU starts the programs that have been talked about for years.

However, the viability of these initiatives remains conditional, as their implementation is at the center of a clash of interests between Russia, Iran and the US, where every geopolitical shift can change the rules of the game. Ultimately, the future of the South Caucasus depends not only on European ambitions, but also on the balance of China’s economic expansion and the calculations of other actors, which turn the region into a difficult point of confrontation.

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In January 2026, the Government of the Republic of Armenia decided the schedule of the training sessions of the reservists of the first and second ranks of the first group of reservists, non-commissioned officers and officers:

1. From February 3 to April 10, 2026 inclusive,

2. From March 31 to June 19, 2026 inclusive,

3. From April 15 to July 15, 2026 inclusive,

4. 2026 year June 9-from until August 14-the inclusive,

5. From August 4 to October 9, 2026 inclusive,

6. From September 15 to December 15, 2026 inclusive,

7. From September 29 to November 20, 2026 inclusive.

In other words, immediately after the day of the National Assembly elections, the next round of training sessions started. And in those days, there were reports that notices were being actively sent to opposition circles, including journalists, who came from Russia for the election. RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan had confirmed noting this.

«How can I rule it out? A citizen of the Republic of Armenia coming from Russia is a soldier, doesn’t he have any duties towards his homeland? Naturally, I cannot rule it out. Not only from Russia, France, the United States of America, etc., etc.

In turn, the head of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, Edward Asryan, told the journalists had said  it is true that all those registered in the reserve force must go to the training sessions in order, not agreeing, of course, that there is a selective approach towards those with oppositional views.

Against the background of these statements, on June 11, 168.am sent a written request to the RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan or the Ministry with the following questions:

■ Has Vazgen Kocharyan, the youngest son of Andranik Kocharyan, the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Defense and Security Committee, received a notice to participate in a training camp during these years after completing his mandatory military service, and if not, why, on what grounds? In general, can you name any serving son of an official who participated in the training sessions?

What military specialization does Ashot Pashinyan have?

■ How many notices to participate in the 25-day training camp from June 9 to August 14 were sent, were they more than those sent in the previous round?

■ In the context of 25-day training camps, to what extent is the allocation of combat duty according to military specialization?

Two years ago, RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan announced in the National Assembly.

“Conscripting continues to be one of the challenges facing our country, we must speak loudly about this։ There is a phenomenon when a citizen of the Republic of Armenia renounces the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia to his child in order not to serve. In this regard, we should start lustration in our environment, I have also appealed to the Prime Minister to start a similar process in the state administration system. In my opinion, the state official should not allow himself that not only his child, but also the children of his close circle and relatives renounce their RA citizenship. That phenomenon exists, we can record painful indicators. We have to face ourselves on a moral basis and finally face the bad trend for me.”

To what extent did Nikol Pashinyan, taking this into account, start such a process in the state administration system, because after that fresh information about the release of the sons of government representatives from the army was circulated, and to what extent was this process carried out in the Ministry of Defense?

■ Some time ago, there were reports in the press about the release of Zhirayr Amirkhanyan, who was the assistant to the head of the State Security Service, is it related to the lustration process mentioned above?

In response to our questions, in its response letter sent on July 2, the defense department headed by Suren Papikyan first stated regarding the son of Andranik Kocharyan.

“In response to your request of 11.06.2026 addressed to the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, we inform you that Vazgen Andranik Kocharyan was invited to the military commissariat to participate in training sessions. and in accordance with Article 17 of the RA Law “On Military Service and the Status of Servicemen” was referred to the primary health care center, 2018 of the RA Government. to pass the examination defined by point 2.1 of Annex 2 of the decision N 405-N of April 12.

Based on the results of research conducted by the organization providing primary health care services in the prescribed manner, the Medical Commission of the Yerevan No. 2 Military Commissariat of the Republic of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, in accordance with the requirement of the 5th column of the Resolution N 404-N of the RA Government of April 12, 2018, was recognized as “Not subject to being called up for training.”

As for the question of the participation of the sons of officials in the training sessions, such statistics are not maintained.”

It should be noted that Andranik Kocharyan’s youngest son first served In the “Haykazov” military unit of the Artsakh Armed Forces, then he continued his service in Vanadzor, military specialization – artillery. Let’s not forget that Kocharyan’s eldest son did not serve in the army either.

As for Nikol Pashinyan’s son, Ashot Pashinyan, Suren Papikyan, in response to another of our written inquiries in April of this year reported that he was not sent a training camp participation notification.

“2023-2026 During this period, only 4.7 percent of those registered in the reserve force with Ashot Pashinyan’s military accounting major participated in the training sessions, and Ashot Pashinyan has not yet participated.” explained the Ministry of Defense.

The Ministry of Defense keeps Ashot Pashinyan’s military specialization a secret, which was also done in the case of our last survey: «there are some professions in military accounting that are not subject to publication.”

As for the 3rd question, the defense department said that it does not keep statistics of split notices either. In other words, they don’t calculate how many people were called to the training camp, how many were taken as a result, isn’t it interesting?

In the context of the 25-day training camps, to what extent the deployment of combat duty is carried out according to military specialization, the structure headed by Suren Papikyan informed that “the training camps of point 5 of the appendix approved by the decision of the Armenian government of October 18, 2018 N 1174-N are announced by the decision of the Republic of Armenia, based on the list, dates and events approved by the government of the Republic of Armenia on the basis of each year’s military mobilization preparation plans according to the number and professions involved”.

Suren Papikyan’s promised lustration to the process answering the related question, the Ministry of Defense assured that the process announced by the minister is continuing, without saying to what extent Nikol Pashinyan took note of it and started it in the state administration system.

As for the information about the dismissal of the former assistant of the head of the General Staff, Zhirayr Amirkhanyan, the Ministry of Defense stated that he continues to work in the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, but in what position, they did not elaborate, there are reports that he is currently an advisor to Suren Papikyan. And to Colonel Amirkhanyan on a specific occasion we have touched on, he held a rather important position under the former.

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In the “Pressing” program Satik Seyranyan the guest is Turkologist, doctor of historical sciences, professor Ruben Melkonyan is.

Q:On June 28, the Israeli government unanimously approved the project presented by Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide. Nikol Pashinyan, in response to the journalists’ question, stated that he does not see the need to react to Israel’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide, because he believes that “it is in the interests of the Republic of Armenia not to get into the issue of the weaponization of the Armenian Genocide.”

In fact, Nikol Pashinyan is so afraid of Turkey and Azerbaijan that he is afraid to even say the word “thank you” to Israel.

The main theses of the interview are below.

• The world is no longer the same. In the 21st century, wars have become a different genre, when Trump can announce that he has destroyed Iran, then an hour later announce that they are successfully negotiating with Iran…

• The process of recognition of the Armenian Genocide by different countries of the world has never been free from politicization. But the former authorities of Armenia pursued such a policy that many countries simply could not make this issue a part of their political toolkit. Over the decades, Israel has either remained neutral or torpedoed the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Israel is an image of a collective enemy among Islamic states, and Erdogan has a streak of racism in his political biography. But Turkey is the first Islamic state to recognize Israel the state:

• In previous decades, when Turkey faced difficulties in the context of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, it often turned to Israel for help. But Turkey also accuses Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The term “genocide” is trending in Turkey-Israel relations today. one accuses the other of committing genocide. Let’s not forget that Israel played a very important role in the Artsakh genocide during the 44-day war.

• Israel’s international recognition of the Armenian Genocide has a slightly different status because it is a nation that survived the Holocaust. The international recognition of the Armenian Genocide by this state has the importance of political, scientific and psychological pressure. Previously, when Israel-Turkey relations were strained, the issue of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide was raised. Of course, the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, has not yet ratified the Government’s decision, and a very big question is whether this issue will make it to the agenda of this Israeli Parliament or to be voted on… This is the decades-long problem of the two states, Turkey-Israel’s strange allies.

• As a result of the activities of these authorities, Armenia is facing such an empty diplomatic arsenal that it has no room to maneuver, and they have decided to choose the primitive option of evasion by talking about the absurd topic of weaponization. This was very predictable, but it means you don’t have the resources to get into the subject of your nation’s tragedy. Meanwhile, the activation of the issue could be used very skillfully in case of diplomacy.

There was no need to thank Israel. it is clear that Israel did not raise the issue for the sake of the Armenian people, but when the wind blows, you can advance your interest, not only protect yourself from the storm, but also make your windmills work. It could be said that you, being a nation that survived the Holocaust, always had a cold attitude towards the Armenian Genocide, you participated in the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh in 2020, and it is good that you started to raise the issue… Or say: Israel, don’t use our pain for your own interests… but, as you can see, nothing is said, they are afraid to say a word.

Any foreign citizen looking at this topic from the side, a conventional Swede, sees that two states are talking about the Armenian Genocide, but Armenia is silent. These authorities are showing what kind of pathetic, pathetic, dependent diplomacy they have. In our diplomatic arsenal is only entreaty and concession. We even stamp the Mount Ararat in our passport… To this day, they give up everything, they are ready to give up everything…

• Israel is trying to strengthen its position in the Middle East game. The F-35 deal can be seen in that logic. Israel shows by its example that it is not possible to say “peace” and there will be peace. The KP government has essentially given up on big politics and instead, they are dealing with internal construction, asphalting and free medical care issues, because they actually bring votes. They are not doing what the previous authorities were doing, perhaps neglecting the asphalt, but strengthening security. A part of the people of Armenia preferred visible asphalt to invisible from security.

To remind: The US authorities are discussing the possibility of transferring F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. The administration is working with Congress on that issue, US Vice President JD Vance said during the meeting between Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

2019 The sale of F-35s to Turkey was blocked due to sanctions. This issue was discussed during the meeting of the presidents of Turkey and the USA in March of last year. The White House made it clear that they are open to negotiations about the aircraft.

Ankara was kicked out of the F-35 program in 2019 after buying the Russian C-400 air defense system, which Washington says poses a threat to the plane’s sensitive technology.

Already in December, the US ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barak, announced that Ankara wants to completely abandon the Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems in order to get the opportunity to buy American fighter jets.

• In the past, the non-negotiable position of the Armenian Genocide brought the world’s greats to our door. Otherwise, why should Erdogan have said: I called Putin not to go to Yerevan for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, but he didn’t listen and didn’t go? Or why should French President Sarkozy promise to nominate 3rd President Serzh Sargsyan for the Nobel Prize if the latter renounced Artsakh, which, of course, Serzh Sargsyan did not agree to? Now, as a result of the incompetent activities of these authorities, Armenia is not in a big international political turmoil, as they say, not even in the discussions of issues concerning us, not in diplomatic negotiations. we are sitting at the table, but we are in the menu, on the plates… they are making asphalt…

• The sad thing is that there is no diplomat by Pashinyan’s side to tell him that it is not possible to achieve any result with Turkey by making endless concessions. 

• Never before have I seen such joy over the election of the head of Armenia from Turkey… I have never seen any candidate being supported so much by direct text, as Pashinyan was supported by Turkey and Azerbaijan during these elections. 

• The most false thing that mankind has ever used in its political life is the term “democracy”… 

Ruben Melkonyan, referring to Nikol Pashinyan’s attacks against the Armenian Apostolic Church and Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, said: 

“In Turkey’s foreign policy concept, which is better known as Davutoğlu’s theory, there are 2 targets: the worldwide network structure, the Armenian Church, and the Armenian Diaspora. It is also fixed what to do against the Armenian Diaspora: to divide and create Turkish diasporas. The same is written about the Armenian Church: it should be destroyed so that the Armenian Church does not talk about the Genocide. This has been done and is being done, and it is sad that now the same steps are being taken inside Armenia… 

There are speeches by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish state, in which he considers the thrones of the archdeacons of the Armenian Apostolic Church as targets by name. Armenian patriarchs are always direct or subconscious targets for Turks. Garegin the Second was and continues to be a Turkish target. We can clearly say that the Catholicos of All Armenians are an institutional target of Turkey and a personal target of various Turkish leaders. Therefore, what is being done now is against the church and a Turkish demand.”

In these elections, Nikol Pashinyan has included a new wave of attacks against the Armenian Church and the Patriarch in the pre-election program of his CP. By 2031, Armenia will have a new Catholicos, “Removal of the de facto head of the Armenian Apostolic Church”, wrote “Civil Contract” in its pre-election program.

The year-long non-stop struggle of the ruling team to dethrone the Catholicos is now a pre-election program provision.

Without giving each other a turn, CP members, in line with their leader’s speech, continue to speak about the clergy with insolent vocabulary.

• Throughout our history, the Armenian Church and its ruler have always been the pioneers promoting the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. The attitude of Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukyur Pashazadeh, head of the Department of Muslims of Turkey, Azerbaijan, and the Caucasus, towards our Church and its leader is determined by this. The Armenian Church and Catholicos always fought against the Armenian Genocide and its consequences and became a target. In the case of Garegin 2, the historical inheritance, the mission continues.

When did the campaign against the Catholicos of All Armenians begin when he began to raise the issue of ethnic cleansing of Artsakh and the right of return of Artsakh residents on international platforms? In other words, the Catholicos of Armenia became a target because he continued the work of his predecessors. These offer Armenians the concept of material Armenia: don’t think about Artsakh and Ararat, think about pension, insurance and asphalt. They remove the spiritual from a person. Now the church is a Turkish target, and it is not a secret for anyone. And if the campaign against the Church finds a place in the pre-election program of the CP, it means that this struggle becomes institutionalized. Those who voted for Nikol Pashinyan should know that voted for Pashinyan’s attack against the Armenian Church and His Holiness:

• I repeat: it is very difficult to be a Turkologist in today’s Armenia, because when you know the history, you know the historical facts, you know the theoretical approaches of Turkey towards Armenia, and then you see what is happening in Armenia, you see what these authorities are doing, you hear what they are saying, you find yourself in a very difficult situation. You can’t believe that in your country there could be steps that coincidentally correspond to Turkish politics. 

• We are fighting for our existence, traditions, great states for their influence. The South Caucasus has always been a target of interest in world politics. Turkey, USA, Europe, Russia, China are fighting for him. Isn’t it clear that if Turkey wins in the struggle for influence, we will lose a lot, we won’t even have the right to have a stamp with the image of Mount Ararat in our passports… The increase of Turkey’s influence will be destructive for us.

• There is no place in Armenia that Azerbaijanis do not consider their historical land, but when you explain this to the citizens, some do not believe. Do whatever you want. Turkish-Azerbaijani programs are static programs and are carried forward for decades.

• The state program “West Azerbaijan” is operating in Azerbaijan. It’s not just the “return”, it’s the Corridor, place names, religious issues, Armenian identity, everything… This is a serious state-funded concept under the auspices of the President of Azerbaijan, which they are promoting with these Armenian authorities.

• Throughout the Soviet period, Artsakh was called the autonomous region of Nagorno Karabakh. Was there an autonomous region of Masis or Noyemberyan in Armenia? How can the return of Artsakh residents to Artsakh be compared with the arrival of Azerbaijanis here? Or that a person wants to go, live somewhere, does it with aggression? When Azerbaijanis go to a place, they first demand that state to open a school, then to open a mosque, then other demands come forward… The arrival of Azerbaijanis to Armenia means the invasion of Armenia by soft power. This is not a fantasy, but a theory. In the concept of “West Azerbaijan”, the so-called “return” is fixed.

Details in the video.

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