Pashinyan: “No one has done more for Karabakh than we have”
Pashinyan argued that his administration never gave in to Azerbaijani demands and that accusations to the contrary are false. “The only reason for the recent events is precisely that we didn’t give them what they wanted,” he said. He added that the government’s support for Karabakh included extensive financial assistance and other efforts, many of which remain unseen by the public.
He also made a controversial claim that until 2022, Armenia’s military operated under external influence and lacked sovereignty, stating that there was no independent decision-making within the armed forces until recent reforms.
Pashinyan further asserted that if his political team had not come to power in 2018, “there would be no sovereign Armenia today.”
He said past peace negotiations used the idea of Karabakh’s independence as bait, and that his government avoided certain provisions in its 2021 program regarding Karabakh to protect the state’s survival.
Responding to claims that he distrusts or dislikes Karabakh Armenians, Pashinyan noted that half of the current Armenian Armed Forces leadership is from Karabakh. “If we didn’t trust them, how could they be leading the army?” he asked.
These remarks come as over 100,000 Armenians from Karabakh were displaced following Azerbaijan’s military offensive in September 2023, which led to the self-dissolution of the Republic of Artsakh.
