‘You want Kars, you’ll lose Yerevan’: Armenian’s Pashinyan slams expansionist nationalists

Armenian Prime Minister Nikola Pashinyan on Wednesday addressed the Armenian parliament and urged nationalists to stop seeking the restoration of “historic Armenia,” warning that dreams of larger borders may backfire.

“The path we are following has led us to a specific state with specific borders. This is not a defeat, but a great victory of our consciousness over our feelings,” Pashinyan said while speaking at the parliament in the nation’s capital Yerevan, in response to calls urging him to revanche the Karabakh region.

“They want to dream about (Türkiye’s) Kars while sitting in a cafe in the center of Yerevan,” Pashinyan stated as he warned the radical Armenian nationalists that their policies could lead to the loss of Yerevan.

Last year, Azerbaijan took full control of its internationally recognized territory of Karabakh, which had been under the occupation of Armenian forces since 1991. Many Armenians viewed the surrender of separatist forces as a defeat for their country and called for revanche.

“A state ideology is being formed in Armenia, the core of which is the state, sovereignty and independence. This is a historic achievement for the citizens of Armenia,” Pashinyan said, referring to those who want further confrontation on the issue.

Pashinyan described a road being built in Armenia’s Tavush region near the border with Azerbaijan as “a path from historic Armenia to real,” implying that Yerevan has abandoned any further claims over Karabakh to pursue rapprochement with Azerbaijan.

The Armenian premier, who recently surprised many as he said that the so-called Armenian genocide allegations against Türkiye do not reflect the truth, has advocated for Yerevan to pursue a normalization process with Baku and Ankara. However, he faces serious opposition from Armenian nationalists.

Relations between Baku and Yerevan have remained tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during a 44-day war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement that opened the door to normalization and the demarcation of their border.

Last September, Azerbaijan established full sovereignty in Karabakh following an “anti-terrorist operation” after which separatist forces in the region surrendered.