Former president warns against underestimating Russia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Robert Kocharyan, Armenia's second President, has expressed concerns over Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's approach to Russia, particularly regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. He suggests that Russia's decisions are influenced by their perception of Armenia's actions.

"Military intervention for whom? For Armenia, which at a critical moment abandoned you, joining your enemies' camp. Would any of you enter a fight for a friend who betrayed you? I don't think so. This is the perception. Now, let's set aside the actual picture. People act based on how they perceive the situation," Kocharyan stated, as reported by Radar.am .

He further commented on Pashinyan's potential future actions, "I have no doubt that soon, the Prime Minister will quickly change his stance, call the Russian President, and as if nothing happened, start toasting the centuries-old Armenian-Russian friendship."

Kocharyan emphasized the importance of maintaining a balanced foreign policy, "You can, by conducting the right policy with Russia, avoid hostility with the West. That window is opening. It's crucial that in future processes, Armenia isn't represented by these individuals who have ruined everything."

He also stressed that Russia is not a country to be disregarded lightly.

Regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, Kocharyan believes that a significant mistake by Armenian authorities occurred in Prague, leading to further concessions. "That was the well-known statement where Armenia recognized Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan. This was a verdict for Karabakh," he told Aysor.am .

Kocharyan argues that during a time when Russia faced challenges in its conflict with Ukraine, Armenian authorities assumed Russia was weakening and saw it as an opportunity to align with the West. "But this decision nullified Russia's mediation mandate. Russia was a mediator. When it's declared that Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan, the mediation mission is nullified. What was Nikol Pashinyan thinking? Russia took on the responsibility for Karabakh's security; you can’t just evade that responsibility. He thought he could wash his hands of it."

He warned against underestimating Russia, "If he thinks that Russia is a country that can be disregarded like this, he's gravely mistaken. That's not how it works."

Kocharyan highlighted that during a globally tense period, essentially a war against Russia, instead of strengthening Armenia's security system—including involving Iran—the government began dismantling mechanisms that ensured the country's safety.

"If our strategy was to use that moment to distance ourselves from Russia, we should have expected that Russia, to protect its interests in the South Caucasus, would undoubtedly establish warmer relations with Baku. Not understanding this was folly in foreign policy. This is the harsh truth, which can be formulated as follows: never disregard your partner's vital interests, especially a partner on whom you have significant dependence."

He added that the material losses in Karabakh alone amount to $80-100 billion. "My impression from all this is that in Armenia, people never take responsibility for their actions. No one has been held accountable for all this," Kocharyan concluded.