Pashinyan belatedly acknowledged that Baku was right

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the long-standing practice of communicating with Azerbaijan and Türkiye through third countries led to distortions in positions and hindered the achievement of peace.

At the same time, it is worth noting that Baku had consistently called for direct dialogue with Yerevan for many years, advocating the abandonment of mediators and the need for direct contacts between the sides.

According to him, “90 percent or more of our statements and plans were discussed through third countries,” but such a format did not guarantee accurate transmission of information.

“When you communicate with someone through a third party, you can never be sure that this third party is conveying your messages correctly. A third party may have its own interests and perceptions,” Pashinyan noted.

He stressed that this was one of the reasons why peace had not been established in the region for many years.

“That is precisely why peace was not achieved in our region for many years,” the prime minister said.

Pashinyan stated that Yerevan has revised its approach and is now focusing on direct dialogue with Baku and Ankara.

“If we have something to discuss with Türkiye and Azerbaijan, why not talk directly? This is the only guarantee that our message will reach the recipient without distortion,” he said.

At the same time, the prime minister acknowledged that the shift to direct contacts has drawn criticism at home, where he is accused of holding “pro-Turkish” and “pro-Azerbaijani” positions.

“We preferred, prefer, and will continue to prefer direct communication, without excluding the participation of third countries where necessary,” Pashinyan emphasized.

According to him, the change in the approach to communication has been one of the factors that made it possible to achieve the current level of peace in the region.