Pashinyan Reaffirms Armenian Origins of Gandzasar, Urges Care in Preserving Peace

YEREVAN — Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia has formally reaffirmed the Armenian origins of the Gandzasar Monastery through the director of the Matenadaran, while emphasizing the need to avoid actions that could undermine the peace process with Azerbaijan.

Speaking during a question-and-answer session in the National Assembly on September 16, Pashinyan said questions concerning the historical origins of monasteries mentioned in ancient manuscripts should be addressed through the relevant primary sources.

“If we are interested in the origins of a monastic complex mentioned in a manuscript, we should turn to that manuscript and the original texts,” Pashinyan said. “The Republic of Armenia has responded through the most competent official on this matter—the director of the Matenadaran—and has affirmed the Armenian origins of Gandzasar.”

The prime minister said he considered it pointless to make proving Gandzasar’s Armenian identity to Azerbaijan a political objective.

“If we set ourselves the task of proving this to Azerbaijan, I consider that a pointless and unachievable objective,” he said. “It changes nothing for us, has changed nothing, and will change nothing. We need to clearly distinguish between these issues.”

Pashinyan also addressed recent remarks by an Azerbaijani official concerning Gandzasar, describing them as “unacceptable and incomprehensible,” particularly in the context of efforts to preserve peace.

“We have said and continue to say that the established peace is a value for both Armenia and Azerbaijan, and that peace must be treated with care both in Armenia and in Azerbaijan,” he said.

At the same time, Pashinyan stressed that Armenia should continue exercising restraint and protecting the peace process despite disagreements and provocative statements.

“If peace is a value for us, we must continue to take care of it,” he said, noting that there are forces both in the region and elsewhere that do not necessarily share that objective.

Pashinyan warned that destroying peace would be far easier than rebuilding it.

“I said from this podium a month ago that destroying peace is very easy. During this question-and-answer session, we could easily destroy the peace, but it could take another 30 years to return to this point,” he said. “So let us choose. We have made our choice.”