YEREVAN — Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has warned against relying on foreign powers to guarantee Armenia’s security, arguing that the country’s historical experience demonstrates the dangers of depending on external commitments.
Speaking at the opening session of the Third Global Armenian Summit at the Meridian Exhibition and Events Center, Pashinyan declared that Armenia’s true security and development depend on its own citizens and economic resources.
“Historical experience shows that relying on external security guarantors has consistently ended in disaster for the Armenian people,” Pashinyan said, citing the events of September 2022, when, according to the prime minister, legally established security obligations were not fulfilled.
He emphasized that the only genuine guarantor of Armenia’s security and development is the taxpaying citizen.
Armenia’s Security Depends on Its Own Resources
During the summit, a participant asked when Armenia would be capable of intervening anywhere in the world to protect its citizens and Armenians abroad, as countries such as the United States and Israel are able to do.
Pashinyan responded that Armenia’s financial and institutional capabilities cannot be compared with those of much larger and wealthier states.
“Obviously, Armenia cannot be compared with the United States, or even with Israel. Do you know why? Because the budgets of Armenia and the United States are not comparable,” he said.
The prime minister stressed that a country’s ability to protect its citizens and exercise influence internationally depends heavily on its financial resources.
He argued that many of the answers to citizens’ concerns about the state’s capabilities can be found in unpaid taxes and unissued cash-register receipts, underscoring the importance of tax compliance in strengthening public institutions.
Historical Lessons and Unfulfilled International Commitments
Addressing the broader issue of international security guarantees, Pashinyan pointed to historical episodes in which foreign commitments had failed to protect Armenians.
“Our historical experience shows that wherever we have had guarantors, it has ended in disaster,” he said.
Referring to the Armenian Genocide, Pashinyan recalled that newspapers in the United States, Great Britain, France, and other countries had extensively reported on the atrocities committed against Armenians.
Despite international awareness and commitments, he argued, those guarantees failed to prevent the tragedy.
The prime minister described the September 2022 events as a particularly significant example of the failure of external security arrangements, stating that even legally documented obligations were not honored.
Pashinyan Expects Diplomatic Relations With Turkey to Be Established
Turning to relations with Turkey, Pashinyan expressed confidence that Armenia and Turkey would establish diplomatic relations in the foreseeable future, based on mutual recognition of territorial integrity, sovereignty, and borders.
“Of course, Armenia and Turkey have not yet established diplomatic relations, but I am convinced that these relations will be established in the near future, with mutual recognition of each other’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and borders,” he said.
His remarks came in response to a summit participant who questioned whether Turkey recognizes Armenia’s borders and whether Yerevan intends to sign a formal agreement with Ankara on the issue.
The participant also expressed concern about the possible withdrawal of Russian border guards from the Armenian-Turkish border.
Pashinyan responded that the borders inherited from the former Soviet Union remain legally valid in relation to both Turkey and Iran.
“As for relations between Armenia and Turkey, you know that the borders of the former Soviet Union remain legally in force with the Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey. Therefore, there is no issue concerning the non-recognition of territory,” he stated.
The prime minister concluded that he has no concerns regarding the recognition of Armenia’s internationally established borders.
