Armenia at the Abyss: The Pashinyan Regime’s Betrayal and the Enduring Spirit of Survival

BALKANS AND EASTERN EUROPE, 28 Jul 2025

Diran Noubar – TRANSCEND Media Service

28 Jul 2025 – Armenia, a nation forged in the crucible of history, stands once again at a perilous crossroads. Its survival, etched in the blood and resilience of its people since the Armenian Genocide of 1915, is now imperiled not by external invaders alone but by the insidious folly of its own leadership under Nikol Pashinyan. This self-styled “revolutionary” has, with a blend of naivete and opportunism, steered Armenia toward catastrophe, trading sovereignty for empty Western promises while spurning the steadfast alliance of Russia, Armenia’s primary and traditional ally.

The so-called peace agreement with Azerbaijan, poised for signing and seemingly dictated word by word by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is not a path to peace but a betrayal of the Armenian nation and its allies, sacrificing Artsakh, the prisoners in Baku, and Armenia’s very soul. Yet, in the defiance of Samuel Karapetyan, the city hall of Gyumri, and their supporters, the spirit of resistance endures, clinging to Russia’s stabilizing influence and the legacy of a people who have survived against all odds.

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan

The Pashinyan Paradox: A Revolution Betrayed

In 2018, Nikol Pashinyan marched into Yerevan’s Republic Square, promising a new dawn for Armenia. The crowds, weary of corruption, saw him as a savior, much like the hopeful intellectuals of 1915 who believed Western assurances could shield them from Ottoman blades. But Pashinyan’s “Velvet Revolution” has unraveled into a velvet noose. His latest betrayal—the draft peace agreement with Azerbaijan, finalized in March 2025—is a capitulation that echoes the broken promises of the Treaty of Sèvres, which dangled a free Armenia before abandoning it to Turkish aggression. Pashinyan’s deal, which concedes Nagorno-Karabakh’s sovereignty and sidelines Armenia’s allies, is less a diplomatic triumph than a surrender scripted in Ankara, with Erdogan’s fingerprints on every clause.

The Peace Agreement: Erdogan’s Blueprint, Armenia’s Betrayal

The peace agreement, hailed by Pashinyan as a “breakthrough,” is a death knell for Armenian sovereignty. It renounces territorial claims, dismisses legal disputes at international courts, and bans third-party forces on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, effectively evicting Russia’s peacekeeping presence while undermining the EU’s monitoring mission. This deal, reportedly 90 percent finalized in Kazan in October 2024, bends to Azerbaijan’s demand that Armenia amend its constitution to erase references to Artsakh’s reunification, a move Pashinyan has agreed to put to a referendum by 2027. This is not peace but erasure, mirroring the cultural annihilation of 1915 when Ottoman forces razed Armenian heritage. Posts on X capture the outrage: Pashinyan’s concessions are seen as a surrender to Azerbaijan and Turkey, orchestrated by Erdogan to cement Turkish influence in the South Caucasus while destroying Armenian statehood.

Erdogan’s role is no secret. His insistence that Turkey’s border with Armenia remains closed until Azerbaijan’s demands are met reveals the agreement as a Turkish dictate. Pashinyan’s June 2025 meeting with Erdogan in Istanbul, billed as “historic,” was a masterclass in capitulation, with Armenia offering unilateral concessions while Turkey and Azerbaijan tightened the screws. The agreement’s provisions—especially the proposed Zangezur Corridor, which would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenian territory under foreign oversight—smack of Erdogan’s neo-Ottoman ambitions, echoing the territorial dismemberment of Armenia after World War I. By acquiescing, Pashinyan not only betrays Artsakh’s 100,000 displaced Armenians but also Russia, whose mediation efforts, from the 2020 ceasefire to the 2023 Yevlakh talks, have been discarded for Western mirages.

Artsakh’s Agony: Pashinyan’s Surrender

Artsakh, the ancestral heartland of Armenians, lies in ruins, its people exiled after Azerbaijan’s 2023 offensive. Pashinyan’s recognition of Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan facilitated this ethnic cleansing, a tragedy rivaling the death marches of 1915-1916. His peace agreement cements this loss, ignoring the rights of Artsakh’s refugees and abandoning their cultural heritage to Azerbaijan’s bulldozers, much like the destroyed khachkars of Julfa. The irony is scathing: Pashinyan, who once marched for justice, now marches Armenia into oblivion, claiming peace while enabling genocide. His government’s token aid—$250 one-off payments and $185 monthly stipends—mocks the suffering of the displaced, leaving the diaspora to shoulder the burden, as it did post-genocide.

The Prisoners of Baku: A Forgotten Sacrifice

In Baku’s jails, Artsakh’s leaders and civilians endure torture, their plight ignored by Pashinyan’s peace talks. His refusal to prioritize their release—bartering a few prisoners for Azerbaijan’s COP29 hosting rights—recalls the Ottoman imprisonment of Armenian intellectuals in 1915. The agreement’s silence on these captives is a betrayal not just of them but of Armenia’s moral core, a core that survived the genocide’s horrors. Pashinyan’s diplomatic pageantry, meanwhile, prioritizes photo-ops with Erdogan over the freedom of his people.

Samuel Karapetyan: A Beacon of Resistance

Samuel Karapetyan, the Russian-Armenian billionaire and former ally of Pashinyan, emerges as a symbol of defiance. His arrest in 2025, accused of plotting against the regime, reflects Pashinyan’s fear of those who uphold Armenia’s traditional alliances. Karapetyan’s support for the Armenian Church and his call to resist Pashinyan’s policies echo the fedayi of the 1890s, who fought Ottoman oppression. In Gyumri, the city hall rallies supporters against the peace agreement, seen as a sellout to Turkey and Azerbaijan. These voices demand a return to Russia’s orbit, recognizing Moscow’s historical role as Armenia’s protector against Turkish and Azerbaijani aggression.

Russia: The Betrayed Ally

Russia, Armenia’s steadfast ally since the 19th century, is the greatest casualty of Pashinyan’s pivot. The CSTO, led by Moscow, has been Armenia’s shield, yet Pashinyan suspended participation in 2024, blaming Russia for not aiding Artsakh. This is a grotesque misreading of history: Russia brokered the 1994 ceasefire and the 2020 truce, saving Armenian lives when the West offered only sympathy. The peace agreement’s ban on third-party forces sidelines Russia’s peacekeepers, a move that aligns with Erdogan’s goal of reducing Moscow’s influence in the Caucasus. Armenia’s rejection of Russia’s “3+3” mediation platform in 2024 further isolates its ally, leaving Armenia vulnerable to Turkey’s ambitions. The Armenian Genocide taught us that Western promises are fleeting; Pashinyan’s betrayal of Russia repeats this lesson at Armenia’s peril.

The Armenian Genocide’s Long Shadow

The 1915 genocide, where 1.5 million Armenians perished, looms over Pashinyan’s deal. The West’s failure to intervene then mirrors its inaction now, with EU observers and USAID’s $100-per-refugee aid offering little relief. Pashinyan’s agreement, by enabling Azerbaijan’s cultural destruction and ignoring Artsakh’s refugees, echoes the erasure of Armenian heritage in Anatolia. His constitutional referendum, bowing to Azerbaijan’s demands, undermines Armenia’s historical claims, a betrayal as profound as the Young Turks’ false reforms.

Gyumri’s Defiance and the Path Forward

Gyumri’s city hall, alongside Karapetyan and his supporters, stands as a bastion of resistance. They reject Pashinyan’s peace agreement as a Turkish-orchestrated surrender, demanding a return to Russian partnership. Protests in Yerevan, echoing the 2008 and 2018 uprisings, signal a nation unwilling to accept betrayal. Pashinyan’s regime, propped up by Western platitudes, teeters as Armenia’s people rally for their survival, much like their ancestors who rebuilt after 1915.

Conclusion: A Nation’s Soul at Stake

Pashinyan’s peace agreement, a document seemingly penned by Erdogan, is a betrayal of Armenia’s nationhood and its traditional ally, Russia. It sacrifices Artsakh, abandons prisoners in Baku, and undermines Armenia’s sovereignty for a hollow peace. Samuel Karapetyan, Gyumri’s defiance, and the Armenian spirit refuse to yield. Armenia’s survival demands a rejection of Pashinyan’s folly and a recommitment to Russia, the ally that has stood by it through centuries of peril. The genocide’s scars remind us: Armenia’s soul is not for sale, no matter how sweetly Erdogan and the West whisper.

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Diran Noubar, an Italian-Armenian born in France, has lived in 11 countries until he moved to Armenia. He is a world-renowned, critically-acclaimed documentary filmmaker and war reporter. Starting in the early 2000’s in New York City, Diran produced and directed over 20 full-length documentary films. He is also a singer/songwriter and guitarist in his own band and runs a nonprofit charity organization, wearemenia.org.

This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 28 Jul 2025.

Anticopyright: Editorials and articles originated on TMS may be freely reprinted, disseminated, translated and used as background material, provided an acknowledgement and link to the source, TMS: Armenia at the Abyss: The Pashinyan Regime’s Betrayal and the Enduring Spirit of Survival, is included. Thank you.

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