{"id":300062,"date":"2025-07-28T12:00:29","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T11:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=300062"},"modified":"2025-07-28T06:25:35","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T05:25:35","slug":"armenia-at-the-abyss-the-pashinyan-regimes-betrayal-and-the-enduring-spirit-of-survival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/07\/armenia-at-the-abyss-the-pashinyan-regimes-betrayal-and-the-enduring-spirit-of-survival\/","title":{"rendered":"Armenia at the Abyss: The Pashinyan Regime\u2019s Betrayal and the Enduring Spirit of Survival"},"content":{"rendered":"

28 Jul 2025\u00a0<\/em>–\u00a0Armenia, 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 \u201crevolutionary\u201d 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\u2019s primary and traditional ally.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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\u2019s stabilizing influence and the legacy of a people who have survived against all odds.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan<\/p><\/div>\n

The Pashinyan Paradox: A Revolution Betrayed<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2018, Nikol Pashinyan marched into Yerevan\u2019s 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\u2019s \u201cVelvet Revolution\u201d has unraveled into a velvet noose. His latest betrayal\u2014the draft peace agreement with Azerbaijan, finalized in March 2025\u2014is a capitulation that echoes the broken promises of the Treaty of S\u00e8vres, which dangled a free Armenia before abandoning it to Turkish aggression. Pashinyan\u2019s deal, which concedes Nagorno-Karabakh\u2019s sovereignty and sidelines Armenia\u2019s allies, is less a diplomatic triumph than a surrender scripted in Ankara, with Erdogan\u2019s fingerprints on every clause.<\/p>\n

The Peace Agreement: Erdogan\u2019s Blueprint, Armenia\u2019s Betrayal<\/strong><\/p>\n

The peace agreement, hailed by Pashinyan as a \u201cbreakthrough,\u201d 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\u2019s peacekeeping presence while undermining the EU\u2019s monitoring mission. This deal, reportedly 90 percent finalized in Kazan in October 2024, bends to Azerbaijan\u2019s demand that Armenia amend its constitution to erase references to Artsakh\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Erdogan\u2019s role is no secret. His insistence that Turkey\u2019s border with Armenia remains closed until Azerbaijan\u2019s demands are met reveals the agreement as a Turkish dictate. Pashinyan\u2019s June 2025 meeting with Erdogan in Istanbul, billed as \u201chistoric,\u201d was a masterclass in capitulation, with Armenia offering unilateral concessions while Turkey and Azerbaijan tightened the screws. The agreement\u2019s provisions\u2014especially the proposed Zangezur Corridor, which would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenian territory under foreign oversight\u2014smack of Erdogan\u2019s neo-Ottoman ambitions, echoing the territorial dismemberment of Armenia after World War I. By acquiescing, Pashinyan not only betrays Artsakh\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Artsakh\u2019s Agony: Pashinyan\u2019s Surrender<\/strong><\/p>\n

Artsakh, the ancestral heartland of Armenians, lies in ruins, its people exiled after Azerbaijan\u2019s 2023 offensive. Pashinyan\u2019s 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\u2019s refugees and abandoning their cultural heritage to Azerbaijan\u2019s 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\u2019s token aid\u2014$250 one-off payments and $185 monthly stipends\u2014mocks the suffering of the displaced, leaving the diaspora to shoulder the burden, as it did post-genocide.<\/p>\n

The Prisoners of Baku: A Forgotten Sacrifice<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Baku\u2019s jails, Artsakh\u2019s leaders and civilians endure torture, their plight ignored by Pashinyan\u2019s peace talks. His refusal to prioritize their release\u2014bartering a few prisoners for Azerbaijan\u2019s COP29 hosting rights\u2014recalls the Ottoman imprisonment of Armenian intellectuals in 1915. The agreement\u2019s silence on these captives is a betrayal not just of them but of Armenia\u2019s moral core, a core that survived the genocide\u2019s horrors. Pashinyan\u2019s diplomatic pageantry, meanwhile, prioritizes photo-ops with Erdogan over the freedom of his people.<\/p>\n

Samuel Karapetyan: A Beacon of Resistance<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2019s fear of those who uphold Armenia\u2019s traditional alliances. Karapetyan\u2019s support for the Armenian Church and his call to resist Pashinyan\u2019s 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\u2019s orbit, recognizing Moscow\u2019s historical role as Armenia\u2019s protector against Turkish and Azerbaijani aggression.<\/p>\n

Russia: The Betrayed Ally<\/strong><\/p>\n

Russia, Armenia\u2019s steadfast ally since the 19th century, is the greatest casualty of Pashinyan\u2019s pivot. The CSTO, led by Moscow, has been Armenia\u2019s 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\u2019s ban on third-party forces sidelines Russia\u2019s peacekeepers, a move that aligns with Erdogan\u2019s goal of reducing Moscow\u2019s influence in the Caucasus. Armenia\u2019s rejection of Russia\u2019s \u201c3+3\u201d mediation platform in 2024 further isolates its ally, leaving Armenia vulnerable to Turkey\u2019s ambitions. The Armenian Genocide taught us that Western promises are fleeting; Pashinyan\u2019s betrayal of Russia repeats this lesson at Armenia\u2019s peril.<\/p>\n

The Armenian Genocide\u2019s Long Shadow<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 1915 genocide, where 1.5 million Armenians perished, looms over Pashinyan\u2019s deal. The West\u2019s failure to intervene then mirrors its inaction now, with EU observers and USAID\u2019s $100-per-refugee aid offering little relief. Pashinyan\u2019s agreement, by enabling Azerbaijan\u2019s cultural destruction and ignoring Artsakh\u2019s refugees, echoes the erasure of Armenian heritage in Anatolia. His constitutional referendum, bowing to Azerbaijan\u2019s demands, undermines Armenia\u2019s historical claims, a betrayal as profound as the Young Turks\u2019 false reforms.<\/p>\n

Gyumri\u2019s Defiance and the Path Forward<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gyumri\u2019s city hall, alongside Karapetyan and his supporters, stands as a bastion of resistance. They reject Pashinyan\u2019s 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\u2019s regime, propped up by Western platitudes, teeters as Armenia\u2019s people rally for their survival, much like their ancestors who rebuilt after 1915.<\/p>\n

Conclusion: A Nation\u2019s Soul at Stake<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pashinyan\u2019s peace agreement, a document seemingly penned by Erdogan, is a betrayal of Armenia\u2019s nationhood and its traditional ally, Russia. It sacrifices Artsakh, abandons prisoners in Baku, and undermines Armenia\u2019s sovereignty for a hollow peace. Samuel Karapetyan, Gyumri\u2019s defiance, and the Armenian spirit refuse to yield. Armenia\u2019s survival demands a rejection of Pashinyan\u2019s folly and a recommitment to Russia, the ally that has stood by it through centuries of peril. The genocide\u2019s scars remind us: Armenia\u2019s soul is not for sale, no matter how sweetly Erdogan and the West whisper.<\/p>\n

_____________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> 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\u2019s 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, <\/em>wearemenia.org<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

28 Jul 2025\u00a0–\u00a0Nikol Pashinyan, the self-styled \u201crevolutionary\u201d prime minister of Armenia 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, the country\u2019s primary and traditional ally.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":291345,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[207],"tags":[2183,2182,278,395,172],"class_list":["post-300062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-balkans-eastern-europe","tag-armenia","tag-azerbaijan","tag-russia","tag-turkiye","tag-west"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=300062"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":300067,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300062\/revisions\/300067"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/291345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}