Armenia's Pashinyan admits missteps in negotiation process over Karabakh

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has admitted to significant missteps in his handling of the Karabakh negotiation process, stating that since 1994, talks have always been centred on the region’s return to Azerbaijan.

His remarks reflect a rare acknowledgement of misjudgment on the issue that has defined Armenia's domestic and foreign policy for decades, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

In a statement, Pashinyan explained, "Since 1994, that is, after the ceasefire, the negotiation process from the very beginning has been about the return of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan. The negotiation process had no other substance."

He added that narratives suggesting otherwise were introduced in Armenia exclusively to address domestic political goals.

The Prime Minister went on to admit a personal failure in acknowledging the reality of the negotiations upon assuming office in 2018: "In this context, I made a major mistake. After reviewing the content of the negotiations in 2018, I failed to acknowledge this to myself (the well-known model of patriotism did not allow me to), and as a result, I did not explain this to the people."

Pashinyan's admission sheds light on Armenia’s approach to the negotiations and its domestic rhetoric, which, according to him, has been driven by internal political considerations rather than the realities of the talks.

By Khagan Isayev