Armenian deputy speaker slams rivals for dodging peace treaty pledge

An ally of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has accused political opponents linked to former president Robert Kocharyan and two unnamed oligarchs of refusing to commit to signing a peace agreement if they come to power.

Armenia’s Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan said members of rival political teams had avoided making clear statements supporting a peace treaty, Caliber.Az reports via Armenian media.

Rubinyan accused them of using various arguments to delay or avoid committing to a deal, including calls for additional security guarantees and proposals to renegotiate the text of any agreement.

“They resort to all kinds of rhetoric,” Rubinyan said. “They speak about the need for additional guarantees, or the search for new guarantors, or say they would renegotiate the text — anything except clearly stating that if they come to power, they would sign a peace agreement.”

He added that their alleged objective was to undermine what he described as a fragile security framework that had emerged after years of conflict and hardship.

Rubinyan claimed the current situation had helped stabilise conditions along Armenia’s borders, saying that for more than two years soldiers had not been killed by enemy fire.

He also argued that a peace agreement could help end regional isolation and improve economic prospects for ordinary Armenians.

By Aghakazim Guliyev