Armenian PM unwilling to engage in honest, open dialogue with Azerbaijan Pashinyan seems to be testing patience of Baku

During a recent press conference, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan once again showcased his trademark illogical and absurd reasoning.

Pashinyan claimed that the Constitution of Azerbaijan also contains territorial claims against Armenia. Additionally, he expressed frustration over Azerbaijan's refusal to accept Armenia’s plans for militarization. Baku's response followed promptly.

Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Aykhan Hajizada expressed regret over the Armenian prime minister's statements, which he believes contradict the process of normalising the Azerbaijan-Armenia ties and efforts to ensure peace and security in the region.

How do international experts and political analysts assess the substance of Pashinyan's recent statements? 

Kazakh political analyst, head of the A+Analytics research centre Farhad Kasenov has said that the Armenian prime minister's statements as of August 31 have garnered attention from experts focused on establishing peaceful coexistence in the South Caucasus.

In an interview with Caliber.Az, he noted that, at first glance, Pashinyan appears to be moderating his confrontational rhetoric recently. To an outside observer, this could even create a misleading impression that the Armenian prime minister is adopting the role of a "peacemaker."

 "Nevertheless, a closer examination of the statements reveals an attempt to undermine the substance of the peace agreement that has been in the works since 2020. The proposal to sign not a comprehensive peace treaty, which has been carefully negotiated by both sides over an extended period and would encompass all provisions ensuring peaceful interaction between the two countries, but rather only select points from it, is perplexing," he noted.

"The essence of such a peculiar initiative, beyond its apparent media effect, remains unclear. Moreover, it raises concerns about the deliberate stalling of the negotiation process, potentially in anticipation of shifts in the geopolitical landscape or in search of a political opportunity that would shift the responsibility onto a new generation of Armenian politicians," the political analyst said.

Kasenov said that efforts are being made by Yerevan to mislead the international community to avoid the necessity of a constitutional reform that would resolve the territorial disputes and claims Armenia has against Azerbaijan. 

"The constitution is the highest legal document in a country, and references within it to other documents that do not acknowledge the territorial integrity of a neighbouring country are undoubtedly a nonsense. Moreover, such references are unlikely to provide a solid foundation for lasting peace, as they inherently contain an element of revisionism," he stressed.

"Pashinyan's comparison of the constitutions of Armenia and Azerbaijan appears illogical, considering that the fundamental law of the Republic of Azerbaijan does not include any territorial claims against Armenia or any other neighbouring countries," he said.

"These and other statements made by Pashinyan on August 31 suggest that the Armenian leadership may not fully grasp the detrimental effects of delaying the peace treaty. Such actions introduce a dangerous level of uncertainty into the future development of their country," Kasenov said. 

At the same time, Russian political analyst Vladislav Gerdin believes that Pashinyan has once again demonstrated a lack of intent to engage in a genuine and transparent dialogue with Baku. Yerevan continues to distort facts and manipulate statements.

"We see that Pashinyan easily disavows his statements made over the past six months. At the same time, he now seems open to Moscow's mediation in the negotiations between Baku and Yerevan, despite having accused Russia just a few weeks ago of preparing to attack Armenia and betraying all allied commitments. Isn't that ironic? It seems that Pashinyan has had his mind meticulously cleaned and rebooted, or perhaps the Armenian prime minister and his aides are simply not keeping track of his statements and their context," he said.

"When discussing the peace treaty, Pashinyan seems to be testing Azerbaijan's patience. Let's take all the agreed-upon articles and formulations and sign them as a peace treaty, says the Armenian prime minister, as if it's merely a routine declaration or an internal agreement. However, Baku is well aware that Yerevan might easily backtrack on any of its commitments. Such a casually signed peace treaty aligns perfectly with Armenia's policy of territorial expansion and historical revisionism," Gerdin added.