Armenian pundit warns "sea to sea Armenia" could provoke war with neighbors

Political scientist Edgar Arakelyan has raised alarms in Armenian media, cautioning that the concept of "sea to sea Armenia" amounts to a declaration of war on all neighboring countries.

He stressed that such rhetoric challenges the territorial integrity of multiple nations in the region, Caliber.Az reports.

"To talk about the return of historical Armenia from sea to sea means to talk about the destruction of the current real Armenia," Arakelyan stated, emphasizing the potential consequences of such ambitions. "It means to question at least the territorial integrity of Türkiye, Azerbaijan, partly Georgia, partly Iran. In other words, we will declare war on all neighboring countries."

Arakelyan pointed out the historical roots of many Armenians, noting, "because today the genealogy of a significant part of Armenia's population comes from territories that are not part of the current territory of Armenia." He highlighted the risk of challenging powerful neighboring countries, cautioning against actions that could lead to Armenia's erasure from the political map.

The political analyst also expressed concerns about the involvement of external influences. "There is a dark view that with the help of the North we can realize the dream of historical Armenia," he remarked. "History has shown us that the North's entry into the territory of the Armenian highlands led to tragedy."

Arakelyan further criticized the Armenian Church's involvement in political matters, questioning its alignment with certain ideologies. "Often the statements by the Armenian Church coincide with the 'methodologies' coming from the north and correspond to what the parliamentary opposition says," he observed. This has raised doubts about the church's allegiances and its role as a spiritual authority.

"How do they imagine that we should declare war on Iran, Türkiye, Georgia, Azerbaijan?" Arakelyan questioned, highlighting the impracticality and risks involved. He also criticized the church's shift away from spiritual matters, stating, "unfortunately, our church, having retired from church life, is busy with active politics, while thanks to the active efforts of the current church authority, spiritual life in Armenia has been in crisis for the past 20 years."