Newspaper: Pashinyan turns to Armenia’s first president for political lifeline

In a surprising turn of events, Armenia’s first president, Levon Ter-Petrosian, has stepped into the diplomatic arena, reportedly at the request of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Iravunk newspaper reports that Ter-Petrosian recently met with Russian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin at his residence, where they discussed Armenian-Russian relations, the internal political situation in Armenia, and regional security, per Caliber.Az.

Arman Musinyan, spokesman for the Armenian National Congress (ANC), confirmed the meeting, stating, “During the more than an hour-long conversation, they touched upon issues related to Armenian-Russian relations, the internal situation in Armenia, and regional security.”

Iravunk further reports that a few days before this meeting, Ter-Petrosian also held talks with Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Mehdi Sobhani. “He spoke with the Iranian diplomat for an hour and a half and expressed his admiration for the ambassador’s recent, as Ter-Petrosian noted, extremely informative press conference,” the newspaper writes.

According to sources cited by Iravunk, these diplomatic activities are directly linked to a personal request from Nikol Pashinyan, who is seeking to mend ties with key regional players. The newspaper states, “Through the mediation of Armenia’s first president, Pashinyan is trying to find a path to reconciliation along this axis.”

The report further claims that Russia has set two key conditions for Pashinyan to restore his political credibility. “First, he must close the agonizing topic of withdrawal from the CSTO — perhaps by declaring that he has received answers to the questions that concern him. Second, he should start discussing mutually acceptable options with the Russian side on the issue of control over the railroad,” the sources indicate.

Iravunk notes that these behind-the-scenes negotiations could have significant implications for Armenia’s political future, as Pashinyan faces increasing pressure both domestically and internationally.

By Tamilla Hasanova