Pashinyan accuses former Armenian leaders of dragging country into abyss

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has sharply criticised the country’s former presidents, accusing them of dragging Armenia into war and manipulating elections.

According to Caliber.Az, Pashinyan expressed his views in a post on his Facebook page.

"LTP dragged Armenia into war and fled. RK dragged Karabakh into war and fled to Armenia. SS fled Karabakh even earlier to enjoy the manats collected at the Lachin post," he said, using abbreviations for the former presidents in a mocking tone.

He continued, reflecting on Armenia’s recent history, "‘Victorious presidents, victorious presidents…’ I noted with horror, reflecting on the history of the Third Republic, that none of the so-called ‘victorious presidents,’ can you imagine, not one, never once received the genuine trust of the people in the elections."

Pashinyan questioned how the former leaders could claim victory if they continually rigged elections, writing, "Listen: if you really brought victory to the people, can you explain why you have been rigging elections since 1996? How could the people not vote for the leaders who supposedly secured their victory? How?"

He added, "They did not vote because, contrary to the ‘analysts’ and ‘people's and honoured’ artists you pay, the mothers of Armenia and the silent and thoughtful fathers behind them understood perfectly well: you did not bring victory, you dragged Armenia into an abyss from which there was no way out."

Turning to their current situation, Pashinyan remarked, "And now you are dying, seeing that a way out, yes, at the cost of thousands of victims, has nevertheless been found. You are dying in the literal sense of the word — three times a day. Once in the morning, once at noon, and once again at dusk."

He concluded with a challenge to the former leaders, asking, "And tell me: will you come to the debate or not? You can bring Ktrich, Samoy, Gevorg, and Vazgen with you. We can organise the debate in my former cell in Yerevan Centre, so that it is convenient for all of you."

Pashinyan’s references clarify the identities of the former presidents: Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the first president of Armenia, whose rule and ties to the Karabakh clan, according to Pashinyan, drew the country into war; Robert Kocharyan, the second president, linked to the Karabakh war and later relocation to Armenia; and Serzh Sargsyan, the third president, sarcastically associated with the collection of manats at the Lachin checkpoint in the early 1990s, a site widely believed to involve extortion and bribery.

By Tamilla Hasanova