Pashinyan seeks Trump’s friendship The coveted inch and a half

A recent photograph circulated in the media shows Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan smiling alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and newly re-elected U.S. President Donald Trump. The scene took place at the ceremonial reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral following its restoration.

The composition is intriguing. Macron is seen holding Pashinyan’s elbow in a patronizing manner with his right hand. The two are standing very close to each other, while Trump is positioned at a barely noticeable distance from them. Overall, it doesn’t take a psychologist or a body language expert to interpret the arrangement as follows: Macron is introducing, or rather attempting to introduce, Pashinyan into Trump’s circle.

However, what the photograph suggests is corroborated by numerous facts indicating that Pashinyan is firmly intent on ingratiating himself with the future occupant of the White House, using every opportunity to do so. This task appears rather challenging, given that Pashinyan and his team had wholeheartedly supported the Biden administration. Moreover, Republicans are traditionally less receptive to Armenian narratives than Democrats. And so, Pashinyan is now attempting to cozy up to Trump as if nothing has happened.

Here, it is worth contrasting this with the position of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who, back in July at the media forum in Shusha, expressed support for Trump—a stark difference from the Armenian authorities, who are now scrambling to adapt to the changing political landscape.

But let us return to the Armenian leader. Pashinyan’s task is further complicated by the fact that he cannot rely on the resources of the Armenian diaspora in the U.S. or its most influential institutional structure—ANCA. It’s no secret that ANCA is dominated by Dashnaks, who hold Pashinyan in deep disdain, blaming him entirely for Armenia’s defeat in the 44-day war. In their view, he has betrayed the cause of miatsum (unification) and, worse, is proceeding far too slowly toward any attempt at revenge.

As Caliber.Az has learned, under these circumstances, Pashinyan assigned a special task to Armenia’s ambassador to the U.S., his former English teacher Lilit Makunts, to establish contact with Trump’s team, bypassing ANCA. Makunts proved to be resourceful, managing to establish the necessary connection. She cleverly enlisted another influential figure—Kim Kardashian. Kardashian, in turn, conveyed the request to Trump through his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Simultaneously, Pashinyan's government has actively involved 84-year-old Armenian-American businessman Albert Boyajian, a native of Aleppo, Syria, in lobbying efforts. Boyajian, the founder of AAPAC (Armenian American Political Action Committee), is being positioned by Pashinyan's administration as an alternative platform to ANCA.

Boyajian portrays himself as a "philanthropist," yet his charitable activities have largely focused on supporting Armenia's expansionist policies. These include so-called "projects" aimed at consolidating Armenia’s occupation of Karabakh and adjacent territories. Notably, Boyajian has facilitated the distribution of illegal products from Karabakh separatists in Europe and the U.S. and played a significant role in constructing the "Goris-Khankendi" highway and the separatists’ strategically important "North-South" highway (not to be confused with the similarly named regional transport corridor). He contributed between $500,000 and $1 million annually to the road construction fund.

Boyajian also actively collaborated with Serzh Sargsyan’s government, which awarded him the "Order of Honor" in 2011. In 2005, he was hosted in Karabakh by the separatist leader Arkadi Ghukasyan, and in 2019 by Bako Sahakyan. In 2020, Armenia’s third president, Sargsyan, congratulated him on his 80th birthday.

In essence, Boyajian can be likened to another wealthy Armenian figure—Ruben Vardanyan—with the notable distinction that Boyajian had the sense not to enter Karabakh after Armenia's capitulation in 2020. Otherwise, the parallels are clear: both are staunch Armenian nationalists and revanchists who maintain a public image as "philanthropists."

Interestingly, unlike most members of the Armenian diaspora in America, Boyajian refrained from burning bridges with Pashinyan’s government. It seems he rightly calculated that providing services to the administration might yield certain benefits. His instincts did not fail him—this is precisely what he is pursuing now.

Finally, the third path for Pashinyan to reach Trump’s administration runs through French President Emmanuel Macron, as witnessed in Paris and where we began this narrative. It’s evident that Pashinyan, like a child, likely asked Macron to introduce him to Trump and arrange a joint photograph. However, this raises an important question: how close is Macron himself to Trump?

Even during Trump’s previous term, it was clear that Macron behaved timidly in his presence, fully aware of Trump’s dislike for him. This is hardly surprising, given that Trump, a staunch conservative and advocate of traditional family values, would naturally find Macron’s thoroughly liberal stance unappealing.

Politics, however, is not just about sentiments—it’s also about interests. Macron, despite his liberal views in social and economic matters, combines them with national ambitions. These ambitions align with Trump’s tendency to steer America away from the path of globalization. It seems Macron is now trying to convince Trump that he is the right man for the job in Western Europe. This could very well explain Trump’s trip to Paris—to discuss France’s role in a reimagined Europe. And what better occasion than celebrating the restoration of Europe’s most iconic cathedral? Macron appears to have seized the moment to present Pashinyan as the representative of, according to legend, the first country to adopt Christianity.

Yet, it’s worth noting that the only tangible outcome of Pashinyan’s efforts to cozy up to Trump so far is a joint photograph. And even in that photo, as previously observed, Trump deliberately kept himself a symbolic inch and a half away from the Armenian premier.

Despite its modest length, that small gap may prove to be one of the hardest distances to bridge.