Pashinyan threatens to "smash" former Armenian presidents in debate challenge

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has issued a sharp warning to former Armenian presidents, threatening to "smash them against the wall" if a live debate on Karabakh were to take place. 

The statement was made during a government Q&A session in parliament, Caliber.Az reports via Armenian media.

Pashinyan accused former presidents Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Robert Kocharyan, and Serzh Sargsyan of attempting to blame him for what they call a "capitulation" in 2020, asserting that the outcome was inevitable by the time he came to power.

For this reason, he has invited the former leaders to participate in a live debate, which, according to him, they have repeatedly refused. "If they have something to say, they should come on air and not use intermediaries," Pashinyan stated.

"But these three 'giants of thought' say they have nothing to debate with me about. Yet, they send their children, grandchildren, in-laws, and daughters-in-law to press conferences. Hey, if you have nothing to discuss, sit still and don’t stir... I will not debate with you; I will smash you against the wall. And from there, the remains of your political corpses will be carried out. This applies to all three of you. Stop playing with our nerves. I will crush you, not debate with you," Pashinyan declared.

He further suggested that the former leaders are well aware of this, which is why they refuse to engage in discussions.

Earlier, Pashinyan also asserted that the Karabakh movement should not continue.

Speaking in response to a question from Lilit Galstyan, a deputy from the "Hayastan" bloc, he called for an honest discussion about whether Armenian society truly wants the movement to persist.

"I would not be sincere if I did not directly express my position, especially after what I have already said during the discussions on government reports. At that time, I noted that the Karabakh movement was used to hinder the establishment of Armenian statehood. Therefore, I unequivocally believe that it should not continue," Pashinyan stated.

By Vugar Khalilov