Why is there a lack of trust in Armenia's leadership? The hypocrisy of Mirzoyan

The topic of the so-called "Armenian genocide" has long since become a well-established and profitable business for a large network of professional opportunists around the world. Substantial funds are allocated for the "research" on this issue, which often involves trips by various individuals to forums and hefty fees for the most ambitious among them. 

In this context, it's no coincidence that the 5th Global Forum "Against the Crime of Genocide" was held. It's also not surprising that the event took place in Yerevan. What, however, triggered an ironic smile was the fact that this entire event was organized under the patronage of Armenia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, delivered a speech at the forum. Why do the actions of the Armenian government provoke only ironic smiles? Because this represents yet another glaring example of hypocrisy from the official authorities in Yerevan.

Just recently, in October, during the discussion of the 2025 budget project in the National Assembly, the very same Ararat Mirzoyan tried to convince everyone that the issue of international recognition of the so-called "Armenian genocide" was not a priority in Armenia's foreign policy agenda. "The number one priority for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia is ensuring peace and stability around Armenia," Mirzoyan claimed at that time.

This was a hint at Armenia's willingness to improve relations with Türkiye and Azerbaijan. However, less than two months later, the naked hypocrisy of Armenia is laid bare. The issue here is not the fact that the 5th Global Forum "Against the Crime of Genocide" was held. The issue lies in what was said there. Melanie O’Brien, President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, delivered a speech. What is this organization? It is an American NGO, founded in 1994, based at George Mason University in Arlington. In 1997, the association unanimously adopted a resolution recognizing the so-called "Armenian genocide." To understand the true weight of the word "unanimously," it's worth noting that the entire association consists of just five people, including the treasurer. 

The title of "vice president" in this gathering of professional opportunists is held by one Armen Marsoobian. There are grounds to believe that this individual is the real motivator behind the actions of other members of this organization, encouraging them to adopt anti-Turkish resolutions and make anti-Azerbaijani statements. Another batch of such rhetoric was voiced in Yerevan. Yes, Melanie O’Brien lamented that many countries, including her native Australia, have not recognized the mythical "Armenian genocide." According to her, "The lack of recognition emboldens Türkiye to continue denying it." Therefore, the leader of this five-person NGO called on all countries to recognize the Armenian myth. All of this took place in Yerevan, in the very hall where Ararat Mirzoyan, just two months earlier, assured everyone that Armenia would not promote the issue of recognizing the "Armenian genocide" globally. Hypocrisy? Undoubtedly. But there was more to come.

The same Melanie O'Brien, in the presence of Armenia's Foreign Minister, began to spread outright falsehoods about Azerbaijan. Responding to a prearranged question about whether the actions of Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023 could be classified as genocide, O'Brien provided a scripted answer, which was likely prepared and perhaps even paid for in advance. She claimed, "all the major international crimes,war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, had occurred in Nagorno-Karabakh in different contexts and at various times."

This woman made herself look truly foolish. There is no such place as "Nagorno-Karabakh"—it is the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. This is further confirmed by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has repeatedly acknowledged Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, including Karabakh. Additionally, Armenia's parliament speaker, Alen Simonyan, admitted in an interview with Radio Azatutyun that Azerbaijan conducted an anti-terrorist operation in the Karabakh region based on UN resolutions, which Armenia failed to implement. 

Moreover, it's necessary to state the obvious: both Armenia-Azerbaijan wars took place on the territory of Azerbaijan. Not a single Armenian city, unlike Aghdam, was turned into a "Caucasian Hiroshima." No one has ever expelled Armenians from Armenian territory, but Azerbaijanis were expelled from their own land. Armenian occupiers did this, and they are responsible for the genocide in Khojaly.

If Melanie O'Brien has any doubts on this matter, she can always refer to an interview given by Armenia's third president, Serzh Sargsyan, to British journalist Tom de Waal. In that interview, Sargsyan openly admitted that the horrific crime in Khojaly was committed to remove any doubts about the Armenian side's readiness to kill innocent Azerbaijani civilians. 

Furthermore, the Khojaly genocide has been recognized by various international bodies, including the Senate's Committee on Foreign Relations of Pakistan, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, the Committee on International Relations of the Colombian House of Representatives, the National Congress of Honduras, the Congress of Guatemala, and the Parliament of Paraguay. On February 7, 2013, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Czech Parliament adopted a resolution condemning all forms of ethnic cleansing, mass killings, and genocide against civilians, with the events in Khojaly being recognized as a crime against humanity. In 2014, the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina passed a resolution condemning the mass extermination of civilians in Khojaly on a national and ethnic basis as a crime against humanity. In 2016, the National Council of Slovenia passed a resolution condemning the Khojaly massacre as a crime against humanity. Additionally, the Scottish Parliament adopted a resolution regarding the Khojaly tragedy. In 2022, Canada's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement describing the Khojaly massacre as "a horrific tragedy." Finally, 26 U.S. states passed resolutions recognizing the Khojaly genocide. Therefore, Melanie O'Brien certainly has all the grounds to call for global recognition of the Khojaly genocide. However, it is clear that she does not, which only proves her bias.

However, that is beside the point. What is far more concerning is that once again, the falsehoods of official Yerevan have been exposed. While publicly advocating for the opening of borders with Türkiye, improving relations, and signing a peace treaty with Azerbaijan, in practice, Armenia does not remove from its constitution provisions that violate the territorial integrity of our country. On top of this, Armenia continues to coordinate events in Yerevan where lies are being spread about Türkiye and Azerbaijan.