Expert: Pashinyan 'filling the airwaves', awaiting Putin-Trump political deal
Armenian political technologist Armen Badalyan criticized Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for failure to achieve success in any area, claiming that he is merely "filling the airwaves" while waiting for “political bargaining” between the superpowers.
In an interview with Panorama.am on Thursday, Badalyan reflected on Pashinyan’s recent comments about the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) peace process, which triggered widespread criticism.
Pashinyan stated in late December that all peace plans drafted by the mediators from 1994 onwards focused on “the return of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan”. He said that his “big mistake” was not to make it clear to the Armenian people after coming to power in 2018.
Badalyan argued that the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan is effectively "dead" and there is no clear indication of when it will be revived.
He also claimed that the “main beneficiaries of the peace agreement were the American globalists, including outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris who suffered defeat in the presidential elections”.
“No one knows what policy U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will pursue in the South Caucasus. Additionally, there will be political bargaining between Russia and the U.S. Preliminary reports suggested that a meeting between Putin and Trump was scheduled for late January, but now the parties are complicating the process and the talks could be postponed," the expert said.
Meanwhile, Badalyan noted that Pashinyan is attempting to keep the political narrative alive in Armenia by inviting former presidents to a debate on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and claiming that the negotiation process revolved around its return to Azerbaijan.
“There is no peace agreement or major economic investments, while the issue of security remains unresolved. Azerbaijan continues to occupy Armenian territories, and Armenia has made no significant international achievements in any field. Nonetheless, Pashinyan is striving to project himself as a decision-maker, stating that if he doesn't fill the media space, others will do it, which could diminish his status among his supporters,” the expert stated.
He also expressed concern about the internal political environment in Armenia, stating that there is little hope for change within the country itself. "95 percent of Armenia's internal political processes are dictated from the outside. At this point, the most anticipated external process is the major political bargain,” Badalyan added.