Having lost hope in Munich, Pashinyan looking for help in West
Fatime Letifova
Read moreArmenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan conducts a “balanced policy” in diplomacy, not at the international level, but only within the framework of pleasing the audience in his country.
A closed meeting between Nikol Pashinyan and ruling party deputies in the Armenian Parliament, the process, which lasted more than three hours, was about the Munich conference and the outcome of the negotiations.
The local Armenian newspaper says that, according to Pashinyan, the meeting held in Germany was another conference without any "successful" results. Thus, no special progress has been made in the negotiation process for Armenia.
It seems that although Pashinyan's government is trying to avoid the peace agreement with all its might, the fact that the foreign countries are already putting forward Azerbaijan’s rightful demands is causing anxiety in the country.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, losing reputation among the factions due to his unprofessional speeches and inadequate manoeuvres at international meetings, took the first step towards another partner country, Greece, to find a way out of the situation.
We should not forget that during the 44-day war, which ended with the glorious victory of Azerbaijan, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias visited the so-called genocide monument in Armenia and laid a wreath in front of it, demonstrating Greece's support for Armenia.
In November of last year, joint exercises of the special forces of Armenia, Greece, and Cyprus were held in the Nea Peramos area of Attica, which is Greece's national defense headquarters.
The fact that Nikol Pashinyan immediately visited Greece with his wife Anna Akopyan right after the Munich meeting can be considered proof that, no matter how "businesslike" it is, he expects more support from this country.
However, the Armenian government has concluded that future support from Greece will not be enough and has started looking for help in another continent - Canada.
It is worth noting that in recent years, especially after Nikol Pashinyan's coming to power in Armenia, this country's support for Yerevan has increased a lot.
Recall that Canada is also the only non-European country that joined the EU mission in Armenia.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie, who did not raise a single voice for Armenian vandalism exploiting Azerbaijani lands for 30 years and leaving nearly 1 million Azerbaijani citizens homeless, clearly showed her prejudice against Azerbaijan after the liberation of Garabagh from occupation.
Last year, during her speech at the Armenian Community Centre in Montreal, the minister called Azerbaijan’s Garabagh region "Artsakh".
She claimed that the South Caucasus region, especially the “local” Armenians, are facing a real danger in "Artsakh":
“We need to bring this issue of Artsakh at every single diplomatic table we have access to.”
The Armenian diaspora appreciated a lot the fact that the minister considered Garabagh "Artsakh" in her speech, showed a pro-Armenian position, and mentioned the name of Azerbaijan with baseless allegations. That is why today, the Armenian ambassador to Canada, Anahit Harutyunyan, met with the parliamentary secretary of the Canadian Foreign Affairs Ministry, Robert Oliphant.
Olifant assessed the purpose of the meeting as discussing the prospects and challenges of peace and stability in the South Caucasus. However, the speeches of the parties regarding the continued dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the support of peace in the region are not compatible with the Armenian provocations committed on the border in the last two weeks, especially on the eve of the re-election of the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.
By looking at the current hustle and bustle and stressful situation in Armenia, the Prime Minister of Armenia is asking for urgent help from all his "friends" in the West, by sending the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ararat Mirzoyan, to Geneva, for the 55th meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, sending an alarm to the ambassador in Canada, and going to Greece, in order not to be removed from his position and to win back the Armenian factions' approval.
However, no matter how much he tries to fool the Armenian people, it is an undeniable fact that Nikol Pashinyan carries the “defeated country” stigma in the political arena, in which he sinks the name of his country.
The only way out for Armenia at the moment is to get out of the diplomatic waters, which Pashinyan cannot swim in, end the provocations on the border with Azerbaijan, and move towards peace.