Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the country cannot shape its foreign policy around every statement made by other states, arguing that such an approach would lead to chaos. Speaking on Bun TV, he said Armenia’s strategy should remain steady and anchored in a peace agenda.
Pashinyan said statements and assessments may come every day from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Iran and the United States, but Armenia should not revise its policy in response to each one. “Our policy must be built on rock. Our strategy is peace,” the prime minister said.
He also said Armenia’s relations with Russia will inevitably change and that this shift is not tied to any particular individual or political force. In Pashinyan’s view, Armenia-Russia ties cannot remain as they were before because that earlier model implied Armenia’s involvement in conflict. He added that as long as a peaceful environment is maintained in Armenia, the relationship cannot return to its previous form.
Pashinyan also commented on ongoing developments around Armenia’s railway system, noting that it is under Russian concession management. According to him, processes are unfolding under that arrangement that could leave Armenia bypassed by key regional rail traffic.
The prime minister described a scenario in which a railway line would enter Armenia from the Nrnadzor side and exit through Agarak, while the main international flows, instead of crossing Armenian territory, would reach Turkey via Nakhichevan. He said this creates a risk that Armenia could be excluded from a project it initiated itself.
Pashinyan said that risk is being heightened by tensions in relations between the West and Russia. “Because of tensions in West-Russia relations, Armenia may be left out of a program it initiated itself,” he said.
