Former FM Ara Aivazian decries Armenian government’s appeasement policy

Former Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian called out the current Armenian government for failure to properly respond to the “endless” demands put forward by Turkey and Azerbaijan for a peace deal between the countries.

Speaking at a debate on the foreign policy priorities of Armenia and Russia on Wednesday, the diplomat claimed that following the war defeat in 2020, the Armenian leadership was “unable or unwilling” to smooth out the situation and prevent its final diplomatic defeat.

“Yerevan’s fatal mistakes and miscalculations have led to a point where foreign policy has ceased to be a logical continuation of domestic policy, while it is the external actors and factors that overwhelmingly determine Armenia’s foreign and domestic policies,” the diplomat stated.

“The foreign policy of Azerbaijan and Turkey is aimed at cementing their military successes in the political, economic and eventually ideological spheres, which will lead to the establishment of their permanent dominance in the region and will eventually turn Armenia into a non-viable state entity,” he said.

“Hiding behind the veil of peace-seeking rhetoric, they consistently pursue a blatant expansionist and aggressive foreign policy,” Aivazian remarked. “With Azerbaijan and Turkey no longer hiding their unchanging goals of the final neutralization of the Armenian factor, Yerevan’s foreign policy is hardly adequate. Today it is already absolutely clear that the current authorities, under the name of pragmatism and, of course, following the advice of Western partners, are showing little resistance to the endless demands from Baku and Ankara for the sake of achieving an illusory peace and establishing good neighborly relations with the aggressors, who pursue completely different goals.”

“In a desperate attempt to preserve the increasingly deteriorating status quo, Armenia is pursuing a policy of unilateral concessions and compromises. It can be called a policy of appeasement,” the diplomat added.