Tavush reporter slams Pashinyan's remarks about Kirants

Tavush-based reporter Voskan Sargsyan has criticized Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s remarks following a visit to the border village of Kirants, highlighting serious concerns that were overlooked.

“Yesterday, I presented the ‘Real Armenia’ ideology to participants of the Business Workshop and then invited them to visit Kirants,” Pashinyan wrote on Facebook on Friday. “Kirants is the first realization of the 'Real Armenia' vision: a demarcated and delineated state border, a safe and peaceful life, a newly constructed school, a renovated highway, a restored church and a growing population. Prior to the demarcation, Kirants had 80 households, now 43 new homes are being built. This is Real Armenia.”

“For anyone who wants to understand what the 'Real Armenia' ideology means in practice, I urge you to visit Kirants. Seeing it once is better than hearing about it a thousand times,” he added.

However, Voskan Sargsyan accused the prime minister of presenting a sanitized version of reality.

“Nikol Pashinyan visited Kirants but failed to address its real problems,” Sargsyan wrote on Facebook. “He didn’t inform the visiting businessmen about the challenges facing the village. He did not mention the hectares of land that have been ceded to Azerbaijan under the guise of border delimitation, the Kirants bridge or the school playground where students are now too afraid to play.”

The reporter cited agricultural data to highlight the worsening conditions in Kirants. “In 2022, Kirants had 38 hectares of autumn wheat crops, while in 2024, the number dropped to just 6.8 hectares, with no spring crops planted at all. The handove of pasturelands to Azerbaijan has also caused a significant decline in livestock.”

He further noted that while a gas pipeline passes through the village, none of the households are connected to it. “Villagers simply cannot afford the connection fees,” the reporter said.

“This is the real Kirants,” Sargsyan concluded.