Ter-Petrosyan: Pashinyan destroyed my theses on Karabakh

Former Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan said Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan “destroyed” his theses on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, rejecting suggestions that Pashinyan follows his peace agenda.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Ter-Petrosyan said he has repeatedly urged Pashinyan to publish all documents related to the Karabakh conflict. “If he discloses them, the debate will be over, because everything is written there,” he noted, when asked why he declines Pashinyan’s invitation to a public debate.

Asked about accusations that Pashinyan manipulates narratives and might shift blame, Ter-Petrosyan replied: “Let him.”

On claims that Pashinyan is his “political protégé”, he said: “Others say that, not me. Many people stood by me.”

Reflecting on the 2018 change of power, Ter-Petrosyan remarked: “It was such a storm… The man succeeded. He achieved the goal he set. I’m not saying it's good or bad, but he reached his goal.”

Addressing comparisons between their approaches to the Karabakh conflict, he stressed: “He destroyed those theses in Stepanakert by declaring ‘Artsakh is Armenia, period’ and that brought war. His policy has nothing to do with mine. Absolutely nothing.”

Ter-Petrosyan stated that “there is always a way out” of the current situation.