Kocharyan: Peace depends on Aliyev’s mood and conscience

Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has questioned Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s claims about achieving peace with Azerbaijan, arguing that the process remains entirely dependent on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s will.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Kocharyan said the peace being promoted by the Armenian government lacks any real guarantees.

"What peace is Nikol Pashinyan talking about? The so-called peace today depends on the mood of one man – Aliyev. There are no guarantees, no guarantors, no mechanisms,” he said.

Kocharyan warned that Armenia has been left vulnerable to unilateral actions by Baku.

“The entire peace rests on one person’s conscience. One day he might have a bad dream, another day he might decide to ‘resolve’ the Zangezur issue amid the chaos in the world,” he said.

The former president stressed that his opposition is not against peace itself but against what he called a “deceptive” process lacking accountability.

“We are proposing a real peace – one with control mechanisms and guarantors who bear responsibility, not just witnesses. The United States offers no real guarantees here. This is just another attempt to mislead people,” Kocharyan said.

He stated that Armenia is not currently in a state of peace but rather in a precarious ceasefire.

"There is no peace. Even using that word is wrong. What we have now is a ceasefire dependent on one man’s desire,” the ex-president added.