Political analyst: Aliyev creates facts, while Pashinyan 'sells illusions'

Political analyst Suren Surenyants has commented on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s statement at the Turkic States Summit in Gabala, where Aliyev announced that “the opening of the Zangezur corridor was one of the key outcomes of the Washington summit”. The same phrasing was later used in the Gabala Declaration, emphasizing the corridor as a central element of regional cooperation.

According to Surenyants, while Baku presents the corridor as a done deal, the Armenian prime minister's spokesperson insists that Aliyev’s remarks “do not refer to Armenian territory”.

“This is not a clear political stance, but rather an attempt to create the illusion that everything can be reinterpreted,” Surenyants wrote on Telegram on Thursday. “The same mistake was made in 2020, when Pashinyan tried to convince the public that Clause 9 of the November 9 statement did not imply Russian control. That self-deception led to the fall of Artsakh. The same pattern is repeating now.”

The analyst warned that by attempting to reinterpret the Washington Declaration, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan risks undermining Armenia’s sovereignty.

“What is being promoted as a 'transport project' or a 'road to peace' could soon deliver another blow to Armenia's sovereignty. Under these circumstances, the Armenian leadership's silence and misleading explanations can no longer be seen as diplomatic restraint, but as political irresponsibility that undermines the foundations of statehood,” Surenyants added.