Armenia must base security policy on real threats, not external narratives, former deputy FM says

Armenia should build its security strategy around a clear assessment of its real and immediate threats rather than adopting narratives promoted by external power centers, former Deputy Foreign Minister Gagik Galachyan says.

In a social media post on Monday, Galachyan, a senior member of the Homeland Party, argued that misidentifying the source of threats leads to flawed defense policies.

“When the source of the threat is defined incorrectly, the defense also becomes incorrect,” Galachyan wrote.

He criticized statements by the European Union suggesting it is prepared to “protect” Armenia from Russia, saying such framing ignores Armenia’s primary security challenges.

According to Galachyan, Armenia’s real and immediate threats come from Azerbaijan and Turkey, citing military, political, informational and economic forms of hybrid pressure.

“The direct substitution of threats with a geopolitical agenda does not provide security, but weakens the state and opens up new vulnerabilities,” he said.

Galachyan believes Armenia's security framework should be grounded in an understanding of these risks rather than in “convenient wording” used by external actors.