Armenian analyst warns of 'dangerous phase' after Aliyev's Munich remarks

An Armenian political analyst on Wednesday warned that the country had entered a “very dangerous phase” following recent remarks by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Munich, accusing Baku of seeking to impose a model of “capitulation” on Armenia in ongoing normalization efforts.

Speaking to reporters during a symbolic protest near the UN office in Yerevan, Suren Surenyants, the leader of the Democratic Alternative Party, described Aliyev’s comments about former Artsakh leaders convicted in Baku as "monstrous".

“After Aliyev’s interview and speech in Munich, I believe we have entered a very dangerous stage,” Sargsyan said.

He hit out at Aliyev for comparing Azerbaijan’s judicial system to the post-World War II Nuremberg trials and for describing Armenian prisoners as more dangerous criminals than Nazis.

“This implies that Armenia is being assigned the status of a defeated Germany,” Sargsyan said, arguing that Azerbaijan envisions normalization not as a balanced settlement but as the imposition of capitulation on Armenia.

Sargsyan also strongly criticized the Armenian government for a lack of response.

“If Armenia had a normal government, there would be no need for such actions. There should have been an adequate response and countermeasures to Azerbaijan’s steps,” he said.

According to Sargsyan, several days had passed since Aliyev’s statements without a reaction from Yerevan, which he described as “total inaction”.

He accused the authorities of maintaining an “illusion of peace” to preserve political stability at home, suggesting that a firm response could provoke a harsher reaction from Baku and undermine the government’s narrative.

Protesters planned to submit a letter in Armenian, Russian and English to the UN office in Armenia, outlining their concerns about the peace process and violations of international law.

Sargsyan said they did not expect a satisfactory response but intended to continue organizing roundtables and demonstrations in the coming weeks.