Former FM slams Pashinyan's remarks about clergy at European Parliament

Former Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian on Thursday sharply criticized Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan over his recent remarks about Armenian clergymen at the European Parliament.

In a social media post, Oskanian said Pashinyan used part of his speech to accuse Armenian bishops of violating spiritual rules and acting as “agents of influence” seeking to obstruct his peace agenda.

“If anyone still doubts that Armenia could have avoided the war, the post-war calamities, the depopulation of Artsakh, the occupation of Armenia’s sovereign territories and the acceptance of Azerbaijan’s conditions, they should listen to just one segment of Pashinyan’s speech,” Oskanian wrote.

According to Oskanian, raising such accusations from the European Parliament podium risked appearing inappropriate and potentially damaging in the eyes of the audience.

He argued that since 2018 Pashinyan has repeatedly failed to understand what is appropriate to say in diplomatic settings and what international partners expect from Armenia’s leadership.

“This simple reality explains why Armenia has ended up in the current situation,” Oskanian said.