Former FM accuses Pashinyan of using war threat as election tool

Former Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian on Friday sharply criticized Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, accusing him of using the threat of war as a political tool ahead of upcoming elections and questioning his credibility as a guarantor of peace.

In a statement posed on socialmedia, Oskanian said Pashinyan’s repeated warnings that electoral defeat could lead to renewed conflict amount to “political blackmail,” arguing that such rhetoric reflects desperation rather than leadership. He added that after years marked by war, losses and public disillusionment, attempts to invoke fear of conflict no longer resonate with voters.

“People do not imagine a hypothetical future without him, they recall what happened under his tenure,” Oskanian said, referring to the 2020 war and its aftermath.

He argued that Pashinyan’s narrative is increasingly counterproductive, portraying a leader who, in his view, failed in foreign policy and security now seeking to present himself as the sole guarantor of stability. Oskanian also claimed that past diplomatic opportunities, including proposals linked to the OSCE Minsk Group in 2019, were missed or withheld from the public.

Oskanian further questioned the prime minister’s warnings of possible conflict later this year, noting that just days before the outbreak of the 2020 war, Pashinyan had publicly outlined an ambitious long-term national vision without signaling imminent danger.

“If he could not foresee a war that began within days, on what basis is he now predicting one months ahead?” Oskanian said.

He concluded that the continued emphasis on war risks reflects political improvisation rather than strategic foresight, and underestimates a public that remains shaped by recent conflict.