Opposition candidate decries Pashinyan's peace model

Armenian National Congress (ANC) deputy chairman and prime ministerial candidate Levon Zurabyan has strongly criticized Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s peace framework, warning it would leave Armenia under Azerbaijan’s dominion.

“Pashinyan’s peace model envisions a country where the master and sovereign is Azerbaijan,” Zurabyan said on Monday, alleging that Baku would determine which parts of Armenia’s sovereign territory remain Armenian, while also reshaping its Constitution. He stressed Azerbaijan seeks to strip out the Declaration of Independence, thereby dismantling the state’s legal foundation.

Zurabyan further accused Azerbaijan of attempting to suppress the Armenian Apostolic Church, erase spiritual values and undermine national identity. He argued that efforts are underway to recast knowledge of the Armenian Genocide as foreign imperial propaganda.

Outlining his party’s alternative, Zurabyan pledged to pursue an “independent peace model.” He said the ANC supports reconciliation with Turkey and Azerbaijan, but only under conditions that guarantee Armenia’s full sovereignty over its internationally recognized territory.