The state must limit itself to rules of international relations – PM Pashinyan

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Armenia must position itself as a state that proclaims and limits itself to the conduct in line with international rules and norms, PM Nikol Pashinyan has said.

“We must adopt a very different logic to overcome the nation-martyr, nation-army formulas, simply the logic of a state that acts exclusively in line with its own interests. Meaning, the state has its concrete territory, a concrete area of responsibility, a specific internationally recognized territory and is acting solely in line with the interests of its own area of responsibility,” Pashinyan said in parliament during 2025 budget debates. He said that the interest is the economic development.

Armenia must therefore act only in line with the interests of its own economic development, the PM said. This, in turn, has dozens of layers, ranging from domestic political, foreign policy, geopolitical, socio-economic and others.

“Secondly, the state must limit itself to the rules and laws of international relations. I am saying this especially now, when it seems that international laws and rules are violated wherever, by whoever wants so. We’ve said a lot that we should give asymmetric reactions to our problems. I think this is the asymmetric reaction. When everyone in all possible places is violating the accepted rules of international relations, we must position ourselves as a country that proclaims and limits itself to acting in line with internationally accepted rules,” Pashinyan said, adding that a strong and combat ready army can be effective in the existence of these conditions. “This means to create a security system where the first line is not the army. There are buffers before the army, for example economic interconnectivity, and another buffer ahead of that, the international rules,” Pashinyan said. The PM said everyone and everywhere is complaining of violations of international rules, however, this means that maintaining those rules is a positive conduct. And this positive conduct develops another buffer before the army.

“And it is in these conditions that the agenda of having a strong army can be legitimate and justified. And the agenda of having a strong army can ensure security as another circle in the security chain,” Pashinyan said.