Political leadership needed for resolution of Armenia-Azerbaijan social-psychological issues, says PM

Armenia’s Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, regards the conflict with Azerbaijan as politically settled, yet identifies ongoing challenges on the social and psychological level.

“Since the first day of our independence, we have not truly known peace; we have never experienced it as a phenomenon. In the period preceding our independence, conflict defined our relations. Essentially, Armenia and Azerbaijan gained independence within the logic of conflict and fueled by the energy derived from it. The conflict, which has lasted for more than 30 years, continues to this day. Politically, the conflict is over and resolved, but social and psychological aspects are not something that can simply be stopped by applying the brakes. This dynamic occasionally appears in the media, among experts, and even at the leadership level of both countries. We need to find the right approaches to engage with these phenomena,” Pashinyan said at the Orbeli Forum 2025: Building Peace and Multilateral Cooperation forum.
The Prime Minister of Armenia emphasized that the social and psychological challenges can be overcome through political leadership.

“Political leadership must provide a clear answer to one question: do we want to be consumers of history, or creators of history? The experience of the past two years shows us that we can be creators of history. This does not mean forgetting the past, but on the other hand, to remember history while being creators of history means avoiding the questionable role of merely reproducing it,” Nikol Pashinyan said.

He added that if today’s actions and rationale are constantly traced back to historical precedents, it would imply a lack of faith in peace.