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The Armenian government has denied a Turkish journalist’s report published in the Evrensel newspaper alleging that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has agreed to grant Türkiye, without compensation, a part of exclusive rights to use the water resources of the Araks River.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s spokesperson, Nazeli Baghdasaryan, rejected the report, describing it as disinformation. She noted that the Turkish reporter, Okay Deprem, has previously spread false information.
“The same individual has previously stood out for spreading untrue and manipulative materials that were officially refuted. This particular publication clearly fits within the framework of coordinated disinformation campaigns directed against Armenia and is intended to deliberately mislead the public, distorting the real picture of regional processes by presenting them in a false and deceptive light. Several responsible fact-checking media outlets have already responded, obtaining official clarifications from us and publishing the refutations. Such a professional approach is commendable. At the same time, it is highly concerning that some media continue to reproduce and disseminate obviously false information without any verification, effectively becoming either voluntary or inadvertent participants in these disinformation campaigns,” Baghdasaryan wrote in a statement on social media.
The Prime Minister’s press secretary added that, in the near future, a series of publications will address these disinformation campaigns, revealing their actual sources and the actors involved.
Deprem’s previous fake news includes a report falsely claiming that PM Pashinyan would build 10 mosques in Armenia at the request of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. That report was also officially refuted.