Pashinyan warns of security challenges from ‘Western Azerbaijan’ discourse, parallel narratives in Armenia

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has described the “Western Azerbaijan” discourse circulating in Azerbaijan as a serious challenge and security threat to Armenia and the established peace between the two nations, while also addressing the security challenges posed by parallel public and non-public narratives in Armenia.

“More than a year after the initialing of the peace agreement, there is talk in Armenia and an agenda is being pursued that ‘we must become stronger and liberate the Republic of Artsakh,” he warned at the Comprehensive Security & Resilience 2026 international conference, organized by Yerevan-based think tank WGSA.

“We do not publicly address these questions. This is a fundamental problem that we also encountered throughout the entire process of settling the Karabakh issue, when we had parallel discourses and parallel perceptions. In the Republic of Armenia’s domestic life, we raised different questions and placed different emphases, while around the negotiating table entirely different issues were discussed, with an entirely different logic. When was it that this practice could no longer be continued? From the moment social networks emerged, they erased the boundaries between internal and external discourse. Now we are facing other challenges, when we are dealing with parallel public and non-public discourses and formulations, and in my opinion, this is also where the most serious security challenges arise, which we need to address. At the same time, similar processes are taking place in Azerbaijan, in particular the ‘Western Azerbaijan’ discourse known to us all, which is a very serious challenge and security threat to the Republic of Armenia, and which is a threat to the regional security of the Republic of Armenia. It is a very serious challenge to the established peace. From time to time, we see manifestations of these challenges on various occasions,” Pashinyan said.

The Prime Minister noted that when addressing security challenges, it becomes clear that many of the security problems “begin in our minds”, in “our perceptions of reality and the environment”, and that this problem exists in the Republic of Armenia today.