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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan criticised calls for a guarantor in discussions surrounding TRIPP, citing the historical experience of Armenia and the Armenian people.
Pashinyan made the remarks in response to MP Knarik Harutyunyan during a government question-and-answer session in the National Assembly.
The MP referred to opposition criticism of the absence of a guarantor mechanism in the agreement. She asked whether involving a guarantor would amount to relinquishing Armenia’s sovereignty by placing responsibility for the country’s security and economy on a third state.
In response, Pashinyan suggested examining historical experience when seeking guarantors.
“I advise everyone looking for guarantors to familiarise themselves with Armenia’s history over recent decades and the history of the Armenian people over almost the past 150 years. In every instance where there have been guarantors, it has ended in disaster for Armenia and the Armenian people,” the prime minister said.
In his assessment, the narrative about the need for a guarantor stems from a lack of knowledge of history and current realities.
At the end of his response, Pashinyan also cited Ukraine’s example.
“I have given this example before: do you know who the guarantor of Ukraine’s security is?” the prime minister asked.