In recent days, content from the Russian official state agency TASS spread like a disease on social media. Social media users who translated the content into Turkish began sharing this sensational statement with headlines like “Pashinyan said Turks did not commit genocide against Armenians.”
But was this the truth? Pashinyan has long been struggling to liberalize the country despite the harsh nationalist opposition and free it from Russian influence. He is aware that the way to do this is to get along well with all the neighboring countries he once claimed territory from. After making overtures to the Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in search of new alliances, and then attempting to get closer to the West through France, he quickly realized that France’s intentions would once again make Armenia an enemy of its neighbors.
However, in an Armenia where democratic elections are held, arms control is not strict, and both pro-Russian and nationalist groups are influential within the security bureaucracy, is it a wise policy to say that the genocide myth on which Armenians have based their national existence for a hundred years is a lie? Why did Pashinyan say this when he is in such a fragile position that Armenians could overthrow him in a single night of armed uprising?
The truth is, Pashinyan did not say this. I had the Russian links shared as a source translated by a Kazan Tatar friend, word for word in Turkish. Pashinyan made a very realistic statement, using these expressions: “Armenians were victims of the geopolitical interests of great powers, we should look to the future by setting aside the 1915 trauma. Instead of mourning the 1915 martyrs with pain, we should remember them like Moses, who led our scattered people to our promised lands flowing with milk and honey.” These quotes can be easily verified with the links provided, even through Google Translate.
In the source texts, the expression translated above is not present, and it was observed that some Russian social media and Telegram accounts were trying to spread claims like “he denied the genocide.” In Turkish social media, some used phrases like “Pashinyan said these words in a closed meeting and they were leaked,” but these unsubstantiated rumors, which do not specify who said them or what the source was, are likely spreading from Russian Telegram groups. Moreover, there is no statement in the sources about the Soviet Union being the inventor of genocide claims.
Of course, the Armenian State officially abandoning genocide claims would be an important development that we should be happy about. However, the truth is that there is a high probability that Russia is deliberately distorting Pashinyan’s reasonable statements. Since the day it came to power, Russia has been involved in many plots to overthrow Pashinyan. For Russia, an Armenia that is in conflict with its surroundings and dependent on it has always been more preferable. Inciting traditional Russian ally Armenian nationalist groups against Pashinyan, who is fighting at great personal risk to free his country from Russian influence, by referencing “the Soviet Union took ownership of the issue” is an expected move in such a conspiracy.
Turkey should act constructively by re-opening of the borders and signing a free trade and investments agreement in exchange for the creation of the Zangezur Corridor. That is the only option can secure peace and stability in the Southern Caucasus.
Sources https://tass.ru/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/20632423 https://arminfo.info/full_news.php?id=83325 https://vestikavkaza.ru/analytics/pasinan-prizval-armeniu-zabyt-o-1915-gode.html https://lenta.ru/news/2024/04/24/pashinyan-prizval-armyan-preodolet-potryasenie-ot-genotsida/
