The first strategic challenge is peace. Levon Zurabyan, Vice Chairman of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) Party, stated this during a press conference Thursday, as he presented the ANC’s election platform for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia.

Zurabyan presented the platform’s strategic challenges that Armenia faces today. “The first strategic challenge is peace. There are now two concepts of peace. One is the [PM Nikol] Pashinyan concept of ‘peace,’ which assumes that we will achieve peace if Azerbaijan becomes the master and ruler of Armenia. Nikol Pashinyan does not say anything else. This is unacceptable for us as a prospect. This is a false peace and a dangerous formula. It will bring us nothing other than Azerbaijan becoming the master and ruler [of Armenia], and we will no longer decide anything. And we are already seeing its manifestations. They demand that we remove the Declaration of Independence from the main document of our country, the constitution, knowing very well that by doing so, they undermine the foundations of resumption of our independent statehood. Today they demand that we elect a very specific person who is their governor and puppet, and who should be engaged in only one thing: to break, undermine the resilience and backbone of Armenia. Nikol Pashinyan will not be engaged in anything else," said Zurabyan.

In his assessment, it is very convenient for Azerbaijan that Armenia is led by a person who "without firing a single bullet does the job that they would like to see done."

Zurabyan noted that the ANC plans to oppose this reality in its election platform: "To increase Armenia's resilience, there is a need to increase [its] demographic and economic potential, find quick solutions and restore Armenia's balance in the international arena."