Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan believes that Armenia’s very existence could be called into question if the country does not base its policies on a vision of “Real Armenia.” He made the statement at a November 5 press briefing.

He was asked whether he shared Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s view that the military and political leadership held in captivity in Baku were “terrorists,” and, if not, what arguments had been presented to counter that claim. Pashinyan did not address the question directly. Instead, he launched into a discussion of how many times Aliyev’s name had been mentioned during the briefing. Although Pashinyan himself had repeatedly brought up the Azerbaijani leader, he directed his criticism at others. According to the prime minister, when people have nothing to say and lack arguments, they resort to invoking Aliyev’s name.

“At one point, they were talking about 300,000 Azerbaijanis. Let the opposition explain where those 300,000 are – the ones who had supposedly already packed their bags and were heading to Armenia. This is a very important question of political responsibility for spreading false claims,” Pashinyan said.

Addressing the planned constitutional referendum, the prime minister clarified that his government wanted the people of Armenia to choose the Constitution themselves for the first time in the country’s history.

“The opposition talks about an ‘Aliyev constitution.’ Their goal is to humiliate the state, undermine its sovereign right, and ensure that there is no state in Armenia,” Pashinyan complained.

He said he had set a task: if the people of Armenia found the government's arguments justified and compelling, the task would be accomplished. If they did not, it would not be.

“But as prime minister, I consider it very important that the people be presented with a clear strategic vision of what we are doing and why. If we do not base our actions on a vision of Real Armenia, Armenia’s very existence will be called into question,” Pashinyan warned, adding that he had been speaking about this for several years and continued to pursue the same political course.

As for the scuffle in parliament, Pashinyan said law enforcement agencies should assess what had happened, while taking into account who had started it and how. At the same time, he noted that those involved were individuals with parliamentary immunity.