Civilnet
By Paul Vartan Sookiasian
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with representatives of the Armenian-American community yesterday at the start of his trip to Washington, which aims to garner support for Armenia. “We have gained the opportunity to have an independent sovereign state… there can be no higher national goal than the Republic of Armenia,” he said during the meeting at the Armenian Embassy, declaring that this is part of an ideological change taking place in the Republic of Armenia.
Pashinyan stated that the defeat in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war gave Armenia the opportunity to have an independent sovereign state, and that therefore the sacrifice made by those killed in the war was not in vain. He expressed his opinion that the survival of Armenia can be ensured “if we can create a situation where we can live in our region, surrounded by our neighbors, without external help.” This means “perceiving ourselves as the primary tool for resolving our own problems” instead of applying to extra-regional actors, he explained.
Pashinyan also addressed his recent controversial statements made last month in Switzerland about the Armenian Genocide, which were widely interpreted as raising questions about or even denying it. He later rejected such characterizations, saying “the fact of the genocide is indisputable and undeniable.” At the DC gathering, he highlighted that his original point was to convey the need “to understand that ultimately there were forces whose key tool for controlling us was to make it impossible for us to live independently in our environment, so that we can be more controllable.”
Meanwhile outside the embassy, the event was picketed by a group of young Armenian-American protesters holding signs saying “Artsakh betrayed”, “refugees forgotten” and “democracy derailed.” The Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s local chapter released a statement saying they would not act as stage props for Pashinyan “to normalize his shameful surrender of Armenian lives and land, democracy, and dignity.”
Pashinyan later attended a reception held by the “Save Armenia” NGO, where he was welcomed by one of its board members, former U.S. Senator Sam Brownback, who said the organization’s goal is to “unite Christian leaders and other stakeholders in supporting Armenia.” Pashinyan told the group that “Armenia is at a crossroads… and it is very important to define the best method of supporting Armenia on this important and difficult path.” He called for the U.S. to include achieving peace in the South Caucasus on its list of priorities, because a sustainable peace would be the best way to prevent human rights violations.
Pashinyan is in Washington to give a keynote address at the International Religious Freedom conference, of which Brownback serves as a co-chair. On Thursday he will take part in the annual National Prayer Breakfast at the U.S. Capitol, which is typically attended by the President and other national leaders.
Last week, Pashinyan said that while a meeting with President Trump was not on the agenda, he still considers the visit to be a very important one. “We consulted with our colleagues and concluded that we must definitely go and participate,” he said.
Stories
