Avetik Chalabyan: Armenia`s historic crossroads—integration into the  Turkic World or defense of statehood with Russian and allied support 

ArmInfo.  Armenia must choose – does it want to see itself as a semi- state entity integrated into the Turkic world, or does it seek to build a nation-state, relying on  the support of Russia and its other natural allies. Political  prisoner and coordinator of the "Hayakve" movement Avetik Chalabyan  delivered this message from the Armavir penitentiary institution,  commenting on the first sessions of the newly elected National  Assembly.

Armenia must make a choice: whether it wishes to see itself as a  semi-state entity integrated into the Turkic world, or whether it  strives to build a national state, relying on the support of both  Russia and our other natural allies. This message was delivered from  the "Armavir" Penitentiary Institution by Avetik Chalabyan, a  political prisoner and coordinator of the Hayakve movement, as he  commented on the first sessions of the newly elected National  Assembly.

Specifically, he addressed a key thesis raised during the discussions  there. "This thesis—put forward only on the second day of  discussions—was articulated by Arman Yeghoyan, a deputy from the  'Civil Contract' party, who stated that the main contradiction in the  current parliament is as follows: do we want to see Armenia as a  sovereign and independent state, or as a state dependent on and  governed by Russia?  Naturally, from the perspective of the 'Civil  Contract' party, such a framing is advantageous because it allows  them to portray themselves as proponents of the former approach.  However, this framing is fundamentally false and deliberately  distorts reality. The reality is that the core question is whether we  want to see ourselves as a semi-state entity integrated into the  Turkic world, or whether we strive to build a national state, relying  on the support of both Russia and our other natural allies,"  Chalabyan pointed out.

According to him, at the core of this contradiction lies a thesis  persistently promoted by the ruling "Civil Contract" party: that  anti-Turkish sentiment among Armenians was artificially instilled by  the Russian Empire in order to turn the Armenian people into an  instrument of its own expansionist policy. However, according to the  movement's coordinator, this is also a false claim. Chalabyan notes  that a study of the entire history of Armenian-Turkish relations  demonstrates that the contradictions between the countries arose and  deepened even before the Russian Empire advanced into the region, and  were driven by several obvious circumstances.

First and foremost, as the coordinator of the Hayakve movement noted,  the Turks (Ottomans) conquered the entire Middle East by military  force and considered themselves the absolute masters of the peoples  inhabiting it. "They simply viewed Christian peoples, and Armenians  in particular, as slaves and treated them accordingly. Second, while  the Ottoman Empire possessed a powerful army, its administrative  system was extremely backward and deeply corrupt. As a result,  Armenians lived under conditions of double taxation, were completely  disenfranchised, and were regularly forced to rise up in various  parts of the empire against the lawlessness taking place. Later,  having lost all their European possessions, the Turks turned their  gaze eastward—toward Turan. Along the path of this expansion, they  saw the Armenians as the primary obstacle that had to be eliminated  in order to unite Turkey and Turan," Chalabyan explained.

.He noted that over the past 150 years—whether the Hamidian pogroms  of 1894-1896, the Armenian Genocide of 1915, the genocidal invasions  of Eastern Armenia in 1918 and 1920, the forced displacement of  Armenians from Artsakh in 2023, or the quiet de-Armenization of  Nakhichevan during the Soviet years—all these actions pursued a  single goal: to eliminate the Armenian barrier between Turkey and  Turan. He noted with regret that, despite the stubborn resistance of  the Armenian people, this goal has largely been achieved.

"Today, new strategists from the Civil Contract party have entered  the political arena. They, through their leader, are essentially  claiming that the only path to our salvation is to become a bridge  between Turkey and Turan, since the barrier supposedly no longer  works and will collapse sooner or later. However, this assertion  requires asking a simple question. Today, Turkey's population is  approximately 85 million people, and approximately the same number  lives in the five Turkic states of Turan, while Armenia's population  is approximately 3 million. If we become a bridge within the Turkic  space with a population of 170 million, won't we eventually dissolve  within it and become Turks ourselves?" the movement's coordinator  asked.

 He also noted that, in attempting to preserve their Armenian and  Christian identity, Armenians could find themselves back in the same  situation they faced two hundred years ago, when 170 million, and  potentially even more, Muslim Turks will once again treat Armenians  as a disenfranchised service caste and, if the opportunity arises,  deport or exterminate them, as they have done repeatedly in the past,  including just three years ago. "This is precisely  the core issue of  our confrontation, and each of us must answer it. I have already  answered this question for myself. Yes, I realize that my answer  presupposes greater dependence on Iran, as well as India, China, and  all those who are prepared to resist Turkish expansion into Central  Asia and who view us, Armenians, as their natural allies. If you are  reading these lines, ask yourself this question as well. Try to  answer what future you envision for your children: to become  Turkified and thrown at the mercy of Turkey, or to fight and defend  your freedom to the end? God helps those who fight. So, don't  hesitate – choose the fight," Chalabyan concluded.

Recall, on June 24, the Yerevan Court of First Instance ordered  Avetik Chalabyan to be held in pretrial detention for two months. The  Investigative Committee previously presented the reason for his  detention, noting that in May 2026, the latter traveled to and met  with officials of another state, during which, through persuasion, as  well as an interest in ensuring the victory of their preferred  political force, he persuaded them to use their official powers,  authority, and the influence they owed to them, to obstruct the free  exercise of the electoral rights of citizens of the Republic of  Armenia who had the right to vote in the parliamentary elections held  in the Republic of Armenia on June 7, 2026. Chalabyan did not admit  this and called it a lie.