
ArmInfo. According to former Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's consent to provide an extraterritorial corridor through the country's Syunik province represents a disaster for Armenia's long-term sovereignty and national security.
The diplomat noted that last week, Nikol Pashinyan met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Abu Dhabi. He added that although the meeting was wrapped in vague diplomatic language and accompanied by lengthy official statements, the implications of that meeting are already coming into focus.
"By all indications, Pashinyan has agreed to a so-called "corridor" through Armenia's Syunik province-an arrangement that would, in effect, cede sovereign control of Armenian territory to an external power. This is no minor technicality. It marks a grave strategic and political capitulation: a direct assault on Armenia's territorial integrity and yet another fracture in the already fragile foundations of the Armenian state," the diplomat wrote on his Facebook page.
According to him, Pashinyan has now gone to Brussels and Paris, presumably seeking European endorsement for this deeply flawed deal. However, according to him, no Western smile or staged photo-ops can alter the fundamental nature of what is being proposed.
"At its core, this arrangement represents a disaster for Armenia's long-term sovereignty and national security. Pashinyan's motivation is not rooted in a bold vision for peace or a principled commitment to regional reconciliation. It is far more cynical-and far more personal. His overriding goal appears to be securing a "peace agreement" with Azerbaijan ahead of Armenia's 2026 elections. In pursuit of this narrow political objective, he seems prepared to sacrifice not only territory, but also dignity, justice, and the historical memory of the Armenian people. What he calls "peace" is not a diplomatic achievement; it is a formal certificate of failure. A failure to protect Artsakh. A failure to defend Armenian lives. A failure to uphold the national interest," Oskanian is confident.
He believes that even if such an agreement were to bring temporary peace, which is highly doubtful, it cannot undo the immense territorial, human, and moral losses already incurred. "Indeed, in the seven years since he assumed power, Nikol Pashinyan has presided over the most devastating national defeat in Armenia's modern history. Under his leadership, Armenia has not only lost land-it has forfeited credibility, strategic depth, and its standing in the international arena. Whatever may come in the months ahead, one conclusion is clear and inescapable: Nikol Pashinyan should have no role in shaping Armenia's future. He has proven, time and again, that he is unfit to lead the Armenian nation," Oskanian concluded.