Former Foreign Minister of Armenia: In the parliamentary elections,  Armenia will be perceived as a controlled political territory

ArmInfo.In the upcoming parliamentary elections, Armenia will not be viewed as a sovereign state, but as a controlled political territory, where electoral  processes serve not as a real choice, but as a formal confirmation of decisions already made. Former Foreign Minister of Armenia Vartan  Oskanian wrote  on his Facebook page, referring to the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7, 2026.

The former Foreign Minister recalled that on June 7, Armenian  citizens will elect the country's leadership for the next five years.  However, he noted that long before the first ballot was cast, a  process of "voting" had begun in the country by a different  electorate: the collective West, Turkey, and Azerbaijan. In other  words, as Oskanian noted, by the residents of the so-called "Real  Armenia" (the ideology of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan -  ed.).

"Their preferences are open, systematic, and pragmatic. US Vice  President J.D. Vance's public support for Pashinyan marks the  beginning of an already expected and predictable sequence of events.  European leaders will arrive in Yerevan in May with similar  statements of support for Pashinyan. Ankara will likely follow these  symbolic steps by partially opening the Armenian-Turkish border. Baku  may release several Armenian prisoners of war and sign a peace  agreement that will not be ratified until all Azerbaijani demands are  met," the former Foreign Minister suggested, noting that Armenia will  pay a price for each of these gestures. Oskanian then listed the  goals each side pursues from the restoration of the current Armenian  government. The main strategic goal of Western countries, he said, is  to reduce Russia's role in the South Caucasus, regardless of whether  Armenia has viable security alternatives. "Turkey's interest is also  obvious: to ensure an unimpeded corridor connecting Anatolia with the  Turkic world of Central Asia.  Azerbaijan's goals are more specific:  to strengthen its position in Syunik, guarantee uninterrupted  communication with Nakhichevan, and eliminate the geopolitical  consequences of ethnic cleansing in Artsakh. The restoration of the  current government is the central element of all three of these  plans," Oskanian noted.

He added that Azerbaijan can reasonably expect new territorial  concessions, changes to the Armenian Constitution, and a gradual,  creeping Azerbaijani presence in Armenia. None of this, Oskanian  noted, requires large-scale military action, as everything is based  on controlled diplomacy, international approval, and a compliant  partner in Yerevan. "However, the particular danger of the upcoming  elections is not that external forces have interests in Armenia; this  has always been the case. The danger is that Armenia will be viewed  not as a sovereign state, but as a controlled political territory,  where electoral processes serve not as a real choice, but as a formal  confirmation of decisions already made," Oskanian concluded.