This is the English translation of a Turkish language article that was originally published by AVİM on 7 February 2025.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who visited Switzerland last month to attend the World Economic Forum meeting, also held a meeting with representatives of Switzerland's Armenian community. During the meeting, Pashinyan made a remarkable statement regarding the Relocation and Resettlement Law of 1915; "We must understand what happened and why it happened, how we perceived it and through whom we perceived it. How is it that there was no Armenian genocide agenda in 1939 and how is it that the Armenian genocide agenda emerged in 1950?"[1]

Pashinyan's statements in Switzerland and his explanation that the Relocation and Resettlement Law should be viewed critically from the perspective of Armenians is commendable. The clarification of the situation in question is essential not only for Armenia’s relations with Türkiye, but also for Armenia to clearly determine its position in domestic and foreign politics. Nonetheless, this development led to reactions from the opposition in Armenia and the Diaspora. Unfortunately, these reactions are not surprising. Rather than caring about Armenia's prosperity and stability, organizations in the opposition and the Diaspora typically seek to occupy the minds of Armenian society with an artificial genocide agenda and ignore the stability of Armenia and of the region.

It seems that Pashinyan was unable to ignore such reactions, as he made a new statement just a few days later, expressing that he had no doubts that a genocide took place in the past and that it was a historical reality. This stance that contradicts Pashinyan's previous statements is the latest example of his untrustworthy and erratic policies. Pashinyan, who stated in his speech at the World Economic Forum that he aims for a balanced policy, both undermines the normalization process with Türkiye and damages his credibility in the international public opinion with his inconsistent statements.

In conclusion, Pashinyan's statements can be interpreted as an unfortunate hindrance for the normalization process with Türkiye that is meant to be based on trust. The Prime Minister of Armenia, who has so far failed to take any concrete steps in the normalization process with Türkiye except for the restoration of the border gates, draws attention with his contradictory statements and inconsistent attitude towards the improvement of diplomatic relations. Another example of this situation can be seen in the planned peace agreement process with Azerbaijan. This is because no concrete steps have so far been taken and contradictory discourses with regards to Azerbaijan's demands for constitutional amendments, which is an issue frequently emphasized by Azerbaijan. The radical genocide discourses supported by the Diaspora and some Western circles, who do not seem concerned about Armenia's welfare, are in clear contradiction with the development of regional and bilateral relations.