Nikol Pashinyan: Our families have faced suffering and tears over three years; we can be blamed for everything but one thing—betrayal

We have had many shortcomings, but we cannot be accused of betrayal. Nikol Pashinyan stated this in the village of Bazmaberd in the Aragatsotn province.

“I know that we have not been able to meet all your expectations, and I am ready to humbly accept any punishment you decide, but I am also prepared to bear another punishment, and if you decide that we will continue our mission, we will accept that punishment as well,” said Pashinyan.

He also noted that the last three years have been hell for the current government, while their families have only experienced tears and suffering. “There has been a general understanding that before 2018, power was a pleasure, but we have been the government in Armenia for three years, and what have our families seen from power? They have seen suffering, humiliation, tears, and stress; power has been hell for us,” he emphasized.

“Through manipulation, they want to tell society that we have betrayed the people. We have made mistakes, we have had many shortcomings, but there is one thing we cannot be accused of, and that is betrayal. We can be accused of other matters, but not betrayal,” Pashinyan stated.

He added that since 2018, there has been hope that people would seek change, but according to Pashinyan, those people have crossed all boundaries. “We are reaching a situation where some judges encourage calls for murder. I know that you may be wondering why such judges still exist in Armenia. We need to answer this question. In 2018, we stood before you and carried out a revolution together, we took on obligations, and we said there would be no purges or vendettas in the public administration system, but it turns out that was a grave political mistake,” Pashinyan highlighted.

Regarding the negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, Pashinyan stated that from the very first moment until the start of the revolution, they did not reflect the internal desires of our people. “For example, today they ask why we did not take that negotiation content forward in 2018 or why we did not sign those papers. For a simple reason: in 2018, the negotiation content that existed was about leaving Artsakh in a phased manner within Azerbaijan's framework,” Pashinyan explained.

He pointed out that they defended the aspirations of the people until the very last moment. “At the same time, they accuse us of both giving up and not giving up lands; we stood as long as it was possible to stand. We made the decision at the time the decision needed to be made; the opposite would have resulted in a greater disaster, that is the truth,” Pashinyan stated. He acknowledged their mistakes. “Yes, we are guilty. However, there is one thing that we cannot be accused of, and that is betrayal,” the Prime Minister concluded.