Levon Ter-Petrosyan Comments on the Terms 'History of the Armenians' and 'History of Armenia'

Today, I carefully read the extensive article by historian Vahagn Hakobyan on the ongoing and unresolved debate surrounding the terms 'History of the Armenians' and 'History of Armenia' on the ‘Hraparak’ website. This was written by the first President of the Republic of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

“The name 'History of the Armenians' has never been subject to scrutiny politically either by state officials or historians, as it has been perceived both as the history of Armenia and of the Armenians, that is, the history of the Armenian people, and that of Armenian settlements. In this case, naturally, the question arises as to why and how the current debate ignited. The answer is very simple: it is due to an illustrious individual who has no idea about history, particularly the history of Armenia, yet considers himself all-knowing—Nikol Pashinyan—especially after suffering a crushing and humiliating defeat from Azerbaijan. I would like to remind you how, years ago, during a joint interview with Aliyev, Pashinyan stammered, boasting about the achievements of Tigran the Great. It is hard to imagine a more glaring and shameful manifestation of provincialism.

As for what motivates the aforementioned journalist to flatter Pashinyan's mental gymnastics, it is perhaps not worth delving into. His fellow historians have already thoroughly reacted to this issue,” wrote Levon Ter-Petrosyan.