At a moment when Armenia and Azerbaijan are closer than ever to
signing a long-awaited peace treaty, some figures in Yerevan
continue to indulge in the dangerous fantasy that peace is a form
of surrender. Their claim that Armenia is being “pressured” into
peace is not only misleading; it is a reckless narrative that
exposes what they truly desire: perpetual confrontation, not
reconciliation.
Those who insist that Armenia cannot accept peace because of
supposed “humiliation” or “fear” offer no credible alternative.
What, then, is their preferred option? Renewed war? Further
aggression? The continued occupation or attempted re-occupation of
another country’s territory? By refusing to answer these questions
honestly, they reveal the hollowness of their rhetoric.
Real threat to peace comes from those who fear it
most
It is telling that their outrage is not directed at the prospect
of another conflict, but at the basic idea of dialogue between
societies. The mere fact that Armenian civil society
representatives travelled to Baku, openly, safely, and with state
support, is portrayed as betrayal rather than progress. Instead of
welcoming confidence-building measures, they twist them into
conspiracies, accusing their own government of “legitimising”
events they have already predetermined in their minds.
Such actors refuse to acknowledge that Armenia is not compelled
to make peace; it is choosing to, because peace is unquestionably
in the interest of its people. No international pressure is
required to recognise that stability, open borders, and regional
cooperation are preferable to another cycle of devastation.
Pretending otherwise is an insult to the public’s intelligence.
In truth, these voices are not safeguarding national dignity,
but they are sabotaging their country’s future. By attempting to
poison the atmosphere, delegitimise dialogue, and discredit any
Armenian who seeks contact across the border, they perpetuate the
very hostility they claim to oppose. Their position is not one of
principle, but of political opportunism dressed up as
patriotism.
The region has suffered enough. Those who now try to derail the
peace process should be honest: their objection is not to pressure,
but to peace itself.