By Azerbaijan.US Editorial Board
For years, Armenia’s leaders have insisted that they are committed to peace with Azerbaijan.
But anyone watching Yerevan’s political scene knows that domestic pressures – not regional realities – dictate Armenia’s foreign policy. And every time a real opportunity for progress appears, Armenian politicians retreat into the familiar trench of internal power struggles.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government has spent the past year oscillating between declaring peace as a “civilizational choice” and sabotaging it with symbolic theatrics designed to appease nationalists at home. His opposition, meanwhile, openly campaigns on reviving territorial claims long rejected by the international community.
This domestic tug-of-war has consequences far beyond Armenia’s borders.
It delays border delimitation. It freezes diplomatic roadmaps. And it ensures that every breakthrough is followed by another round of backtracking.
The pattern is clear:
When Yerevan feels politically secure, it speaks the language of peace.
When pressure builds, it reverts to maximalism – often provoking unnecessary tensions with Baku.
Armenia insists it has chosen a “new foreign policy.” The truth is more complicated: the country has not yet chosen between political maturity and political nostalgia. And until Yerevan resolves that internal contradiction, the South Caucasus cannot fully enter the stable, post-conflict era that both peoples deserve.
Azerbaijan has already moved on – diplomatically, economically, and regionally. Armenia still debates whether it should.
