Prominent Armenian journalist Roman Baghdasaryan has sparked intense debate after publishing a sharply worded Facebook post criticizing widespread anti-Turkish sentiment in Armenia. His comments – which compare Turkey’s development with Armenia’s decades of isolation – have generated a wave of reaction online.
Baghdasaryan reminded readers that Armenia’s border with Turkey has been closed for 35 years, a policy that, in his view, has harmed Armenia far more than Turkey.
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“Turkey loses almost nothing from a closed border- considering its size and economic strength,” he wrote. “When people here start mocking Turkey, it genuinely saddens me.”
“Turkey is not Armenia looted by the Karabakh clan”
The journalist urged Armenians to abandon outdated stereotypes about their neighbor and highlighted Turkey’s infrastructure and tourism industry:
“Walk around Bodrum, Alanya or Kemer… then compare all that with what we have around Lake Sevan.”
Baghdasaryan recalled visiting Turkey two decades ago and said the country has continued to develop rapidly, contrasting this with Armenia’s long-term stagnation:
“Turkey is a built, functioning state – not a country ruined by the Karabakh clan, and not a state that Pashinyan has been trying to rebuild for six years but still struggles to restore.”
As an example, he pointed to Kınalıada Island near Istanbul, noting that it has a preserved Armenian church maintained as cultural heritage by Turkish authorities.
“On Sevan’s shores – private villas. On Turkey’s shores – an economy.”
Baghdasaryan said Armenia’s coastal lands are occupied by private villas belonging to former officials, while Turkey’s coastline hosts hotels that attract tens of millions of tourists annually:
“And you mock Turkey? Are you serious?”
He criticized nationalist rhetoric claiming that Armenia “does not need Turkey,” calling it a product of decades of political manipulation:
“People who say this lived 35 years in a blockade – thanks to the Dashnaks, the Karabakh group and Russia.”
“Russia closed its eyes in 2020”
In the closing part of his post, Baghdasaryan repeated his longstanding criticism of Moscow:
“I will never forget how our ‘ally’ – Russia – behaved in 2020. It closed its eyes and acted only in its own interest.”
The post has triggered heated discussions in Armenian media and social networks. Supporters call his remarks honest and pragmatic; opponents accuse him of attacking national identity.
