By Azerbaijan.US Editorial Board
If you hear a sudden spike in political noise coming out of Moscow, don’t be surprised. It’s not a new Kremlin crisis. It’s something far more predictable: the Armenian pro-Russian lobby waking up to the fact that Yerevan and Baku have begun speaking to each other – directly, calmly, and without asking Moscow’s permission.
For a political ecosystem built on perpetual fear and frozen conflict, this is nothing short of an existential threat.
The panic button is smashed
The visit of an Armenian civil-society delegation to Baku wasn’t a grand diplomatic breakthrough. It was a test of whether the two societies can talk without collapsing into slogans.
But for the Moscow-based Armenian lobby, even a modest conversation is too much.
The reaction was instant – and hysterical.
Analyst Hayk Khalatyan, speaking for what is essentially the traditional Moscow line, called the trip part of an “Azerbaijani propaganda strategy,” accused the visitors of becoming “advocates for Aliyev,” and insisted that none of Baku’s statements – not even about ending the war – should be trusted.
This wasn’t analysis.
This was a security alarm from a political camp losing its monopoly.
Because if Armenia talks peace, who needs Moscow’s protection racket?
The logic is brutally simple:
If Armenians and Azerbaijanis can talk,
…if they can enter each other’s capitals without violence,
…if both sides openly discuss a peace treaty,
then the central pillar of Moscow’s strategy – “you cannot survive without us” – collapses.
And for the actors who built their influence on that fear, peace is as dangerous as defeat.
Weaponizing pessimism
Khalatyan’s talking points follow the classic template of Russian-influenced messaging:
Discredit any positive signals – everything Baku says is “propaganda.”
Delegitimize Armenian participants – anyone supporting dialogue is an “advocate for Aliyev.”
Overplay the POW issue for political gain – not to solve it, but to weaponize it.
Insist that peace is impossible without Moscow – the core message of dependency.
Paint stability as dangerous – especially ahead of Armenia’s 2026 parliamentary elections.
This is not about national security.
It’s about preserving a narrative that keeps Armenia psychologically and strategically trapped.
The 2026 problem
The most revealing part of Khalatyan’s argument is the electoral subtext:
he warns that Azerbaijan and Turkey will try to “maintain” Armenia’s current political environment.
Translation:
If Armenia enters 2026 in a state of normalization, open borders, and reduced security fears, the usual pro-Russian candidates lose their message. They lose their leverage. And they lose the electorate conditioned by three decades of insecurity.
The Moscow-aligned factions know this – and they’re terrified.
The POW argument – powerful and misused
The plight of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan is real and deeply emotional.
But using their suffering as a political instrument to sabotage peace – which Khalatyan appears to do – is cynical.
The claim that prisoners will be freed only “if the U.S. or Russia pressures Azerbaijan” reveals the game:
Not relief.
Not justice.
But leverage.
This isn’t about Aliyev. It’s about Armenia escaping Moscow’s shadow
Call it irony, call it geopolitics, but the loudest criticism of Armenian engagement with Baku doesn’t come from Baku – it comes from Moscow.
Because the moment Yerevan realizes it can negotiate directly with its neighbors,
the Kremlin’s old formula – conflict = dependence – loses its value.
And that is what truly scares the Moscow-based Armenian networks.
The bottom line (without saying “the bottom line”):
What we’re seeing now is not a debate about peace.
It’s a confrontation between two Armenias:
one that believes the future requires sovereignty, regional diplomacy, and painful but necessary dialogue;
and one that believes Armenia must remain a pawn in someone else’s geopolitical game.
The louder the second camp screams, the clearer it becomes:
the peace process is real – and it is moving forward.
