YEREVAN—On Monday, February 17, 2025, Robert Kocharyan, the second President of the Republic of Armenia and founder of the opposition “Armenia” Alliance, held a press conference after a nearly two-and-a-half year hiatus.
Over four hours, Kocharyan addressed more than a dozen questions on a range of issues, including Armenia’s relations with Russia, recent diplomatic decisions, the future of Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh and the political climate under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s leadership.
Kocharyan began by sharply criticizing the current government, particularly its foreign policy. He argued that Armenia’s leadership fails to grasp the complexities of global geopolitics, making decisions that put the country’s sovereignty at risk. Since the 2020 war in Artsakh, Kocharyan said Prime Minister Pashinyan has transformed from a “non-military Rambo” to a “geopolitical Gikor,” highlighting a serious lack of leadership and mismanagement of Armenia’s foreign relations.
Kocharyan then outlined Armenia’s handling of the Artsakh issue, stating that the handover to Azerbaijan occurred in two distinct phases. In the first phase (2018 to 2020), he claimed Pashinyan’s administration disregarded international mediators’ advice and made unilateral decisions that weakened Armenia’s negotiating position. He pointed specifically to Pashinyan’s 2019 dismissal of the OSCE Minsk Group’s proposals, insisting instead that negotiations begin “from zero.” Kocharyan argued this move marked the beginning of Armenia’s growing diplomatic isolation, adding, “Pashinyan’s statement that ‘Artsakh is Armenia, period,’ was a direct call for war.”
The second phase (2020 to 2023), saw further concessions to Azerbaijan, according to Kocharyan. He argued that Armenia’s growing distance from Russia, amid Moscow’s military setbacks in Ukraine, led to a shift in its foreign policy. He specifically criticized Pashinyan’s recognition of Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan, calling it a diplomatic misstep at a time when Russia was struggling to maintain its regional influence.
Kocharyan suggested that Armenia’s strained relationship with Russia had serious consequences in 2023, making Moscow unlikely to intervene against Azerbaijan’s takeover of Artsakh. “Many in our country are upset, asking why Russia did not honor its commitments. Let’s try to look at this through Russia’s eyes. What you see is: you could stop what’s happening in Karabakh only by military intervention—there was no other option,” Kocharyan said.
“But military intervention for whom? For an Armenia that deceived you, sided with your enemies at a critical moment? Would any of you get in a fight for a friend who betrayed you? I don’t think so,” he continued. However, Kocharyan acknowledged that Russia could have intervened more forcefully to prevent the loss of Artsakh but chose not to, viewing Armenia as an unreliable ally.
The former president also expressed concern over the growing momentum surrounding the Zangezur Corridor, a proposed land route connecting Azerbaijan’s mainland to its exclave of Nakhichevan through Armenian territory. “This topic is being raised again and some people in the Armenian government are pushing for concessions that aren’t in the national interest,” he warned, cautioning that such a move could result in significant territorial losses without a clear national consensus.
Addressing long-standing accusations that he once considered ceding Armenia’s southern Meghri region to Azerbaijan in exchange for Artsakh’s recognition, Kocharyan acknowledged that the idea was discussed in 1999 but insisted that it was never pursued. This claim, first raised in 2008, resurfaced in January 2025 following the declassification of U.S. State Department documents, suggesting he and then Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev considered such an exchange. Kocharyan maintained that Armenia ultimately rejected the deal, recognizing its potential to sever ties with Iran and strengthen Azerbaijan-Turkey relations.
He pointed to the renewed push for the “Zangezur Corridor” as evidence that similar geopolitical pressures are resurfacing. He suggested that the revival of such accusations is not a coincidence but part of a broader strategy to justify new concessions to Azerbaijan, including the opening of the Zangezur Corridor. Kocharyan argued that Pashinyan’s government might be downplaying these concessions by portraying them as less harmful than the Meghri exchange proposal from 25 years ago.
Kocharyan also underscored the importance of preserving the OSCE Minsk Group framework, which has long served as the primary international mechanism for resolving the Artsakh conflict. “Dissolving the Minsk Group would be a grave mistake. We would be left with no structure to rely on,” he stated.
Kocharyan likened the current administration to “a kindergarten, a psychiatric hospital, as the government itself.” He accused Pashinyan’s leadership of failing to address the most pressing issues facing the country, such as economic mismanagement and foreign policy failures, warning, “You can’t lead a country like this. The people are losing faith in the government.”
Regarding the future of Nagorno-Karabakh, Kocharyan remained cautious but suggested that peace could theoretically be achieved under the right conditions. However, he criticized the ongoing bilateral negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. “Peace is unlikely without external guarantees. Armenia is negotiating from a position of weakness,” he said, pointing out that any agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan would need clear assurances from international actors.
He concluded by expressing concerns over Armenia’s foreign policy trajectory, warning that the country faces unprecedented uncertainty on the global stage. Missteps, he cautioned, could lead to irreversible consequences. “If we continue on this path, we risk losing everything,” he said, urging Armenia’s leadership to adopt a more cautious and strategic approach to ensure long-term stability.
Kocharyan’s press conference captured the attention of media outlets, political analysts and parliamentarians, all seeking to understand the motivations behind his public remarks and his political goals. Russian media outlet EADaily reported that Kocharyan used the opportunity to announce the official start of the election season, signaling his intention to actively engage in Armenia’s political processes.
Meanwhile, another Russian publication Nezavisimaya Gazeta observed that his press conference came amid renewed debates over the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh, with both Pashinyan’s government and Kocharyan’s political opponents eager to assign blame. The article noted that this issue is likely to dominate discussions in the lead-up to the 2026 parliamentary elections.
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