"I say this as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces at the time of war. Let no one question our command capabilities. No one!"

At a meeting with members of the Yerkrapah volunteer organization, Pashinyan issued a threat to impose peace on Azerbaijan:

«They cannot speak to us in the language of threats, otherwise we will force peace upon them».

In response to a journalist’s remark that, following the Defense Minister’s [Editor’s note: David Tonoyan] “New War – New Territories” statement, the Azerbaijani side had accused Armenia of declaring war, the Prime Minister of Armenia replied:

“There was nothing illogical or destructive in the defense minister’s words.”

Nikol Pashinyan openly admitted to discarding all the outcomes of previous negotiations on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict achieved by Armenia’s former leadership. He confirmed that he had restarted the process from “zero”:

“I started the negotiations on Artsakh not from Serzh Sargsyan’s point, but from my own.”

Speaking in Renaissance Square in Artsakh, Nikol Pashinyan delivered a statement widely regarded as a casus belli:

“Artsakh is Armenia. Period!”

For decades, Armenian diplomacy had centered on securing recognition of the Artsakh people's right to self-determination. However, with Pashinyan’s declaration, Azerbaijan seized the opportunity to accuse Armenia of occupation and of violating Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

A few months before the 44-day war, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan publicly revealed information concerning the country's military and food security preparedness. In his speech on March 1, 2020, Pashinyan criticized former President Serzh Sargsyan and disclosed details about the condition of acquired military equipment:

“Serzh Sargsyan’s government allocated 42 million dollars for the acquisition of military equipment that is not in serviceable condition - it’s nothing more than scrap metal,” Pashinyan said.

In effect, Pashinyan signaled to Aliyev that Armenia was unprepared for war, suggesting that the Armenian army’s weapons were largely non-operational - essentially inviting aggression.

On the very day the 44-day war began, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed the National Assembly with the following words:

"Let’s make a deal - whatever happens, we will never consider ourselves defeated. There is no defeat unless you believe you are defeated… Even if everyone thinks we lost, we will not consider ourselves defeated."

On the midst of the 44-day war, amid a suspension of formal mobilization, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan delivered a video address calling on recently demobilized soldiers to report to recruitment stations and volunteer for war:

"I want to address our soldiers, those who were recently demobilized from the army and have been living civilian lives over the past year. Let them go to the central recruitment station and volunteer to defend our Homeland."

At the same time, Pashinyan acknowledged that, under Armenian law, this category of citizens was not subject to mobilization:

"According to our legislation, those demobilized within the past year cannot be remobilized. I didn’t know the law says that. The point is that our guys who were demobilized within the past year are our most battle-ready mobilization resource."

Addressing the recently demobilized from the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, Pashinyan said:

"Boys, our Homeland needs you. I’ve already said this is our new Sardarapat. I’ve already said that this is not just about Karabakh - this is a policy of continued genocide against Armenians. And today, we must defend our people against genocide. If we don’t fight, we will face another genocide. Yes, today, a citizen of the Republic of Armenia is not a wanderer in Deir ez-Zor - they must be able to defend themselves."

Pashinyan further stated that if they still had their military uniforms, they should arrive at the recruitment stations already in uniform, bringing with them their duffle coats and helmets, if available.

Nikol Pashinyan contacted various sections of the front line, asking questions that could potentially reveal classified military information.

Amid the ongoing 44-day war and the suspension of formal mobilization, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan delivered another video address, this time calling for the formation of volunteer battalions:

“I am addressing all mayors, heads of village communities, all government and local self-government bodies, as well as leaders of political parties, public organizations, and civil initiatives. Take immediate steps to form volunteer squads tasked with defending the rights of the Armenian people, as instructed by the Command,” Pashinyan said.

Speaking in the National Assembly, Nikol Pashinyan attempted to justify the concession of Shushi:

“Shushi was an unhappy, dark city. Did we really need Shushi?”

Seeking to defend himself and shift the blame for the defeat in the 44-day war onto Armenia’s former leadership, Pashinyan stated:

“Well, I say I consider myself the number one responsible person, but I do not consider myself the number one guilty party.”

Following the 44-day war, Azerbaijani troops seized strategically important heights along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, including within the internationally recognized territory of Armenia. To justify the inaction of the Armenian authorities in failing to secure those positions and construct proper fortifications, Pashinyan, speaking to citizens at the Civil Contract Party office in Yerevan’s Nor Nork administrative district, said:

“Why would we need soldiers on mountaintops where it snows half the year?”

During another meeting with supporters of the Civil Contract Party, this time in the Ajapnyak district of Yerevan, Pashinyan addressed the issue of reclaiming parts of the Black Lake area in the Syunik region, which had been occupied by Azerbaijani forces:

“We will not escalate the situation over some 30% of the Black Lake.”

During the 2021 pre-election campaign, Nikol Pashinyan attempted to justify the Armenian authorities’ failure to secure the release of prisoners of war held in Azerbaijani prisons. He also shamelessly exploited the issue to win voter sympathy:

“These guys in Baku’s prisons are fighting for the independence and sovereignty of Armenia. And yes, they will forgive us for remaining in captivity for another month or two. But they will not forgive us if we sacrifice our country’s independence for their freedom.”

Speaking at a government meeting about the Azerbaijani military’s blockade of the Goris-Kapan road, Pashinyan referred to the Armenian villages of Karmrakar and Shurnukh, located along the road, by their Azerbaijani names:

“Azerbaijan has blocked the main road leading to the southern districts of the Syunik region, in the area of Eyvazli and Chayzami.”

Justifying the authorities’ inaction in lifting the blockade, Pashinyan claimed that Armenia would not respond to provocations and would remain committed to the peace agenda:

“Politically, it’s clear this action was aimed at harming and discrediting the peace agenda we have put forward. Azerbaijan’s conduct shows that such incidents may recur. Our services must remain alert and vigilant. At the same time, we must keep our nerves steady and continue developing and advancing our strategic course - our peace agenda,” Pashinyan stated.

At the same time, Pashinyan admitted that the situation had been foreseeable - effectively acknowledging that the Armenian authorities had committed an act of criminal negligence by failing to prevent the blockade of a strategically vital road connecting Armenia to Iran.

Speaking at the National Assembly, Nikol Pashinyan explained why he had used Azerbaijani toponyms for the Armenian villages of Karmrakar and Shurnukh during his August 27, 2021, address:

“I called them Eyvazli and Chayzami to make it clear that the points in question are outside the territory of the Republic of Armenia.”

In reality, by doing so - without any formal demarcation or delimitation - Armenia’s prime minister effectively recognized parts of the villages of Shurnukh and Karmrakar as Azerbaijani territory.

Speaking again at the National Assembly, Pashinyan openly declared the need to lower expectations regarding the status of Nagorno-Karabakh:

“Today, the international community clearly tells us: being the only country in the world that does not recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, a close ally of Turkey, at the bilateral level, is dangerous not only for Artsakh but also for the Republic of Armenia. The international community now tells us to lower our sights on the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh’s status and to ensure broad international consolidation around Armenia and Artsakh.”

This statement aimed to prepare the Armenian public for the impending recognition of Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan - and for the catastrophe that would follow: the final loss of Artsakh.

Despite his public pledge, made at a rally on August 17, 2018, not to sign any documents related to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Nikol Pashinyan officially recognized Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan during a meeting in Prague on October 6, 2022. He later confirmed this during press conferences held on May 22, 2023, and July 16, 2025.

On this day, Azerbaijan launched large-scale military operations against the Republic of Artsakh. The Republic of Armenia, led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, refrained from defending Artsakh, instead placing the responsibility on the peacekeeping forces of the Russian Federation. Pashinyan attempted to justify the Armenian authorities' inaction by citing the need to resist attempts - by Azerbaijan and other forces - to drag Armenia into a war. He stated:

“I’d like to draw public attention to the domestic and external forces that are attempting to involve Armenia in large-scale military actions. Such attempts to drag Armenia into armed escalation are inadmissible. As expected, calls for a coup d’état are being made from different sides. In such conditions, the state must respond within the framework of the law. Much depends on the citizens of the Republic of Armenia. At this moment, we must refrain from any drastic or reckless actions.”

At a press conference in August 2024, Pashinyan confirmed that Armenia was fully withdrawing from any involvement in the settlement of the Artsakh issue or in providing security guarantees for the people of Artsakh. He stated that a return to Artsakh would run counter to the interests of Armenia.

Nikol Pashinyan believes that Artsakh was a noose around Armenia’s neck. He made such a statement in his speech at the National Assembly of Armenia:

“They often say we have lost Nagorno-Karabakh. That’s a natural thing to say. I’ve thought a lot about it. And here is my conclusion: we did not lose Nagorno-Karabakh - we found the Republic of Armenia. That’s the truth. As I’ve said before, the Nagorno-Karabakh issue was used as a noose around Armenia’s neck to prevent the Republic of Armenia from succeeding as an independent state.”

With this statement, Pashinyan effectively admitted that he supports the surrender of Artsakh. His words imply that on August 5, 2019, in Stepanakert’s Renaissance Square, he deliberately struck at the heart of Artsakh, which he deeply resented, when he declared: “Artsakh is Armenia. Period!”