Confession from Armenia to Türkiye: We have lived in error for 70 years

Armenian Security Council Secretary Alen Simonyan stated that relations with Türkiye should be normalized and that his country has been acting with a security approach dependent on Russia for years.

Emphasizing that the idea that "We must be close to Russia, otherwise the Turks will eat us" has nothing to do with reality, Simonyan stated that Armenia should leave a legacy of peace to its children instead of revenge.

Speaking at the panel titled "Peace and Security: Changing Regional Realities" held within the scope of the Third World Armenian Summit, Simonyan opposed the view that Armenia should increase its military power in response to a possible attack from Türkiye.

Criticizing the evaluation of relations with Türkiye and Azerbaijan based on the possibility of constant war, Simonyan argued that an approach should be adopted to prevent conflict with the two countries.

“IF TURKS WANT TO ATTACK, WE WILL NOT HAVE TIME TO GET STRONGER”

Stating that Armenia should have a strong army, Simonyan said that the main goal is to eliminate the possibility of war.

Simonyan: "I think there should be no reason to fight between us. Why should we fight the Turks?" he said.

Stating that Armenia would not have time to strengthen its defense in case of an attack by Türkiye, Simonyan criticized the security approach that has been maintained in his country for years.

Simonyan said, "If the Turks want to attack, we won't have time to get stronger anyway, we can't do anything. The idea they fed us for 70 years, 'Let's be dependent on Russia, otherwise the Turks will eat us', has nothing to do with reality."

Simonyan reminded that the Turkish border is approximately 60 kilometers from Armenia and that Türkiye has one of the largest armies in NATO. Arguing that Armenia's security cannot be based solely on the Russian military presence, Simonyan said, "Neither the Russian base nor anything else can save us if they want." he said.

The Armenian official described his country's main security goal as "We should not cause war. This is our most important security guarantee." he explained with his words.

“WE SHOULD LEAVE A LEGACY OF PEACE, NOT REVENGE, TO OUR CHILDREN”

Arguing that a new era is possible in relations with Türkiye and Azerbaijan, Simonyan cited the historical process between France and England as an example.

Reminding that the two countries became allies after fighting for many years, Simonyan stated that Armenia should strive for a similar transformation.

Simonyan said, "The French and the British fought each other for a hundred years. Now they are allies. I want us to leave a legacy of peace, not revenge, to our children." he said.

Simonyan, who also criticized Armenia's past policies, said that his country's population has not increased since the collapse of the Soviet Union, while Azerbaijan's population has reached approximately 10 million.

Simonyan, who attributed the responsibility for this situation to the current mentality of the country, said, "So who is to blame? At least it is not me, because I am trying to fix it now. The guilty one is our mentality." he said.