Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“After multiple territorial wars over more than 35 years, Armenia and Azerbaijan, two small countries ringed by big powers, announced March 13 that they had agreed on a draft peace agreement. That alone prompted praise across a conflict-riddled Eurasian continent. Yet a portion of praise went to only Armenia, population 3 million, for something else. Following the country’s latest military defeat in 2023, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan not only offered concessions to Azerbaijan but also launched a campaign at home to lift the national identity beyond ethnicity, a trait that exudes exclusivity and lies at the heart of many wars. The ‘Real Armenia,’ he said in a February speech, resides in all citizens living within the country’s recognized borders – ethnic minorities included – as ‘the source of the legal order,’ along with spiritual values that bring harmony and happiness.” (03/14/25)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2025/0314/Armenia-redefines-peace-as-within