Tatoyan calls for sovereignty over geopolitical alignment

ArmInfo.Arman Tatoyan, leader of the "Wings of Unity" political initiative, kicked off his election campaign today at the historic Goshavank Monastery. Addressing the press, the former Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) argued that Armenia must prioritize its own national interests rather than being forced into a binary choice between global superpowers.

Tatoyan accused the ruling Civil Contract party and Prime Minister  Nikol Pashinyan of intentionally framing the June 7 elections as a  geopolitical referendum. "The authorities have done everything to  turn these elections into a choice between the West and Russia,"  Tatoyan stated. "We say that a nation with a thousand-year history  must be guided by its own interests. Our choice should not be based  on what others want, but on what we want for ourselves."

Tatoyan believes that in recent years, the Armenian people have lost  all trust in political forces in Armenia, because from election to  election, they hear nothing but empty promises. "Therefore, our task  today is to convince the majority to believe in us. As part of our  election campaign, we will do everything to show our people what  programs we have," the politician noted.

Tatoyan also commented on the European Political Community (EPC)  Summit held in Yerevan on May 4.  While the government viewed the  event as a diplomatic triumph, Tatoyan suggested it served primarily  as a campaign prop for the ruling party. "We aren't blaming European  nations, but we must ask: what did this summit actually give  Armenia?" he asked. "Crucial issues—such as our occupied territories  and the return of Armenian prisoners of war held in Baku—have  effectively vanished from the official agenda."

He noted that currently, not a single political force in the country  is talking about Armenia needing war. e argued that the threat of war  is being used as a political tool to distract from institutional  failures. "They're trying to convince the people that whoever talks  the most about peace will win. In this way, the authorities want to  distract people from the question of why they've deteriorated our  security system to the point where they're threatening us with war  and presenting new demands under the pretext of war," Tatoyan  concluded.