In his new autobiography, Armenia’s second president portrays himself as a wise statesman, criticizes Nikol Pashinyan, and describes his respect for Heydar Aliyev.
The former president was enemy number one of Armenia’s “Velvet Revolution.” Since being ousted, Sargsyan has virtually disappeared, but he remains in the country and appears safe – for now – from the wave of prosecutions targeting former officials.
A number of recent personnel moves, softened rhetoric and positive statements suggest a new willingness in Baku to reach out to Armenia’s new authorities.
A new generation of Azerbaijanis is growing up with no firsthand memory of the land from which their parents were displaced, and which the government vows to take back.
While official Baku and its friendly media sharply criticized the elections and Armenia’s new leadership, some in the country expressed optimism that the door to a peace deal may have opened, if only a crack.
The formerly ruling Republican Party is on life support, but it has provided a useful foil for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and sparring between the two has dominated the parliamentary election campaign.
A new party, made up of many of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s allies from the street protests that brought him to power, is challenging him from the left.
The new government is trying to dismantle connections between politics and business. But a party led by one of the country’s richest men is poised to make it into the new parliament.
