RA FM`s `debate` on PTA complete disgrace - politician 

ArmInfo. During the pre-election debates on the Public Television of Armenia (PTA), Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan failed to provide a reasoned and substantive answer to a single question. This is the opinion of Artak Zakaryan, former Deputy Minister of Defense of Armenia, former head of the  Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Eastern Partnership, and member of the Republican Party of Armenia.

The "debate" by the Armenian Foreign Ministry official was a complete  disgrace. Ignorance, stories full of lies and deceit, inadequate and  frivolous talk about threats and challenges. Not a single question  was answered in a reasoned and substantive manner. "It was clear they  had no foreign policy program. They had no national security  strategy. They had no foreign policy principles or priorities. They  lacked a basic understanding of upcoming regional and global events,"  Zakaryan wrote on his Facebook page.

According to him, Mirzoyan didn't even know the main threats outlined  in Armenia's national security strategy report.

"There was no detailed explanation of security and peace issues,  external and internal guarantees, or other important security  components. Not a word about energy, food, communications,  information, or economic security. The answers and questions from the  'head' of the Armenian Foreign Ministry demonstrate a complete lack  of strategic thinking among the current rulers," the politician said.

In this vein, he quoted former French Foreign Minister Charles  Maurice de Talleyrand as saying that "treason is only a matter of  time."

"When the Civil Contract came to power, many thought the country  would be in a better position. Some time passed. Nikol's government  has betrayed the revolution, Artsakh, national values, democracy, and  the diaspora: Now it's Armenia's turn. Now they speak with fervent  enthusiasm about peace and Armenia. And if they are re-elected, they  will destroy Armenia too," he concluded.

During the debate at the Armenian National Assembly on June 2,  Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan avoided answering the  question of whether Turkey and Azerbaijan pose a threat to Armenia's  state security, as outlined in the 2021 National Security Strategy,  nor did he clearly address the question of whether the current  authorities would continue to reject national symbols and identity if  re-elected. He also failed to provide a coherent answer on Artsakh,  using exclusively the Azerbaijani version of the toponym "Karabakh."  Regarding the crisis in Russian-Armenian relations, he merely assured  that negotiations were ongoing and that a bright future partnership  awaited Yerevan and Moscow.