False Quote Attributed to Pashinyan: He Made No Harsh Remarks About Tokayev at His Press Briefing

A quote attributed to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan concerning Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is circulating on social media.

According to the claim, when asked about Russia allegedly pressuring Armenia to hold a referendum on joining the European Union, Pashinyan said: “I am not the president of Kazakhstan, to be summoned to Russia. And we are not as rich as the Kazakhs to hold four referendums a year. How can they force Armenia to hold a referendum?”

The claim was posted on social media on September 6 by Russian journalist Sergey Aslanyan. At the time of publication of this article, his post featuring the quote attributed to Pashinyan with his photo had received thousands of likes and had been shared by more than 300 accounts.

Pashinyan’s Press Briefing Used as Basis for False Claim

The quote falsely attributed to Pashinyan appears to have originated from remarks the Prime Minister made in response to a journalist’s question during a press briefing on September 3.

Specifically, while asking about a referendum on EU membership and Armenia’s continued membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the journalist said that “Russia is pressuring [Armenia] to hold a referendum” and, addressing Pashinyan, added: “You were summoned to Russia.”

Responding to these remarks, Pashinyan said: “It sounds as though the First Secretary of the Central Committee of Soviet Armenia is standing before you and I have been summoned to Russia.”

Pashinyan therefore mentioned neither Kazakhstan nor its President in his response. The quote attributed to him is consequently false.

Who Spread the False Quote?

As noted above, the post containing the fabricated quote attributed to Pashinyan was published by Russian journalist Sergey Aslanyan.

According to biographical information available in open sources, Aslanyan is a journalist with the Russian media outlet Echo of Moscow (Эхо Москвы). He previously worked for various Russian television and radio stations and contributed to a number of publications, including Moskovsky Komsomolets (Московский комсомолец), Motor (Мотор), and Avtomir (Автомир), among others.

He currently hosts political programs on his YouTube channel with around 150,000 subscribers.

In 2023, Russia’s Ministry of Justice designated Aslanyan a “foreign agent.”

Thus, the quote attributed to Pashinyan concerning Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and referendums in Kazakhstan is false. A review of the relevant portion of the Prime Minister’s September 3 press briefing shows that he mentioned neither Kazakhstan nor Tokayev.

The text circulated on social media is an altered version of Pashinyan’s actual response that was presented as a direct quote. It was posted by Russian journalist Sergey Aslanyan and quickly gained traction.

Nane Manasyan