Pashinyan's 'Scissors' Metaphor: Setting Up Territorial Concessions
If you take scissors to the maps, Armenia cuts out what it wants adjusted, then Azerbaijan cuts out Jermuk and Berkaber.
During a July 9 press briefing, Pashinyan used a scissors metaphor to describe border negotiations with Azerbaijan, arguing that if Armenia adjusts territories on disputed maps, Azerbaijan would reciprocate by cutting out areas like Jermuk and Berkaber in Tavush. The framing normalizes occupation as mutual concession rather than addressing the core issue: Azerbaijan’s illegal military invasion of recognized Armenian territory.
Asbed and Hovik highlight the danger in this logic. By treating who physically controls land as the determining factor in delimitation, Pashinyan effectively surrenders Armenia’s legal and moral argument against occupation. The OSCE’s own guidelines explicitly prohibit border demarcation under threat or use of force-conditions both present here. Yet the Armenian government appears to be implementing Azerbaijan’s negotiating position wholesale.
What makes this moment significant is not just the metaphor itself, but what it reveals about Armenia’s strategic direction. Pashinyan’s framing suggests he is laying groundwork for recognizing Azerbaijani enclaves within Armenia and potentially ceding Tigranashen and other strategically vital locations. The hosts note that Azerbaijan has never ratified the border agreement to the same degree Armenia has, and that Aliyev openly stated he has no intention of withdrawing from invaded territories. Against this backdrop, Pashinyan’s scissors metaphor appears less like negotiation and more like unilateral capitulation dressed in diplomatic language.
Transcript
Asbed: On July 9, Asbed: I want to talk, Asbed: just let's turn our attention for a moment about the border situation and talks Asbed: between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Asbed: On July 9, Asbed: during a press briefing, Asbed: Pashinyan was asked by the media to talk a little bit about the borders and Asbed: who controls what and stuff like that. Asbed: And Pashinyan used this scissors metaphor saying that if you take scissors to Asbed: the maps, Asbed: arguing that if Armenia cuts out areas that it wants adjusted, Asbed: then Azerbaijan is going to cut out Jermuk and Berkaber, which is in Tavush. Asbed: He said that if we accept the principle of who controls some land, then that person owns it. Asbed: That means that we give up our occupied territories. Asbed: Now, I don't know, you might think that this sounds legitimate, right? Asbed: But it sounds really dangerous to me because it treats Azerbaijan's invasion Asbed: of Armenian lands, Asbed: recognized Armenian lands as if they're bargaining chips instead of any kind of Asbed: an illegal military invasion. Asbed: What do you think?