In early September, a statement attributed to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spread on social media, which referred to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, relations between Armenia and Russia, and the topic of holding a referendum. According to the circulating publication, Pashinyan, referring to Russia’s alleged coercion of Armenia to hold a referendum, said: “I am not the president of Kazakhstan to be summoned to Russia. And we are not rich enough like the Kazakhs to hold four referendums a year. How can they force Armenia to hold a referendum?”

Did Pashinyan really make such a statement about Kazakhstan?

The statement quickly spread on social media and was presented as the real words of the Prime Minister of Armenia. However, a fact check shows that Nikol Pashinyan did not make such a statement.

Moreover, the widely circulated quote is actually based on the Prime Minister’s speech during a government briefing on September 3, which was later amended and supplemented.

The earliest discovered publication of the fake quote was made on September 6 by Russian journalist Sergey Aslanyan. His publication used a photo of Pashinyan and the above-mentioned quote attributed to him.

According to Factcheck.kz, the publication received thousands of likes and more than 300 comments in a short time.

user accounts spread it.

However, the publication did not provide any reference or source that would confirm when and where Pashinyan uttered these words. This is an important circumstance, since in the case of a direct quote attributed to a politician, it is possible to verify its original source: a speech, interview, press conference, or official video recording. In this case, no such source was indicated.

To verify the widespread claim, it is necessary to go back to September 3 and examine the relevant part of Pashinyan’s government briefing. On that day, a journalist asked the prime minister about Russian statements about Armenia’s referendum on the choice between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union, as well as whether Pashinyan had been summoned to Russia on this issue.

When formulating the question, the journalist noted that «Russia is forcing a referendum» and, addressing Pashinyan, said, «You have been summoned to Russia.»

Pashinyan, responding to that formulation, said: «It gives the impression that the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Armenian SSR is standing before you and I have been summoned to Russia.»

Pashinyan’s real answer and the one shared on social media

A comparison of the two versions shows significant differences. In the actual speech, the Prime Minister did not mention Kazakhstan or talk about the president of that country. He did not say that he was “not the president of Kazakhstan,” did not compare the wealth of Armenia and Kazakhstan, and did not talk about holding four referendums a year in Kazakhstan.

In other words, the spread is not a literal reproduction of Pashinyan’s actual response. The phrase «I was called to Russia» was taken from the actual speech, but it was placed in a completely different sentence and supplemented with expressions related to Kazakhstan. As a result, a new statement was created, which was presented as Pashinyan’s direct speech.

This fact was also confirmed by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the President of Kazakhstan. The center reported that

As a result of the study, it turned out that Nikol Pashinyan did not say such words. According to the center, the authors of the fake news changed some words and supplemented the Prime Minister’s response with expressions that were missing from the original speech.

According to the Kazakh Center, as a result of these changes

The statement was given a different meaning and was artificially presented as a statement directed against Kazakhstan. The Center also noted that such manipulations can contribute to the formation of negative sentiments and the creation of artificial reasons for tension between the peoples of Armenia and Kazakhstan.

A study of the spread of the fake quote shows that its earliest discovered publication on Facebook was made by Sergey Aslanyan.

on September 6, at 14:44 Kazakhstan time. According to Factcheck.kz, Aslanyan’s post did not mention where or when Pashinyan uttered the words attributed to him. After that, other users began to spread the same quote.

In this case, the mechanism of disinformation dissemination is particularly noteworthy in that after the initial publication, the same text has appeared on numerous other user accounts. When the same claim is shared on different pages, the user may get the impression that it is a confirmed fact. However, multiple shares cannot replace the original source. If a statement is attributed to a political figure, its authenticity should be verified through an official speech or video recording of the person in question.

False information was also spread from accounts with Kazakh names. According to the Public Radio publication, such accounts on Facebook, X, and other social networks spread statements attributed to Pashinyan about Armenia’s relations with Russia, the referendum on the EAEU, and the ongoing processes with Azerbaijan.

However, the account name alone is not enough to determine who actually owns the page or from which country it is managed. Therefore, when investigating such cases, it is important to consider the account’s past activity, the language of the posts, the time of creation, the thematic focus of the posts, and possible connections to other pages. This information can help to understand whether we are dealing with a real

With users, anonymous pages, or systematic dissemination.

It is also noteworthy that the Information and Public Relations Department of the Prime Minister’s Office has officially denied the statements attributed to Pashinyan. In response to an inquiry by «Armenpress», the Prime Minister’s Office stated that the statements being spread are fake and disinformation, and Prime Minister Pashinyan himself has not made such statements.

He never made any statements.

As a result of the fact-checking, several important circumstances stand out. First, the shared quote used the context of a real political event and a real question-and-answer session. Second, a certain wording was taken from Pashinyan’s actual speech, related to

With the journalist’s question about being summoned to Russia. Third, that speech was changed and supplemented with phrases about Kazakhstan, Tokayev, and Kazakhs.

Fourth, the modified version was presented as a direct quote from the Prime Minister and spread across multiple social media accounts.

So, this case is not just an example of misinformation. Here, a mechanism of manipulation was used, in which real speech is taken as a basis, but its content is changed. For this reason, false information can seem more convincing than a completely fabricated story: the publication contains a real person, a real photo, a real political topic, and a speech made in a real time.

In the case of such publications spreading on social networks, it is important not only to pay attention to the text of the publication, but also to try to find the original source. If the publication indicates that a political figure made a specific statement, it is necessary to find out where it was said, when it was said, and whether there is a full video or official text. In this case, this check shows that there is no such statement about Kazakhstan in Pashinyan’s September 3 briefing.

Therefore, the statement “I am not the president of Kazakhstan, so that they can call me to Russia…” that has been circulating on social networks is not Nikol Pashinyan’s real words. It is a modified version of his answer given during the September 3 briefing, to which expressions referring to Kazakhstan and the president of that country have been added. The earliest instance of a false quote

The discovered publication was made by Sergey Aslanyan on September 6, and later it was widely distributed on social networks.

Journalist: Sargis Asatryan

The video was produced as part of the Disinformation Flows Monitoring Project.

#CivilSocietyCooperation #ishrarmenia #ishrfactcheck

The project is implemented with the financial support of the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany.