Pap Arsacid’s foreign policy

Abstract

The article presents the historical period of the foreign policy of the reign of Pap, which is one of the most interesting and significant periods of Armenian history. Pap came to Great Armenia in the conditions of a difficult political situation, when the Persians had captured and arrested the Armenian king Arshak II, the country was destroyed by Persian invasions, a number of territories were separated from Great Armenia, and political anarchy reigned in the country. From the very beginning of his reign, the Armenian king pursued an idea, the strengthening of the state, and his every action in foreign politics was aimed at it.

We can record that the Armenian king was able to:

1. Celebrating victory in three major battles, he saved the Armenian statehood from destruction after almost seven years of struggle of the Armenian people and liberated Great Armenia from the Persian occupation.
2. In a short time, he joined the Armenian kingdom to the remote regions, restoring the territorial integrity of the country.
3. He tried to continue the foreign policy conducted by his father, Arshak II, by regulating relations with Rome and Persia, which would increase the international prestige of the state.

Thanks to the above steps, the young Armenian ruler succeeded to raise the reputation of the Armenian kingdom in international relations, as a result of which the two neighboring superpowers took into account the interests of the Armenian kingdom, in a short period of time. Unfortunately, the internal disunity of the state did not give the Pope any chance to succeed on the external front. Moreover, these contradictions had a tragic end for the Armenian king, and Great Armenia lost its distinguished and rarely capable ruler.