Pashinyan Brings Banana Home From Turkey, Documents Its Journey on Social Media

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has posted a series of videos on his social media accounts documenting a banana he carried from Turkey to Ireland and back to Armenia, drawing coverage from Turkish media.

The posts began on November 11, when Pashinyan shared a video of himself packing at a hotel in Antalya, Turkey, where he had attended the COP31 climate summit and met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

While preparing to leave, he picked up a banana, placed it in the breast pocket of his jacket and said it might come in handy during the trip.

On November 12, Pashinyan posted another video from Dublin, where he was attending the European Political Community summit. He pulled the banana from his pocket, set it on a table and announced that he had arrived in the Irish capital.

Turkish outlets, including Sözcü, Gazete Oksijen and Haberler, reported on the videos. Turkish media also covered other informal posts Pashinyan shared from Antalya, including footage of himself drinking Turkish tea.

On November 13, Pashinyan posted a further video indicating that he had brought the banana back to Armenia, concluding the updates documenting its journey through three countries.

The social media posts accompanied a diplomatic trip that included meetings with Erdoğan in Antalya and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Dublin.

Armenia and Turkey are working to normalize relations and reopen their shared land border, which has remained closed since 1993.

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