Armenia's ruling party rejects opposition resolution marking Great Patriotic War anniversary

Lawmakers from Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party on Thursday rejected a resolution introduced by the opposition Pativ Unem faction to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War.

Presenting the draft resolution before the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, Pativ Unem faction secretary Tigran Abrahamyan emphasized the vital role Armenians played in the Soviet Union’s triumph during World War II. He highlighted the heroism of Armenian military units, the contributions of the Armenian Apostolic Church and support from the Diaspora.

The resolution also drew a symbolic parallel between the 1945 victory over Nazi Germany and the 1992 liberation of Shushi during the first Artsakh war. Additionally, Abrahamyan condemned Azerbaijan’s 2023 ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, characterizing it as a modern form of fascism.

Ruling party MP Maria Karapetyan questioned why no such resolution had been introduced during former President Serzh Sargsyan’s tenure. In response, Abrahamyan argued that until 2018, May 9, marking both the WWII victory and Shushi’s liberation, was solemnly celebrated in Shushi, making a formal declaration unnecessary at the time.

After an hour-long debate, Civil Contract MPs criticized the linkage of the Great Patriotic War victory with Shushi’s liberation and ultimately voted to reject the proposal.