Opposition politician says released documents show Pashinyan rejected 2019 Karabakh peace plan

Armenian National Congress (ANC) coordinator Levon Zurabyan on Thursday accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of rejecting a 2019 Nagorno-Karabakh settlement plan that he said could have ensured peace and avoided the 2020 war.

Speaking at a press briefing after the government released documents related to past negotiations, Zurabyan said he agreed with Pashinyan’s comment that there was “nothing left to debate” once the records were made public. He argued the disclosures confirmed what former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan had long advocated – that transparency would end disputes over the conflict handling.

Zurabyan said the government had released the OSCE Minsk Group proposals but not Armenia’s formal responses, which he described as crucial. He claimed Pashinyan received peace proposals in April and June 2019 involving a ceasefire, unblocking of regional links and deployment of international peacekeepers around Nagorno-Karabakh, while allowing Armenians to retain Kelbajar and Lachin.

Zurabyan alleged the prime minister rejected the plan and broader negotiations, a decision he said strained relations with international mediators and helped pave the way for Azerbaijan’s 2020 military offensive.

The politician blamed Pashinyan for leading Armenia into a war that resulted in thousands of casualties and the loss of Artsakh, saying the country’s weakened state now raises questions about its survival.