Opposition MP slams Pashinyan's 'dangerous' remarks about Artsakh Armenians

Armenian opposition lawmaker Elinar Vardanyan said Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recent proposal concerning a joint roadmap with Azerbaijan to “close” issues related to Karabakh Armenians and so-called “Western Azerbaijanis” pose serious security risks for Armenians.

Pashinyan told reporters during a December 10 visit to Germany that Yerevan was ready to work with Baku on such a roadmap. Vardanyan, an MP of the Hayastan faction, told Panorama.am on Friday that the comments effectively acknowledged Azerbaijani claims about the resettlement of Azerbaijanis in Armenia while sidelining the displacement of Armenians from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

She said the proposal “aims to close the issue of Artsakh and the situation of Artsakh Armenians”, adding that Pashinyan “cannot decide whether there is an issue of their return”,

“Pashinyan refuses to recognize the reality faced by Armenian citizens in Azerbaijan and instead proposes to forget Artsakh and the return of its people. This is extremely dangerous, as it could provide Azerbaijan with grounds to cite Pashinyan’s statements in international instances,” Vardanyan warned.