Armenian opposition MP says Azerbaijani 'civil society' visit orchestrated by security bodies

An Armenian opposition MP on Monday cast doubt on the independence of a recent visit by Azerbaijani civil society representatives to Armenia, describing the delegation as a group “formed by security bodies”.

Tigran Abrahamyan, a member of the Pativ Unem parliamentary faction, made the remarks during a parliamentary briefing, referring to the visit held under the “Bridge of Peace” initiative.

“There is significant exaggeration in calling it civil society in Azerbaijan,” Abrahamyan said. “A dictatorship has long been established there. It is impossible to speak of free media or NGOs that operate outside government control.”

He alleged that the visiting group was linked to Azerbaijani security agencies and questioned the credibility of their engagement in dialogue.

“This is, to a certain extent, also a group organized by security bodies,” he said. “Those people, or the overwhelming majority of them, were speaking about hatred toward Armenians and actions against Armenians not long ago. They cannot undergo such a transformation in a single day.”

Abrahamyan said that while such initiatives are presented as confidence-building measures, Baku continues to rearm and seeks to position itself as the dominant party in relations with Yerevan.

Separately, he denounced the criminal charges against Catholicos Karekin II as part of a broader campaign targeting the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Abrahamyan said he had anticipated such a development and suggested the timing was connected to preparations for the upcoming Assembly of Bishops.