Armenian MP criticizes ruling party’s abstention in European Parliament vote

Opposition lawmaker Hayk Mamijanyan has criticized members of Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party for abstaining from a vote in the European Parliament on a proposal calling on Azerbaijan to refrain from interfering in Armenia’s internal affairs.

In a video posted on social media on Thursday, Mamijanyan, who heads the Pativ Unem faction, said the vote took place during a meeting held as part of cooperation between Armenia’s National Assembly and the European Parliament, where a joint statement was adopted.

Speaking from Strasbourg, Mamijanyan said he had introduced several amendments to the statement, most of which were rejected. He highlighted two proposals in particular, expressing concern over how Armenian ruling party MPs voted.

One amendment urged Azerbaijan to avoid making statements about Armenia’s internal matters, including constitutional changes. According to Mamijanyan, Civil Contract MPs abstained on this proposal.

“This means it makes no difference to them whether Azerbaijan comments on Armenia’s constitution or uses aggressive rhetoric,” he said.

Mamijanyan also stated that ruling party MPs again voted against including references to the Armenian Genocide in the context of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations.

The opposition MP further noted that the adopted declaration included a provision acknowledging concerns raised within Armenia about the possible use of the judicial system for political purposes, as well as broader democratic challenges.

He said this marked a shift from previous positions, with European actors now recognizing that some political and civil groups in Armenia have raised concerns about democratic backsliding and the politicization of law enforcement.

Mamijanyan added that continued advocacy on issues such as political prisoners could eventually lead to stronger and more explicit statements from European institutions regarding the situation in Armenia.