Opposition leader again blames Pashinyan government for loss of Artsakh

Armenian opposition leader Hayk Mamijanyan on Saturday accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s administration of bearing responsibility for the fall of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the mass displacement of its ethnic Armenian population in 2023.

Speaking at a parliamentary briefing, Mamijanyan, head of the Pativ Unem faction, said the government had abandoned fundamental principles by avoiding references to self-determination and the rights of Artsakh Armenians. “They no longer speak of Artsakh, the right to self-determination or the return of its Armenian population. What changes as a result of this silence?” he asked.

Mamijanyan argued that the government’s approach was futile, as Azerbaijan continued to advance its narrative regarding the territory. He stressed that while aggressive rhetoric was unnecessary, renouncing these rights was beyond the government’s mandate. “No one gave Pashinyan the right to abandon them,” he said.

He stressed that under the current government, Artsakh was captured and depopulated. “How long can you continue to tell brazen lies? This happened as a consequence of your policies,” Mamijanyan declared.