Artsakh MP denounces EU officials' visit to Armenia as election interference

An Artsakh lawmaker delivered a blistering rebuke to visiting European Union officials on Tuesday, accusing them of meddling in Armenia’s domestic politics and disregarding the suffering of displaced Artsakh Armenians.

Metakse Hakobyan, a member of the Justice faction in the Artsakh National Assembly, addressed the delegation outside the presidential residence in Yerevan. She condemned the timing of the visit, which comes just weeks before Armenia’s parliamentary elections. “I cannot welcome your visit to Yerevan one month before elections. This is not a coincidence. It is interference in Armenia’s internal political life disguised in the language of diplomacy,” Hakobyan declared.

She criticized European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, for silence or token statements during the most harrowing period for Artsakh Armenians. Hakobyan accused them of exploiting Artsakh's tragedy to expand geopolitical influence. “You have come today to capitalize on what has happened, as a result of which 120,000 Armenians have become wanderers around the world,” she said. “Artsakh’s tragedy has never been your priority. You have used it as a tool to manage the region.”

Hakobyan argued that the visit amounted to demonstrative support for Armenia’s current leadership, which she claimed had surrendered sovereignty to external powers. “The authorities have turned into mere transmitters of that influence, instead of defending national interests,” she said. “Thus, not only our past and present are endangered, but also our future.”

Hakobyan urged European officials to defend the rights of displaced Artsakh Armenians, facilitate their return to their homes and ensure that families could visit the graves of fallen soldiers. She also called for the release of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan. “Otherwise, you are holding the same yataghan in your hands that the Turks wielded 100 years ago and that Azerbaijanis wielded just a few years ago,” she warned.