Analyst warns Pashinyan's remarks could bolster Azerbaijan's narrative

Armenian political analyst Hakob Badalyan has criticized Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recent comments on the issue of displaced populations, arguing that his framing inadvertently strengthens Azerbaijan’s demographic agenda.

Speaking about the "return of Azerbaijanis", Pashinyan suggested the matter is interlinked with the right of Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, Nakhichevan, Baku and Kirovabad to reclaim their homes.

Writing on social media on Friday, Badalyan argued this framing risks legitimizing Baku’s agenda. “Ilham Aliyev does not present his policy as a mirror response to Armenian demands,” he said, stressing that Azerbaijan pursues the issue independently of any Armenian discourse.

According to Badalyan, Aliyev’s motivation is not reciprocity but demographic expansion. “Even if Armenians remain silent on their right of return, Azerbaijan will continue to advance its narrative,” he said. By situating the debate in a framework of symmetry, Badalyan warned, Pashinyan has effectively “validated Azerbaijan’s aspirations.”

The analyst added that Azerbaijan possesses far greater capacity to press the issue, citing structural advantages he declined to detail.