Armenian Parliament Erupts After Opposition Lawmaker Blames Pashinyan Government for War and Thousands of Deaths

A heated confrontation broke out in Armenia’s parliament Thursday after an opposition lawmaker blamed Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government for the war over Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), thousands of Armenian deaths and the displacement of the region’s indigenous Armenian population.

The dispute began during remarks by Edgar Ghazaryan, a lawmaker from the opposition Strong Armenia faction, who delivered a sharp attack on Pashinyan and the ruling Civil Contract party.

Ghazaryan accused the prime minister of derailing negotiations over Nagorno-Karabakh and held his government responsible for the war and its consequences.

“This is the face of this government: war, casualties, losses and bonuses,” Ghazaryan said. He went on to accuse the ruling party of “shamelessly exploiting” the lives of soldiers.

His remarks drew an immediate response from National Assembly Vice President Hayk Konjoryan, a Civil Contract member, who warned Ghazaryan over his conduct.

“Mr. Ghazaryan, behave properly,” Konjoryan said from his seat. “You are receiving a warning for your inappropriate and arrogant behavior.”

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Konjoryan then warned that Ghazaryan could be forcibly removed from parliament if the behavior was repeated.

“If you do not remove yourself from this chamber, you will be removed and thrown out of this chamber and the National Assembly building,” he said.

Konjoryan also called on Strong Armenia faction leader Narek Karapetyan to rein in his colleague.

The confrontation continued outside the chamber as lawmakers from both sides left the hall and held further discussions.

later acknowledged that there was a problem with Ghazaryan’s language.

The dispute carried into the session when lawmakers returned.

National Assembly Speaker Ruben Rubinyan told Strong Armenia that parliamentary standards of conduct had been breached for a second time and warned that an informal understanding between the factions on maintaining civility was at risk.

“Our agreement on civility is on the verge of falling apart,” Rubinyan said, adding that the effort to ensure “comfortable conditions” for Ghazaryan to remain in the chamber was also nearing its end.

Karapetyan said Strong Armenia shared some of the concerns raised by Civil Contract and would discuss Ghazaryan’s conduct at a faction meeting.

“To be fair, to some extent we share our colleagues’ concerns,” Karapetyan said. “Our faction will hold a meeting where further steps will be discussed, and we will inform you about them.”

Asked directly by Rubinyan whether he believed Ghazaryan had crossed the line, Karapetyan said the remarks violated the standards of conduct lawmakers had agreed to follow.

Rubinyan said Civil Contract now expects Ghazaryan to apologize for what he called an “ill-mannered” remark.

Without an apology, the speaker warned, Ghazaryan would face “very difficult days” in the National Assembly. Rubinyan said the warning also applied to anyone who sought to shield the opposition lawmaker, referring to those who might spread their “political or nonpolitical wings over him.”

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