‘Dashnak Ideology Must Be Uprooted’: Ruling Party MP Sparks Outrage in Armenia’s Parliament

A ruling party lawmaker called for the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s ideology to be “uprooted” from Armenian political thought during a heated debate in Armenia’s parliament, prompting opposition lawmakers to accuse him of using fascist rhetoric.

“Dashnak ideology must be uprooted from Armenian political thought. Kristine Vardanyan must be the last Dashnak,” Civil Contract MP Arman Yeghoyan said from the parliament floor, referring to the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, commonly known as Dashnaktsutyun.

Yeghoyan argued that abandoning the party’s political ideology was a “fundamental necessity” for Armenia’s survival, independence and sovereignty.

His remarks immediately drew an angry response from members of the opposition Armenia Alliance, which includes the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.

Artur Khachatryan, an ARF member and Armenia Alliance lawmaker, compared Yeghoyan’s language to rhetoric used against Armenians during the final years of the Ottoman Empire.

“Just as the Turks used to say that only one Armenian should remain, and that one in a museum, you are now saying that only one Dashnak should remain,” Khachatryan said.

Kristine Vardanyan, the lawmaker singled out by Yeghoyan, accused him of delivering a “literally fascist speech” and compared the ruling party’s rhetoric to that of the Young Turks and Bolsheviks.

“Just as the Turks wanted to leave only one Armenian in the world, you literally repeated the same thing,” Vardanyan said. “But just as the Turks did not succeed in their plan, neither will you.”

“You are young Bolsheviks,” she added. “You have the same targets as the Young Turks and the same methods as Bolshevik thinking.”

Parliament Speaker Ruben Rubinyan stepped in as the confrontation intensified. He acknowledged that Yeghoyan’s speech had been “aggressive” but sought to reinterpret his fellow Civil Contract lawmaker’s statement.

Rubinyan said Yeghoyan could instead have argued that Vardanyan should become the last — or first — Dashnak to embrace the government’s concept of “Real Armenia” and “say goodbye to harmful Dashnak ideas.”

The confrontation came during debate over proposed changes to the oath taken by members of Armenia’s government, part of a broader political dispute over how the state defines Armenia, the homeland and national priorities.

Under the current wording, government members pledge to work toward “the realization of pan-national goals and the strengthening of the homeland.”

The Justice Ministry has proposed replacing that language with a pledge to serve “the perpetuity, independence, sovereignty and development of the Republic of Armenia.”

The change would remove references to both “pan-national goals” and the “homeland,” replacing the latter with the more specific term “Republic of Armenia.”

Opposition lawmakers argue that the wording reflects a broader effort by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government to distance the Armenian state from concepts that extend beyond the borders of the present-day Republic of Armenia.

Civil Contract lawmakers reject that interpretation, arguing that Armenia’s homeland is the Republic of Armenia itself.

The dispute reflects a deeper ideological divide that has increasingly shaped Armenian politics. Pashinyan has promoted his government’s “Real Armenia” concept as a state-centered vision focused on the internationally recognized Republic of Armenia, its sovereignty and its existing borders.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation, founded in 1890 and active across Armenia and the Armenian diaspora, has historically promoted a broader Armenian national agenda. The party is now part of the opposition Armenia Alliance in parliament.

That ideological divide turned unusually personal on the parliament floor, with lawmakers on both sides invoking some of the most painful chapters of Armenian history as they argued over what Armenia’s national identity and political future should mean.

—

Support independent reporting from the region by subscribing to The Armenian Report. Our team is funded solely by readers like you.