Pashinyan: Return of 300,000 Azerbaijanis to Armenia ‘Will Not Happen’

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has firmly dismissed opposition claims regarding the potential return of 300,000 Azerbaijanis to Armenia, describing the issue as a fabricated narrative that has no basis in reality.

Speaking during a question-and-answer session in parliament, Pashinyan said the topic was being promoted by political forces seeking to undermine Armenia's peace agenda.

“The issue of the return of 300,000 Azerbaijanis is an invented and fabricated topic. It has not happened, does not exist, and will not happen,” he said.

The prime minister argued that discussions surrounding the claim persist only because of rhetoric from what he has repeatedly described as a “three-headed war party” — a term he uses for opposition forces that he accuses of promoting confrontation rather than reconciliation.

Pashinyan also renewed his criticism of vote-buying, which was a major issue during Armenia’s recent parliamentary elections. He claimed that, for the first time in the country’s modern history, state institutions and voters were able to effectively resist large-scale electoral bribery.

According to the prime minister, eliminating vote-buying from Armenia’s political system has become a national priority. He also questioned why individuals charged in election bribery cases since 2021 have not been imprisoned, calling on the judicial system to provide answers.

Turning to regional security, Pashinyan declared that Armenia has successfully managed existing external threats and argued that the main risks now originate from domestic political forces that reject the current peace process with neighboring Azerbaijan.

He emphasized that Armenia and Azerbaijan have mutually recognized each other’s territorial integrity based on the Alma-Ata Declaration and warned that any attempts to challenge that framework could destabilize the region.

The prime minister specifically criticized opposition lawmakers who display Artsakh flags in parliament, arguing that such symbols signal rejection of the emerging peace architecture between Armenia and Azerbaijan and can contribute to renewed tensions.

Pashinyan further accused certain political groups of attempting to preserve the goals of the Karabakh movement, which he said could lead Armenia back toward conflict. He argued that calls to seek territory beyond Armenia’s internationally recognized borders amount to a declaration of hostility toward neighboring states.

“The Karabakh Movement will not continue,” Pashinyan said, reaffirming his government's commitment to a peace-oriented foreign policy and signaling a continued departure from the political narratives that have shaped the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict for decades.

—

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