Pashinyan Tells Daughter of Fallen Artsakh Hero She “Escaped” — Later Issues Apology After Metro Confrontation

A public confrontation between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and a woman forcibly displaced from her indigenous home in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) escalated into a heated argument in the Yerevan metro, exposing the deep pain and unresolved tensions surrounding the fate of Artsakh Armenians.

The incident took place during an informal interaction with citizens, within the framework of an undeclared campaign by the ruling Civil Contract party. In recent weeks, Pashinyan has been traveling across Armenia’s regions with his team, presenting what is described as the “Civil Contract peace” agenda. According to accounts, the Prime Minister approached a woman and asked if he could offer her a map designed as a badge. The woman responded by saying, “We are from Artsakh, we have a different map,” making clear her connection to her homeland and identity.

The conversation quickly escalated. Pashinyan replied, “But your son will live on this map, take that into account.” The woman responded with uncertainty, saying, “Maybe now, but…” before being interrupted. The Prime Minister continued, “There is no ‘but’ anymore, we will not allow your ideology…”

The woman then raised a central concern shared by many displaced Armenians from Artsakh: “You will not allow us to live in our Artsakh? You cannot deprive us of returning to Artsakh.”

Pashinyan defended his government’s actions, stating, “We did everything so that you could live in Artsakh, in Karabakh. In 2023, it was you who accused me of closing the borders so that people wouldn’t come to Armenia; you demanded that I open the borders. And you said they were deliberately closed so that people wouldn’t leave Karabakh. Now you have come here and say, ‘Oh, but we wanted to return.’ We spent billions earned by the citizens of Armenia so that you would stay there—so why didn’t you stay?”

As the exchange grew more intense, the woman objected to the Prime Minister’s tone, saying, “Don’t speak to me while pointing your finger.” Pashinyan responded, “I will speak to you like that. Do not speak about this map with such contempt. Next time, don’t try to say, as ‘those who fled,’ that I gave away Karabakh.”

The phrase “those who fled” drew particular attention, as many Armenians view the displacement of the Artsakh population in 2023 not as voluntary migration but as forced removal following military pressure and humanitarian crisis.

After the heated exchange, the Prime Minister appeared to soften his tone, stating, “I ask one thing of you: the mentality of emigration must be removed, we need to calm down. This child does not need emigration…” However, the woman responded with a deeply emotional statement: “This child wants his home, his room, his toys, his Artsakh.”

Pashinyan concluded the exchange by saying, “That child will live in Armenia.”

The incident sparked further reaction online. Journalist Ani Gevorgyan later wrote on Facebook: “Pashinyan was accusing a hero’s daughter of fleeing. Nikol Pashinyan was pointing his finger and shouting at Armine Mosiyan, the daughter of Meruzhan Mosiyan, a legendary field commander who was killed in the Artsakh liberation war in 1993.”

Following the incident, Armenia’s Human Rights Defender issued a statement stressing that communication with forcibly displaced persons and refugees must be carried out with sensitivity, taking into account their vulnerability, as required by international legal standards. The statement noted that during electoral periods, political rhetoric often intensifies and can lead to insensitive approaches toward vulnerable groups. The Human Rights Defender called on officials and public figures to ensure that their language does not deepen vulnerability, but instead promotes solidarity, inclusiveness, and mutual respect.

Later, Prime Minister Pashinyan apologized for the exchange. Addressing the woman and her child, he said: “From certain comments and criticism from our colleagues, I understood that not everything I said was as it should have been. I apologize to you and your son for the emotions, and I hope we will have the opportunity to meet in the metro or somewhere else and talk calmly. Once again, I apologize. I acknowledge that I said something incorrectly, did not express it in the right tone, did not have the right facial expression, and in some ways did not approach the content properly. But this topic remains one of the most emotional topics for me, and I apologize to everyone.”

The Prime Minister later invited Armine Mosiyan and her son to meet him in person for a public apology. He stated that if a meeting at the Government building was not acceptable, he was ready to meet in the Yerevan metro, at her home, or at her workplace, and repeat the apology live.

The confrontation, and the reaction that followed, shows the broader struggle of thousands of displaced Artsakh Armenians who continue to demand the right to return to their homes. For many, Artsakh is not only a place on a map, but a homeland tied to memory, identity, and so much sacrifice.

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