Pursuit of Karabakh movement would undermine Armenia’s independence: Pashinyan

YEREVAN

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has warned that pursuing the legacy of the Karabakh movement would jeopardize Armenia’s independence.

In a written address to the nation on the anniversary of Armenia’s Declaration of Independence, adopted on Aug. 23, 1990, Pashinyan said the document reflected the spirit of the political and intellectual milieu of the time.

He noted that the concept of militant patriotism, shaped by the Soviet Union, had paved the way for the rise of the Karabakh movement.

The Karabakh movement, active between 1988 and 1991 in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, was a nationwide campaign that sought the transfer of the region into Armenia’s jurisdiction.

Baku and Yerevan have fought two wars over the disputed Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan retook in a swift military operation in 2023.

“As prime minister, after analyzing all available information, I have reached the conclusion that perpetuating the Karabakh movement would ultimately annihilate Armenia’s independence,” Pashinyan stated.

Pashinyan underscored that the government has opted to safeguard and implement independence as a national strategy.

“Within this framework, a peaceful resolution between Armenia and Azerbaijan has become possible, a genuine dialogue agenda has emerged with Türkiye and our relations with Georgia and Iran must be further deepened,” he said.

The Declaration of Independence asserted that Nagorno-Karabakh belonged to Armenia, a claim later echoed in the country’s constitution. Azerbaijan, however, has insisted that a peace treaty can only be signed if Armenia amends its constitution to remove such provisions.

Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev and Pashinyan signed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement on Aug. 8 during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington.