Armenia’s opposition and the Karabakh narrative Refusing reality

The National Assembly of Armenia will not establish an investigative commission to examine the living conditions of "the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh who have been forcibly displaced and resettled in the Republic of Armenia." Only 28 deputies backed this controversial initiative, while 56 voted against it. This outcome is largely attributed to the parliamentary faction of the ruling party, Civil Contract, which holds a majority in the National Assembly and chose not to support the proposal during the vote.

Who Proposed It? The Armenian Opposition, Represented by the Armenia Bloc. The opposition is led by Robert Kocharyan, the second President of Armenia, a former Nagorno-Karabakh separatist, and the author of a racist statement about the "genetic incompatibility of Armenians and Azerbaijanis." He and his allies are consumed by dreams of revenge. It’s worth recalling that during the early days of the 44-day war, Kocharyan, along with former Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Yuri Khachaturov and former Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan, travelled to Karabakh. However, as one might expect, their stay was short-lived. This trio ultimately executed a manoeuvre colloquially referred to as "making a run for it." Since then, they have preferred to "fight" against Azerbaijan without ever leaving the Armenian territory.

And so, the parliamentary initiative put forth by Kocharyan's supporters was deemed by the "Robik" faction to be almost "heroic." The secretary of the opposition Armenia bloc, Artsvik Minasyan, stated that this was an attempt by the ruling majority to evade its constitutional responsibilities. "I want to remind everyone that one of the primary tasks of the investigative commission is to exercise the parliamentary oversight function," the opposition member pointed out.

But that wasn't all. Minasyan resorted to crude intimidation tactics. "If they vote against it, it will mean that they are not standing with the people of Karabakh, that they are betraying them once again, and that they are renouncing Karabakh. This should serve as a clear message to our people," he declared. He conveniently ignores the fact that there is no such thing as "Artsakh" or "Karabakh" that Armenia could "renounce." Instead, he prefers to live in a parallel reality, captive to Armenian myths, urging his fellow citizens to do the same. However, he and his fellow "revanchists," including the "Robik" faction, were met with disappointment. The National Assembly of Armenia dismissed the provocative proposal from the Armenia bloc. Members of the Civil Contract party found the opposition's arguments unconvincing and insufficient.

"The Government of the Republic of Armenia and the ruling party have been implementing various programs since day one. There have been many initiatives. We have adopted a number of legislative measures aimed at improving the living conditions of our compatriots who were forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as providing social support, housing, and more," stated Hayk Konjoryan, head of the parliamentary faction of the ruling "Civil Contract" party.

As we can see, he still cannot grasp that there is no such entity as "Nagorno-Karabakh"; there is only the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. If Kondjoryan is unable to accept this truth, he might want to seek guidance from Nikol Pashinyan, who has repeatedly affirmed his recognition of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, including the Karabakh region and its enclaves.

As for the "forcibly displaced" Armenians who were illegally residing in Azerbaijan's temporarily occupied territories, this is little more than a poorly conceived Armenian joke. It is absurd to appeal to any laws while ignoring everything from international law and UN Security Council resolutions to Azerbaijan's numerous proposals for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

In any case, the leadership of Armenia has the right to decide how to manage the lives of Armenians who voluntarily left Azerbaijani Karabakh. They are no different from other citizens of Armenia; they all carry the same Armenian passport. Thus, the fuss surrounding this group of citizens is purely a domestic political dispute between the local authorities and the opposition. Azerbaijan offered the Armenians living on foreign land and in foreign homes the opportunity to accept citizenship of the country. They declined. Since then, their issues have no longer been Azerbaijan’s concern. Attempts to blame Azerbaijan for this situation are ridiculous, nonsensical, and provocative.