Armenia's Pashinyan acknowledges inevitability of Karabakh’s return to Azerbaijan

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stated that negotiations over Karabakh could only have resulted in the region’s de facto return to Azerbaijan. 

In a Facebook post addressing the nation, he outlined the realities of the decades-long negotiation process and the limitations faced by Armenian authorities, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

“Starting from 1994, after the ceasefire was established, the negotiation process revolved around one central issue — the return of Karabakh to Azerbaijan,” Pashinyan wrote. “The negotiations could only have one outcome: the de facto return of Karabakh to Azerbaijan.”

Pashinyan emphasized that Armenia did not take steps to prevent this outcome: “We did not do this, and the international community, which initially predetermined the framework of the negotiation process, did not even seriously oppose the war,” he said.

The Prime Minister described this as the harsh reality facing the Armenian people, adding that the reasons behind Armenia’s inability to act differently require deeper analysis. “When, why, and how we didn’t do it, whether we could or not, and when we could have — these are entirely different topics for discussion. A serious, deep, and comprehensive topic,” he noted, promising further public discussions on the matter in the future.

Addressing Armenia’s three former presidents, Pashinyan dismissed their potential criticisms or commentary as irrelevant. “What they or their representatives have to say now no longer matters for obvious reasons. Respected former presidents, if you change your mind about debates, let me know. Goodbye,” he concluded.

By Khagan Isayev