Opposition: Armenia's existence jeopardised by Pashinyan's policies

Following a meeting in Brussels on Sunday [May 22] between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and European Council President Charles Michel, the Armenian opposition issued a statement demanding Pashinyan's resignation, claiming that the latter's policy threatens Armenia's existence and leads to the exodus of Armenians from Karabakh.

"The results of the meeting in Brussels between Pashinyan and Aliyev, mediated by European Council President Charles Michel, once again confirmed the statements that the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations are fully on the Azerbaijani agenda... The policy pursued by Pashinyan contradicts the interests of Armenia and Karabakh, threatens the existence of our state and will lead to the churning of Armenia, contributing to the outflow of Armenians from Karabakh," the statement of the opposition united in the Resistance Movement reads. 

The statement was posted on the Telegram channel of the opposition faction Armenia.

The press service of the Armenian Cabinet of Ministers earlier reported that following the meeting of Pashinyan, Aliyev and Michel in Brussels on May 22, "an agreement was reached on the further process of work aimed at opening regional communications, the start of the work of the commission on the delimitation and security of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border", according to RIA Novosti.

In particular, the opposition believes that Charles Michel's final statement does not mention "the right of the people of Karabakh to self-determination, enshrined in the legally binding agreement between Armenia and the EU", does not mention the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.

"There is no question of the need to determine the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, which contradicts the statement made on behalf of the European Union on November 19, 2020. The parties even avoid the terms 'Nagorno-Karabakh' or 'people of Nagorno-Karabakh'. Instead, the wording 'ethnic Armenian population of Karabakh' is used, and it talks about ensuring the security and rights of the Armenians of Karabakh by Azerbaijan," the opposition statement says.

The opposition believes that this means that the Armenians of Karabakh, according to the agreements of Pashinyan and Aliyev, are considered a national minority within Azerbaijan.

"The term 'transit through various regions of Armenia through the territory of Azerbaijan' is even used, which entails extremely dangerous consequences, including the possibility of another illegal encroachment by Azerbaijan on the sovereignty and territories of Armenia," the statement adds.

The opposition claims that "Pashinyan is illegitimate, he has no mandate from the citizens of Armenia and the Armenian people to make new concessions".