Pashinyan Reaffirms End of Karabakh Movement During Russia Visit

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, right, meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow.

During a working visit to Russia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reiterated the need to end the Karabakh movement within Armenia during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. His remarks were made in the context of ongoing քննարկումներ [k’nnarkumner] (discussions) about regional stability, particularly following the significant political and military developments in the South Caucasus since 2020.

Referring to the establishment of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the mutual recognition of territorial integrity, Pashinyan stated that Armenia recognized Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan after repeated public statements by Russia’s leadership. He emphasized that this issue had been addressed multiple times in working-level meetings, noting that Moscow had publicly articulated this position on more than one occasion. These remarks suggest that Russia’s statements contributed to shaping Armenia’s official դիրքորոշում [dirk’oroshum] (stance), especially in the aftermath of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war and subsequent negotiations.

Pashinyan’s comments also reflect Armenia’s evolving diplomatic position since the 2022 Prague meeting, where Armenia and Azerbaijan reaffirmed their commitment to recognizing each other’s territorial integrity based on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration. This marked a shift in Armenia’s policy, aligning its official position more closely with internationally recognized borders and reducing its political support for claims over Nagorno-Karabakh.

During the meeting, Pashinyan also addressed Armenia’s relationship with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), acknowledging ongoing tensions and dissatisfaction. He referred specifically to events in 2022, when Armenian authorities expected CSTO mechanisms to be activated following border clashes with Azerbaijan, but no collective military response was provided. This situation raised concerns in Armenia about the organization’s հուսալիություն [husaliutyun] (reliability) as a security guarantor.

“We are not participating in CSTO activities because we are unable to explain to our citizens why the CSTO did not respond, despite its obligations,” Pashinyan said, pointing to what he described as unmet պարտավորություններ [partavorutyunner] (obligations) under the alliance framework. Armenia has since reduced its participation in CSTO activities, including military exercises, and has publicly questioned the effectiveness of the organization.

In response, Vladimir Putin stated that after Armenia formally acknowledged in Prague in 2022 that Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan, it would have been inappropriate for the CSTO to intervene. According to him, the situation had effectively become an internal Azerbaijani matter, which influenced the organization’s արձագանք [ardzagank] (response) and limited the scope for collective action.

Pashinyan’s remarks come amid ongoing negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan on a comprehensive peace treaty, which aims to formally end decades of conflict. While progress has been reported on key issues such as border delimitation and transport links, disagreements remain, particularly regarding security guarantees and the rights of displaced populations.