Pashinyan's associates left the hearings on the problems of refugees from Karabakh

Deputies from the ruling party "Civil Contract" and members of the Armenian government left the parliamentary hearings on the problems of forcibly displaced Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh. The reason was the mention of positions held by invited participants in the structures of the unrecognized republic.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on September 16, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that he would not allow the activities of state institutions of Nagorno-Karabakh on the territory of the country.

The hearings dedicated to the socio-economic and legal problems of forced migrants from Nagorno-Karabakh took place on September 23 in the National Assembly of Armenia. They were organized at the initiative of opposition factions and the permanent parliamentary commission on labor and social issues, reports the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

In addition to opposition deputies, representatives of the "Civil Contract" and members of the Armenian government were present at the hearings.

To present the problems of refugees, deputies and ministers from the unrecognized republic, the ombudsman, as well as public and human rights activists from Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia were invited. Introducing the guests, a deputy from the opposition faction "Armenia", the chairperson of the permanent commission on human rights and public issues Lilit Galstyan noted the presence of deputies from the Nagorno-Karabakh parliament, the state minister, ministers, the ombudsman, and representatives of public organizations of the republic.

After this, the deputy chairperson of the permanent commission on health issues from "Civil Contract" Zaruhi Batoyan left the hall. Following her, other deputies from the ruling party and members of the government left, including the deputy minister of labor and social issues.

Later, at a briefing, a deputy from "Civil Contract" Mariam Poghosyan stated that the delegation left the hall because they consider it unacceptable to "voice the official statuses of officials that they held before displacement within the walls of the National Assembly." "The ruling party has repeatedly stated that there cannot be two National Assemblies or two governments in Armenia. Therefore, we left the discussion," she said.

What the participants of the hearings talked about

The decision to leave the hall is a mistake by the representatives of the ruling party, Galstyan responded. "Representatives of the last parliament of Artsakh (the self-designation of Nagorno-Karabakh) were present here – deputies and representatives of the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh, people who were forcibly displaced and are being made to forget their identity. But it is important to note that during the discussion, there were no political speeches or statements: all speeches concerned social, economic, cultural, educational, housing, and demographic issues. This can be testified by the media representatives present in the hall," she said, adding that the discussion was about human rights enshrined in international conventions, which "no one has the right to cancel or erase."

"Forced displacement has created numerous humanitarian, legal, social, economic, cultural, and psychological problems of various natures and scales. The problems of the Artsakh people (Karabakh Armenians) are interconnected, and it is impossible to solve them separately," Galstyan stated, opening the hearings.

The right to return is an inalienable right of Karabakh Armenians and cannot be viewed as a reason for war or a factor in escalating tensions in Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, stated a deputy from the "Armenia" faction Artur Khachatryan.

According to him, those forcibly displaced from Karabakh should have the opportunity to live in Armenia with dignity, as compactly as possible, and their socio-economic needs should be taken into account and met.

Legal status, economic problems, and inaccessible housing

Applications regarding the property rights of Karabakh Armenians are actively being submitted to the European Court of Human Rights, said lawyer and international law expert Ara Kazaryan.

According to the lawyer, in 2025, 657 applications were submitted, and in 2026, his office receives 5-6 families from Karabakh daily, with a total of about 950 people already registered. The draft peace agreement lacks a mechanism for the legal protection of forcibly displaced persons, he noted, emphasizing that international humanitarian law provides for the right of people who left their homeland due to armed conflict to guaranteed safe and dignified return.

Former state minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Artak Beglaryan identified five problems hindering the full integration of displaced persons: legal status, social situation, housing, employment, and the information-psychological atmosphere. He believes that Karabakh Armenians need to be granted a special legal status while retaining Armenian citizenship.

Poverty among Karabakh Armenians reaches 60-70%, and unemployment among the working-age population is about 65-70%, Beglaryan stated. The state should stimulate the construction of new and social housing and link housing programs with job creation, especially in the regions, he added.

He identified the attitude towards Karabakh Armenians in the public space and from law enforcement agencies as a separate problem, mentioning cases of discrimination and impunity for statements that, in his opinion, incite hatred.

Against the backdrop of rising rental prices in Armenia, the most vulnerable remain the displaced persons from Karabakh, noted the ombudsman of Nagorno-Karabakh Gegam Stepanyan. About 8,000 people received housing certificates, but only about 4,000 were able to realize them. He believes it is necessary to stimulate the construction of new housing and revise the amount of state certificates in light of rising prices, and also drew attention to the problems of small families who, according to him, have not received significant state support.

Obtaining Armenian citizenship can take 6-7 months even in cases where it is directly related to the ability to take advantage of the housing program, Stepanyan pointed out. He also noted the lack of data on the long-term effectiveness of the employment assistance program for Karabakh Armenians and whether the funds allocated for state programs have ensured stable employment.

Cultural heritage and the right to return

Documents, descriptions, and photographs of Armenian monuments in Karabakh can be preserved in a digital archive, but they cannot replace the bearer of the lost culture, stated the former culture minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Sergey Shahverdyan. He proposed considering the cultural rights of displaced persons as a separate area of parliamentary oversight.

"It is necessary to ensure that the cultural memory of Artsakh Armenians continues to live and be passed down through generations. The cultural heritage of displaced populations does not disappear with the loss of their place of residence, so in conditions of displacement, the need for its protection becomes even more urgent. In 10 years, it will be significantly more difficult to address these issues," he emphasized.

Each of the representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh emphasized that the protection of the rights of Karabakh Armenians should remain a separate direction of state policy, as many problems of displaced persons have not received sustainable solutions over the past three years, stated Karabakh public figure and journalist Silvard Margaryan to "Caucasian Knot".

"At the same time, the solution of social problems should not replace the right of Artsakh people to return. The right to return must be preserved and protected as an important part of the rights of Artsakh Armenians. It should be about the possibility of safe, dignified, and voluntary return with the necessary international guarantees of security and human rights protection," she said, clarifying that after the hearings, each public organization provided the deputies of the "Armenia" faction with a written list of refugee problems and proposals for their resolution.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that participants of the mourning "March of Memory" held in Yerevan on September 19 sent a petition to the UN office calling for condemnation of the Azerbaijani authorities' policies and for measures to ensure the safe return of residents who left Nagorno-Karabakh after the hostilities in September 2023.

On September 19-20, 2023, Azerbaijan conducted large-scale military operations in Karabakh, after which an agreement was reached to cease hostilities and disarm the Karabakh Defense Army. By October 7, 2023, more than 100,000 forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh had arrived in Armenia, and by September 2024, only 14 Armenians remained in the region. "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a reference "The Beginning and End of the Unrecognized Republic of Artsakh".