Former State Minister of Artsakh condemns Armenian Prime Minister`s  destructive stance on right of return  for Artsakh people 

ArmInfo.Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan cannot deprive the people of Artsakh of the right to return to their homeland, as stated by Artak Beglaryan, head of the Artsakh Union public organization, former NKR Ombudsman, and former State Minister of Artsakh, in a conversation with reporters at  the Artsakh representative office.

He was responding to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's proposal to Azerbaijan to simultaneously close the so-called "Western Azerbaijan" issue and the issue of Artsakh people' return to their homeland.

According to Beglaryan, the Armenian Prime Minister can only voice  the position of the Armenian government in this case, but the people  of Artsakh must decide for themselves whether they want to return or  not. "This position is highly unacceptable and reprehensible to us,  as they are thus 'selling' the right. The right of return of the  people of Artsakh and Azerbaijanis cannot be equated in terms of  reasons, compensation, timeframe, or legal basis. This is simply not  the case: the Armenians living in Azerbaijan were forcibly displaced  as a result of genocidal policies, while the Azerbaijanis who left  Armenia did so peacefully and of their own free will," Beglaryan  emphasized.

In this regard, he also recalled the binding decision of the  International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Azerbaijan to ensure the safe  return of the people of Artsakh to their homeland, noting that it  applies to the entire international community, including Armenia.  Moreover, as the former state minister of Artsakh noted, it was  adopted based on a statement from Armenia itself. "Thus, the Armenian  authorities are effectively refusing to comply with the court's  ruling and justifying genocide," the head of the public organization  emphasized.

Meanwhile, as Beglaryan mentioned, it was Pashinyan who agreed to  file lawsuits in international courts following the forcible  displacement of the entire Artsakh population in 2023. "Furthermore,  the Armenian Prime Minister assumed international obligations when  the Republic ratified the Convention relating to the Status of  Refugees, which clearly states that refugees have the right to  return, and the host state is obligated to do everything possible to  ensure their return. We are not calling for war; we are calling for  this issue to be placed on the political agenda and for the relevant  international structures and states to be asked to ensure the  implementation of the court ruling," the former Artsakh State  Minister clarified.

Beglaryan also pointed out a possible connection between Pashinyan's  statements in Germany and the searches that took place at the Artsakh  representative office in Yerevan. He noted that the main reason for  the searches could have been the hearings held at the Artsakh  representative office on December 10, in connection with the  anniversary of the NKR self-determination referendum. He believes   that if there is no significant public pressure, the Armenian  authorities may also confiscate the building of the Artsakh  representative office.