Armenia Confirms Rights of Karabakh Residents Off Agenda in Peace Talks

The Foreign Ministry of Armenia has confirmed that the rights of the ethnic Armenian’s who fled from Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023 has been removed from the agenda regarding negotiations with Azerbaijan.

In response to an inquiry made by local media, the Ministry would reply “After the promulgation of the decree on the forced displacement of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh and the dissolution of Nagorno-Karabakh, this issue was removed from the agenda of the settlement of interstate relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.”

The concession on the issue indicates that Armenia will no longer seek to have the resident of Nagorno-Karabakh return with some form of autonomy as they had during the times of the Soviet Union.

Last week, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev reaffirmed Baku's position that Armenia needed to change their constitution as it contained a reference to unifying Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh in it.

Further complicating the issue on Karabakh residents are the fate of prisoners from the former military and government of Nagorno-Karabakh, which was governed officially as the Republic of Artsakh. Trials are currently being held in Baku and photos recently emerged of the former State Minister of Artsakh, Rueben Vardanyan appearing to have lost significant weight, raising concerns about his health.

Alongside Vardanyan, seven other men have been on trial with him since January, which includes three former Presidents, former head of Parliament, a former and defense minister and a banker who was close to the government.

Critics of Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have criticized him for conceding too much to Baku and not doing enough to try and free the current Karabakh prisoners held by Baku, who the Armenian Government refers to as “hostages”.