Pashinyan says Karabakh was not ours amid political debate over Armenia’s past - VIDEO

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has made another controversial statement on Karabakh, questioning claims that Armenia “lost land”. “They say we lost land. How was that land ours? Did we build a school there, a kindergarten, a factory? Did we live there, create a settlement? It was not ours.”

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has described the Karabakh movement as a “fatal mistake” for Armenia, making the statement during a meeting with residents of the Syunik region in the village of Kornidzor, News.Az reports, citing RBC.

Pashinyan said that Armenia’s victory in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the 1990s did not lead to prosperity, freedom, or full democratic development in the country. He argued that factors connected to the Karabakh movement were later used in ways that limited Armenia’s progress.

The Prime Minister referred to the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, during which Armenian forces gained control over most of Nagorno-Karabakh and several surrounding districts of Azerbaijan. He noted that although a ceasefire was reached in 1994, the international legal status of the territory remained unchanged, with the region continuing to be recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan also addressed the developments of recent years, including Azerbaijan’s restoration of control over most of the territories in 2020 and full control of the region in 2023.

Rejecting criticism that Armenia lost territory, he stated that the areas in question “never belonged to Armenia” and said accusations about territorial loss were unfounded.

He added that Armenia’s recent political path has been difficult but has allowed the country to draw necessary conclusions and reassess its previous approach.

‼️Pashinyan: “Karabakh was not ours”

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has made another controversial statement on Karabakh, questioning claims that Armenia “lost land.”

“They say we lost land. How was that land ours? Did we build a school there, a kindergarten, a… pic.twitter.com/mqslceNunn

— News.Az (@news_az) May 10, 2026

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova