Pashinyan: Return of NK Displaced "Harmful for Peace"

The agenda for the return of our sisters and brothers displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh is, in my opinion, harmful for peace. Nikol Pashinyan stated this at the Orbeli Forum 2025, titled "Building Peace and Multilateral Cooperation." "In general, I consider this topic, the agenda of returns—whether of internally displaced persons or, as some call them, refugees—to be dangerous because it means returning to the initial parameters of the conflict. I want to give you just one example to show what kind of logical breaks sometimes occur.

Sometimes, including in the context of discussing regional communications, views are expressed in both Armenia and Azerbaijan that, for example, the citizens of the two countries may have certain psychological difficulties when dealing with each other's border and customs services. And we say this with a very serious face. Moreover, this is heard in both Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Then we talk about the return of refugees. That is, we consider a five-minute, three-minute, or even a 20-second contact problematic, but then in Armenia, for example, they say that those displaced from Nakhichevan, Baku, Sumgait, etc., must return. In other words, they say that a 30-second contact with a customs officer or border guard is a problem—how can it be, how is it possible, it's unimaginable. Why do I want to point this out, why am I saying this? I am saying this to show that there is a break in logic here. There is a break in logic here. And I believe that we have solutions here, and what's more, those solutions are very logical and even outlined. From the Washington Declaration of August 8, 2025, there are usually highly quoted and less quoted or almost unquoted points. One of those unquoted points, and in my opinion, the most important point of that declaration, is the fifth point, which, in essence, speaks about and records the vision of long-term peace between the Republic of Armenia and Azerbaijan," said the Prime Minister of Armenia.

We recall that on November 3, the President of Azerbaijan had once again spoken about the return of Azerbaijanis to the Republic of Armenia, promising that they would return not with tanks, but with cars.