On April 19, Nagorno-Karabakh’s leading political factions denounced Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan’s recent remarks regarding the conflict with Azerbaijan, saying that they are “consistent with the position of official Baku.”

During his address to the Armenian parliament on Tuesday, Pashinyan stated that his government fully acknowledges Azerbaijan’s territorial sovereignty and is willing to endorse a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan requiring both countries to recognize each other’s Soviet-era borders.

The five political groups in the Karabakh parliament issued a joint statement denouncing Pashinyan's comments as “unacceptable." They again accused Pashinyan of violating the Karabakh Armenians’ right to self-determination, a principle backed by international mediators for several decades.

“Armenia’s ruling circles detach the issue of the Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh] people’s security from their right to self-determination, ignoring the decisive nature of the latter, something which aligns with the position of official Baku,” they said.

In the statement, the political groups urged Pashinyan to adhere to the 1992 parliamentary act, which prohibits Armenian governments from endorsing any agreement that acknowledges Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh. They warned that the imposition of Azerbaijani rule over Karabakh would also lead to disastrous consequences for Armenia.

Karabakh leaders have repeatedly criticized Pashinyan since he indicated in April 2022 his readiness to accept a lower threshold for the status of Karabakh that would be acceptable to Armenia. 

Referring to the statement issued by the five factions of the Nagorno-Karabakh parliament, Pashinyan told the reporters that Karabakh authorities misunderstood the content of his comments. "I said that in parallel with the actual situation, we created a desired reality, which doesn’t reflect the international and geopolitical reality. We have to face this situation," he added.