Armenia’s leading opposition groups have sharply criticized Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for making further concessions to Azerbaijan in pursuit of a bilateral peace deal, arguing that the agreement will not resolve the long-standing conflict between the two nations.
On Thursday, the Armenian government announced that it had accepted Azerbaijan’s proposals on the final two disputed articles of the draft treaty. Yerevan agreed to withdraw international lawsuits filed by both countries against each other and to remove European monitors stationed along Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan since 2022. However, Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan have declined to disclose any reciprocal concessions from Baku.
“These authorities have capitulated to every Azerbaijani demand,” said Artur Khachatryan, a senior lawmaker from the opposition Hayastan alliance. “Now they are blackmailing the Armenian people, claiming that refusal to submit will lead to war.”
The Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) denounced what it called Pashinyan’s “unilateral anti-state concession” and “double capitulation.” The party, led by former President Serzh Sargsyan, demanded that the government immediately release the full text of the treaty.
“Nikol Pashinyan has no mandate or legitimacy to sign such an agreement on behalf of the Armenian people,” the HHK said in a statement.
Hayk Mamijanyan, the party’s parliamentary leader, questioned Pashinyan’s electoral legitimacy, saying: “If he had told voters in 2021 that he would cede Artsakh, recognize it as part of Azerbaijan, and allow ethnic cleansing to take place, how many would have voted for him?”
Mirzoyan defended the latest developments, calling them a “major milestone” in normalizing relations. He told lawmakers that Armenia expects to begin consultations with Azerbaijan on signing the treaty “as soon as possible.”
However, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov insisted that its signing remains conditional on Armenia amending its constitution, which Baku claims contains territorial claims to Azerbaijan. One of his deputies, Elnur Mammadov, reiterated this demand on Friday.
Pashinyan has publicly rejected this precondition but has pledged to hold a referendum on a new Armenian constitution—though not before June 2026. Meanwhile, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has set additional conditions, including the establishment of a land corridor to Nakhichevan through Armenia’s Syunik region. Earlier this year, Aliyev renewed threats to secure the corridor by force.
Opposition leaders argue that Pashinyan’s concessions have emboldened Aliyev to push for further demands. They warn that the treaty will not prevent future Azerbaijani military aggression.
Mirzoyan, however, insisted that the agreement does not include extraterritorial transport links for Nakhichevan, though he avoided addressing all concerns. “This agreement provides mechanisms to resolve issues and fully normalize relations,” he said, without elaborating.
Critics maintain that Aliyev has no intention of finalizing a deal before extracting even greater concessions from Yerevan, accusing Pashinyan of pursuing a policy of appeasement that only strengthens Azerbaijan’s position.
