On March 13, Nikol Pashinyan, the Prime Minister of Armenia, stated during a live broadcast on his Facebook page that the Declaration of Independence is “not a declaration of independence, but a declaration of conflict,” reiterating his earlier remarks.

Pashinyan emphasized that the Civil Contract Party is the only political force advocating that the new Constitution should exclude references to the Declaration of Independence. “With this declaration, we are not creating a state to ensure the well-being and freedom of our citizens, but a state for Nagorno-Karabakh and Western Armenia,” he stated, adding that the political landscape is currently divided between what he described as a “party of peace” and a “party of war.”

He stated that continuing the Karabakh movement would inevitably lead to renewed conflict. “No one can escape this choice: if we continue the Karabakh movement, war awaits us; if not, peace,” Pashinyan emphasized, adding, “Peace will grow stronger every day, the Republic of Armenia will grow stronger every day, and I lead this movement. Whoever agrees, let them follow me.”

Pashinyan also stated that references to the so-called separatist Nagorno-Karabakh, including the use of terms such as “Artsakh,” carry serious implications and ultimately lead to conflict regardless of the context in which they are used. He emphasized that Ktrich Nersisyan, the Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, has, in his view, assumed leadership of what he described as the “war party,” alongside former leaders Robert Kocharyan, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, and Serzh Sargsyan.

He stressed that Armenian society must make a clear decision on whether to continue the Karabakh movement, stating that this choice should be determined through elections. “The Civil Contract Party is the only political force that clearly states that we must not continue the Karabakh movement,” Pashinyan noted.

https://caucasuswatch.de/en/news/pashinyan-warns-of-renewed-conflict-if-karabakh-movement-continues-and-calls-for-electoral-decision.html