Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan highlighted on Thursday that peace is not only a political concept but also a socio-psychological one.

“I want to note and condemn all tendencies aimed at keeping our compatriots displaced from Karabakh—and the Armenian people in general—in a state of exile [mentality]. When we talk about the return agenda, considering what we clearly and obviously mean, we first prevent these people from finding peace and settling down. Peace is not only an agreement; peace is when a person is at peace. There is nothing more cruel and painful than waiting. But as a people, we have been living with this waiting for more than a hundred years. This is an imperial, anti-Armenian policy: ‘Do not be at peace; soon you will return or we will return, the international recognition of the Genocide will come, you will return to Van, Mush, Cilicia.’ This policy has two goals: first, to keep the Armenian people in an exile mentality; second, to prevent the Republic of Armenia from consolidating as a state,” the Prime Minister said at the Cabinet meeting.

Pashinyan emphasized that a country where the dominant socio-psychological mindset is one of exile, or wanderer, cannot become stable.

“We have established peace at the political level, but when we talk about care, it means that we also need peace at the socio-psychological level. Otherwise, we will not find peace and will lose it. Continuing these narratives leads us into conflict with everyone around us. Then we realize that our resources are insufficient and start seeking guarantees at the expense of our sovereignty, independence, and statehood,” Pashinyan noted.

The Prime Minister also addressed the view that the country had peace until 2020:

“We did not have peace; we had a frozen war. We postponed the war at the expense of our sovereignty, independence, statehood, welfare, freedom, and development. By 2016, all resources to postpone the war had already been exhausted,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan warned that if the return narrative is set in motion, it could lead to devastating regional consequences.