Torchlight Procession from Republic Square to the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex, commemorating the 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide took place in Yerevan, Armenia
In another blow to the decades-long fight for rights and the pursuit of the Armenian Cause, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday lashed out by rejecting the notion of historical justice, saying the focus must remain the present.
“I believe we should pursue a just reality, not the restoration of historical justice,” Pashinian told a press briefing. “The more we pursue historical justice, the more we will face new historical injustices.”
“Enough of feeding the people with narratives of new genocides,” declared.
“When we use genocide rhetoric, we get genocide rhetoric in return; the same applies to the issue of return. I consider the rhetoric of ethnic cleansing harmful, as it can provoke a reciprocal response. This means entering a path of conflict,” Pashinyan added, advancing his notion that those who seek justice will take Armenia to war, if he and his party do not win the upcoming June 7 elections.
The prime minister said what he called “rhetoric” is aimed at preventing the people of Armenia, including the people of Karabakh, from living peacefully, and is keeping them in a ‘refugee status’ by giving hope that the international community will recognize the genocide or that the Treaty of Sèvres will somehow come into force”
He made the remarks on the eve of the 116th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide next month.
Pashinyan said that in Prague he resolved the issue of Armenia by deciding that Armenia must recognize its own territorial integrity.
“Do you understand the level of absurdity? This was the biggest conspiracy against Armenia, which I overcame with a strong-willed decision in October 2022 with the support of the government,” Pashinyan said.
Earlier in the day, Pashinyan told his government that he condemned efforts to advance the rights of Artsakh Armenians, among them their right to return to the homeland, saying that such “tendencies” are keeping the displaced Artsakh Armenians—and the Armenian people as whole—as “wanderers.”
“When we talk about return, we are essentially the first to prevent these people from settling down and coming to terms with their situation. This is very important, because peace is not just an agreement — peace is when a person calms down, understands, and does not keep a suitcase ready,” Pashinyan said at his cabinet meeting on Thursday.
“We, as a people, have been living with this expectation for 100 years, and this is an imperial policy, an anti-Armenian policy, according to which if you do not settle down, you will return or we will return — then there will be international recognition of the genocide, then you will return to Van, Mush, I don’t know, Cilicia, and so on,” said Pashinyan.
“This policy pursues two goals: first, to preserve a refugee mentality within the Armenian people, and second, to prevent the creation of the Republic of Armenia as a state, because in a country where the social psychology of refugees prevails, where we are supposed to go somewhere else, this is not a place where we should stay — such a state cannot be built,” Pashinyan said.
His comments come a day after he declared in parliament that those who want to keep the Karabakh Liberation Struggle alive are dooming Armenia into a protracted war.
—
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Maral Chavushian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2026/03/28/pashinyan-says-hes-had-enough-of-historical-justice-agenda-fighting-for-a/