Nikol Pashinyan, the Prime Minister of Armenia, is allegedly creating a tense situation and attempting to avoid attention, according to Levon Kocharyan, an opposition MP and head of the “Armenia” faction in the Alliance “Armenia”. In an interview with the 5th channel, Kocharyan claimed that Pashinyan plans to evacuate four settlements in the Tavush region and initiate a war after the 2021 elections. The motive behind this action is reportedly to “liberate Artsakh” in case of electoral defeat, aligning with Azerbaijan’s objectives. Kocharyan expressed concerns regarding Pashinyan’s stance on the territorial status of these settlements and questioned the lack of clarity from the Armenian authorities.

The tension surrounding these four settlements raises questions about the underlying cause. Pashinyan argues that they do not belong to Armenia, yet their strategic military significance cannot be ignored. Kocharyan emphasized the need to protect Armenia’s strong position and questioned the decision to place it at risk, ultimately benefiting Azerbaijan. He called for legislation to ensure the Armenians’ right to return and expressed disappointment in the government’s failure to address this matter proactively over the past few years.

Kocharyan highlighted the importance of maintaining control over self-governing territories and referred to paragraph 14 of the European Court of Human Rights, which supports this assertion. He argued that the issue of security and governance should not be controlled by Azerbaijani authorities. Kocharyan urged the government to continue working towards a resolution and not halt progress in this regard.

Kocharyan concluded by noting that the worldwide consensus supports the Armenians’ right to return, with the exception of the Armenian authorities.