Parliament Rejects Bill on Criminal Liability for Recognizing Artsakh as Part of Azerbaijan

The National Assembly of Armenia has refused to include in its plenary session agenda a draft law that would impose criminal liability for recognizing Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan. A total of 57 members of the ruling "Civil Contract" faction voted against the decision, while 26 opposition members voted in favor of the document.

The parliamentary opposition accused the ruling faction of failing to fulfill its pre-election promises regarding the Artsakh issue. Specifically, the secretary of the "Armenia" faction, Artsvik Minasyan, addressed National Assembly President Alen Simonian, stating that the ruling faction not only violated its electoral promises on a key national issue but also acted contrary to those promises, effectively undermining parliamentarism in a parliamentary governance system.

“Do you not think that your behavior as a political majority contradicts not only simple logic but also disregards laws and constitutional regulations, leading our parliament in an unclear direction?” Minasyan noted.

In response, Alen Simonian questioned Minasyan on what relevance the opposition's pre-election promises had to the current situation. “You showed the people a staged execution and were pleased about it. You have insulted us and our voters with such words, that the word ‘insult’ itself has lost its meaning. You have devalued the conversation so much... What relevance do you have with our voters? Part of them voted for us at least so that you would not suddenly appear here,” Simonian replied.

Simonarian expressed confidence that they have met the wishes of a significant portion of the voters, and promised to engage with the remaining voters in 2026.

Earlier, the committee on legal affairs had rejected a legislative initiative to prohibit the recognition of Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan, and thus, the draft cannot be discussed in the plenary session.