Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was involved in a heated confrontation with a forcibly displaced woman from Artsakh in Yerevan’s metro, an incident that triggered widespread backlash from social media users, rights defenders, and journalists, and was later followed by an apology.
According to video footage and eyewitness accounts, the exchange began when Pashinyan approached the woman and offered her a campaign badge featuring a map of Armenia, a symbol associated with the ruling Civil Contract party.
“We are from Artsakh, we have a different map,” the woman responded.
“But your son will live on this map, keep that in mind,” Pashinyan replied.
When the woman suggested this might be temporary, Pashinyan cut her off: “There is no ‘but’ anymore.”
The woman then challenged him directly: “Does that mean you won’t allow us to live in our Artsakh? You cannot deprive us of the hope of returning.”
Pashinyan reacted sharply, defending his government’s actions regarding the 2023 displacement. “We did everything so that you would live in Artsakh, in Karabakh. In 2023, you accused me of closing the borders so people wouldn’t come to Armenia. You demanded that I open them, saying I had deliberately closed them so people wouldn’t leave Karabakh. Now you are here saying you wanted to return. We spent billions earned by Armenian citizens so that you would stay there—why didn’t you stay?” he said.
During the exchange, Pashinyan referred to displaced persons as “those who fled,” adding: “Next time, don’t try with those who fled to say that I gave away Karabakh.”
When the woman asked him not to speak while pointing his finger, he responded: “I will speak to you like this.”
The woman, speaking in front of her young son, replied: “This child wants his home, his room, his toys, his Artsakh.”
“That child will live in Armenia,” Pashinyan said.
At one point, Pashinyan attempted to soften his tone, urging the woman to abandon what he described as a “mentality of exile,” saying the child should not grow up with that mindset. The woman insisted instead on her child’s right to return home.
Footage also indicates that despite the woman’s request not to film her and her child, recording continued.
Later, the woman was identified as Armine Mosiyan, the daughter of Meruzhan Mosiyan, a field commander killed during the First Artsakh War in 1993 and posthumously awarded the “Combat Cross” First Class order.
The incident prompted strong reactions from the public sphere. Lawyer Marine Farmanyan called on child protection bodies and the Human Rights Defender to respond, emphasizing that the exchange took place in front of a minor.
Following the wave of criticism, Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Anahit Manasyan issued a statement stressing that communication with forcibly displaced persons and refugees must be conducted with sensitivity, in line with international human rights standards.
Without naming Pashinyan directly, she warned that public rhetoric, especially during electoral periods, often lacks sufficient consideration for vulnerable groups and can deepen their hardship.
She called on officials and public figures to ensure their speech promotes solidarity, inclusiveness, and mutual respect.
Amid mounting backlash, Pashinyan later issued a public apology. In a video statement, he said that reactions and criticism from colleagues made him realize that “not everything I said was as it should have been.”
He apologized to Armine Mosiyan and her minor son for his tone and for referring to displaced Artsakh Armenians as “those who fled.” “I cannot address the events of 2023 without emotion to this day, and that is a major flaw, I acknowledge that flaw,” he said.
Pashinyan also added that he would be willing to meet with Mosiyan to discuss the issue of Artsakh, although he doubted such an offer would be accepted. In a subsequent social media post, he also invited her to meet either at the government building, the metro, or another location of her choosing to formally apologize in person.
