Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Pashinian said that opposition forces intend to revise his government’s peace agenda with Azerbaijan, a move he argued would result in an “inevitable” war with “heavy consequences.”
“All these forces are advocating a revision of peace, which means inevitable war very soon after the elections, in autumn the latest,” he said. “It will be a war with the loss of not only territory but also sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia.”
Pashinian said his assessment was based on his analysis of opposition rhetoric ahead of the June 7 vote.
He has also argued that his ruling Civil Contract party is the only political force supporting the removal of a reference to the 1990 Declaration of Independence from Armenia’s constitution. The declaration cites a 1989 act on the unification of Soviet Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, which Baku considers a territorial claim.
Opposition figures rejected the prime minister’s statements, accusing him of exploiting fears of war for electoral gain.
Anna Grigorian, a member of former President Robert Kocharian’s Hayastan Alliance, said Pashinian was attempting to pressure voters by invoking the threat of conflict.
Anna Grigorian, a member of the opposition Hayastan faction in parliament (file photo)
She questioned whether his statements implied coordination with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and criticized the impact such rhetoric could have on Armenia’s society, including families of soldiers.
Grigorian also rejected the claim that opposition groups are pursuing revanchist policies, saying they have not advocated retaking Nagorno-Karabakh by force. Instead, she said they focus on issues such as the return of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan and the protection of cultural heritage.
“Seeking the repatriation of prisoners does not mean war, seeking the protection of our churches does not mean war,” Grigorian said, reminding that it was Pashinian who declared that Karabakh is Armenia amid negotiations with Azerbaijan in 2019, a statement she argued may have contributed to the outbreak of war a year later. “Now there is no force in Armenia that will start [negotiations] from zero,” she added.
Other opposition figures voiced similar criticism.
Gohar Meloyan, of the newly established Strong Armenia party led by Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetian, said the prime minister was relying on “threatening people with war” as his only reelection strategy. She said her party would not scrap existing agreements but would seek to ensure they serve Armenia’s interests.
“This is a deliberate tactic. But our society must understand that the opposite is true: if they remain in power, there will be war, driven by a pattern of unilateral concessions, including concessions on our very identity,” Meloyan said.
Levon Zurabian, a leader of the opposition Armenian National Congress party, said Pashinian’s remarks undermined his own claims of having achieved peace with Azerbaijan.
“If he had brought genuine peace, then that peace would not depend on the outcome of elections in Armenia,” Zurabian said. “He has finally admitted with this statement that he has not brought any peace. What he has brought are new threats, new dangers, and new risks of war.”
In August 2025, nearly two years after Baku’s military takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh and the exodus of the region’s Armenian population, Armenia and Azerbaijan initialed a peace agreement aimed at ending more than three decades of conflict.
However, President Aliyev has said Baku will not sign the deal unless Armenia amends its constitution to remove the reference to the Declaration of Independence. Under Armenian law, such a change would require approval through a national referendum.
Pashinian has pledged to pursue that change as part of his government’s broader efforts to normalize relations with Azerbaijan. Opposition groups have criticized his stance, arguing that removing the reference to the declaration from the constitution would amount to a unilateral concession that could lead to further demands from Azerbaijan without ensuring lasting peace.