Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, during a campaign in the Syunik region ahead of parliamentary elections, declared that Nagorno-Karabakh was never Armenian land.

“They say we lost lands. But how were these lands ours? How were they ours? I don’t want to speak behind the backs of those who died, but let’s put it this way: they were under the control of a few generals who, for example, sowed wheat there—right? How did it mean they were ours? Explain: how was that? Did we build a school there? A kindergarten? A factory? Did we live there? Create a settlement? How did it mean they were ours? They weren’t ours,” the Armenian leader said.

According to him, the movement for Nagorno-Karabakh’s unification with Armenia, which began in 1988, was a “fatal mistake.”

In his congratulatory message the day before, Pashinyan emphasized that "we are celebrating May 9, 2026, in the context of established peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan." He noted that this is a crucial achievement, the first achieved since Armenia's independence.

Earlier, the Prime Minister expressed hope that the pro-Russian parties "Strong Armenia" (linked to Russian oligarch Samvel Karapetyan, who is under house arrest) and "Armenia" (led by former President Robert Kocharyan) would not enter parliament in the June 7 elections. These opposition forces consider the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan a mistake and a surrender of Karabakh lands.