Brussels, November 4, 2025– The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) strongly denounces the actions of Members of Parliament from Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract faction, who voted against an amendment demanding the safe and collective return of forcibly displaced Artsakh Armenians to their homeland under international security guarantees during the recent Euronest Parliamentary Assembly session in Yerevan.
A Betrayal of Fundamental Human Rights
The EAFJD condemns the vote not merely as a political maneuver, but as a profound betrayal of the fundamental, internationally recognized human rights of over 100,000 Armenians ethnically cleansed from Nagorno-Karabakh since September 2023.
Reports from the Euronest PA session indicate that the Civil Contract MPs voted against the amendment to the resolution of the assembly which was co-sponsored by Armenian opposition and Socialist European Parliamentarians. These efforts by the Armenian government to silence a call for justice on the international stage is deplorable and counterproductive in any reconciliation attempts in the region.
“The Armenian ruling party’s decision to vote against a resolution supporting the right of return for Artsakh Armenians is shameful and morally indefensible. It reveals a foreign policy that prioritizes a desperate, illusory ‘peace’ at the cost of the fundamental rights of its own people,” stated Kaspar Karampetian, President of the EAFJD. “The fact that Civil Contract worked to block a resolution for the return of refugees, an issue even some European members sought to champion, is an appalling new low.”
Undermining Democracy and European Values
This vote highlights the growing chasm between the current Armenian government’s priorities and the democratic, human rights values it professes to share with the European Union.
It is particularly alarming that this development comes at a time when the ruling government in Armenia is more concerned with cracking down on opposition figures and attacking the Armenian Church, actions for which Members of the European Parliament and other European institutions have already expressed grave concern and criticism. The weaponization of the judiciary and the targeting of political and religious opponents demonstrate a severe degradation of the democratic space, further undermining the trust required for a credible partnership with the EU.
The EAFJD calls on the European Parliament and the European External Action Service to:
- Reiterate their firm commitment to the right of return of the ethnically cleansed Armenians of Artsakh under international security guarantees.
- Insist that the government of Armenia cease its anti-democratic crackdown on internal opposition and uphold the principles of the rule of law and human rights.
The EAFJD will continue to work within European structures to ensure that the voice of the Artsakh people is heard and their right to a safe return is upheld contionally for any just and lasting peace in the South Caucasus.
