CSI: Pashinyan`s government has joined Azerbaijan in notifying Swiss  FMA of undesirability of Nagorno- Karabakh peace initiative

ArmInfo.  The government of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has joined Azerbaijan in notifying the Swiss Foreign Ministry of its undesirability of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace initiative, according to a statement from  Christian Solidarity International (CSI).

The statement notes that ahead of the elections, a rift has emerged  between the current Armenian government and a growing number of  opposition parties over the Swiss Peace Initiative on Nagorno-  Karabakh, an initiative by the Swiss parliament to convene a peace  forum between Azerbaijan and representatives of the 150,000 forcibly  displaced Armenian Christians from Nagorno-Karabakh. "Prime Minister  Nikol Pashinyan's government has joined Azerbaijan in notifying the  Swiss Foreign Ministry that the peace initiative is 'undesirable.'  Pashinyan's position puts his ruling Civil Contract party at odds  with virtually all other political forces participating in Armenia's  June 7 parliamentary elections and holding seats in the current  National Assembly," CSI emphasized.

It is recalled that in March 2025, the Swiss Parliament adopted  Resolution 24.4259, which obliges the Swiss government to organize a  peace forum under international supervision between Azerbaijan and  representatives of the Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh),  expelled from their homeland as a result of the Azerbaijani military  offensive in September 2023.

"The purpose of the forum is to discuss the safe and collective  return of Armenians to their homeland-a land that was home to one of  the oldest Christian communities in the world, but which is now  deserted and whose religious heritage is being destroyed by  Azerbaijani forces," CSI added.

It is also worth noting that on May 5, CSI, a Swiss-based human  rights organization, announced that five opposition parties,  movements, and blocs had endorsed the Swiss Peace Initiative. "Over  the past week, they have been joined by Samvel Karapetyan's Strong  Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan's Republican Party of Armenia, and the  National Democratic Pole," CSI reported.

"It is alarming that, in the run-up to the elections, the Armenian  party in power has decided to call on the Swiss government to ignore  the interests of displaced persons affected by ethnic cleansing-a  position rejected by almost all other parties running in the  elections," said Dr. Joel Veldkamp, Director of Communications at  Christian Solidarity International.

He recalled that Resolution 24.4259 was adopted by both houses of the  Swiss Parliament as an act of moral clarity. "No objection from a  foreign government-especially one that does not represent the  interests of the displaced persons themselves-absolves the Swiss  Federal Council of its responsibility to act," Veldkamp added.

Parties, blocs, and movements currently supporting the Swiss Peace  Initiative: the Armenia bloc (including the Armenian Revolutionary  Federation); the Country for Life party; National Civic Union  "Ayakve" (running a campaign in conjunction with the "Strong Armenia"  Party); Mother Armenia Party (in alliance with the "Prosperous  Armenia" Party); National Democratic Pole; Republican Party of  Armenia; Strong Armenia Party; Wings of Unity Party.

The initiative is also supported by the leadership of the  Nagorno-Karabakh community in exile. In February, Ashot Danielyan,  acting President of the Republic of Artsakh and Speaker of the  National Assembly, wrote an open letter to Swiss Foreign Minister  Ignazio Cassis, urging him to "take the necessary initiatives to  implement this mandate."

On April 30, Danielyan and other Nagorno-Karabakh community leaders  visited the Swiss parliament building, where they participated in a  dialogue with Swiss parliamentarians regarding the initiative.

The organization added that the need for this sanctioned peace forum  has become even more pressing following the dissolution of the OSCE  Minsk Group, which for over 30 years had been seeking a peaceful  solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Its closure, demanded by  Baku as a precondition for the Washington Declaration of August 8,  2025, has created a vacuum for humanitarian needs such as access to  cemeteries, the protection of religious heritage, and the exhumation  of the remains of loved ones for reburial in Armenia. This is  something the Swiss Peace Initiative can fully address.

Christian Solidarity International calls on the Swiss Federal Council  to immediately convene a peace forum.

The Swiss Peace Initiative was formally adopted by the Swiss  Parliament earlier this year. It mandates the Swiss Federal Council  to convene an international peace forum within one year aimed at  facilitating negotiations-under international supervision or with the  participation of globally significant actors-on the safe and  voluntary return of the historically Armenian population to  Nagorno-Karabakh.

To support the implementation of this mandate, an all-party  parliamentary committee of 19 Swiss parliamentarians was formed in  Bern on May 26, 2025. This committee is mandated to promote the  necessary international mechanisms to implement the objectives of the  Swiss parliament's legally binding decision. The UK's statement adds  to the growing chorus of international voices calling for lasting and  inclusive solutions to the long-standing crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh.