The Right of Return for Artsakh Armenians Remains Unresolved and Vulnerable

Over 150,000 Armenian inhabitants were ethnically cleansed from Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) following Azerbaijan’s military victory and the territory’s integration into Azerbaijan in September 2023. The right of return for these displaced Armenians has become a central issue in any future peace framework, yet it remains one of the most vulnerable points in negotiations. Asbed Bedrossian identifies the right of return as the weakest link in ongoing discussions about regional stability, a point where Azerbaijani and Turkish pressure is likely to be most intense.

Host Hovik Manucharyan argues that Pashinyan’s government has already effectively disowned the right of return, treating it as a closed issue despite international recognition of the displacement as ethnic cleansing. More fundamentally, Manucharyan contends that the right of return cannot be separated from security guarantees and self-determination. Returning Armenians to territories now controlled by Azerbaijan, which has documented a pattern of anti-Armenian hate and violence and genocidal rhetoric, poses grave security risks. Armenians would be required to serve in the Azerbaijani military, a prospect Manucharyan characterizes as unacceptable given the Azerbaijani state’s historical treatment of Armenians.

The hosts argue that genuine restoration of the right of return must include ironclad security provisions, international oversight, and mechanisms for Armenian self-governance in returned territories. Without these safeguards, return becomes repatriation to a state hostile to Armenian identity and interests. As negotiations continue over regional corridors, EU-backed transit projects, and Azerbaijan’s emergent hegemon status, the right of return risks being traded away in backroom deals that prioritize transportation infrastructure over the lives and dignity of displaced Armenians.