Pashinyan got into an argument with a female passenger on the Yerevan Metro over Nagorno-Karabakh
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan found himself at the center of a scandal following a heated verbal exchange with a female passenger on the Yerevan metro.
The woman, who turned out to be a displaced person from Nagorno-Karabakh, accused the head of government of “surrendering” the region to Azerbaijan, which provoked an extremely emotional reaction from the politician.
According to eyewitnesses, the incident occurred during the prime minister’s ride on public transportation on March 22, 2026.
In response to the accusation, Pashinyan raised his voice sharply, stating that the Armenian government had “spent billions” to ensure people could remain in Karabakh.
“We did everything so that you could live in Karabakh, and in 2023, it was you who accused me of closing the borders so that people wouldn’t leave Karabakh for Armenia. Now you’ve come here and say: oh, but we want to go back,” local media quoted the prime minister as saying.
#Pashinyan argued with an #Artsakh woman in the subway: "Now you've arrived here and say we want to return. We've spent the billions earned by the citizens of #Armenia so you could stay. Why didn't you stay?.. Next time, you runaways, don't you dare say that I gave up Karabakh." pic.twitter.com/iwIEj9PJD5
— Karina Karapetyan (@KarinaKarapety8) March 22, 2026
Pashinyan also urged his interlocutor not to speak with contempt about the map of Armenia he was holding in his hands.
It later emerged that the woman with whom the prime minister was arguing was Armine Mosyan—the daughter of a fallen Karabakh war veteran.
When the passenger asked the politician not to point his finger at her, he replied: “I will speak louder; don’t blame me for what happened.”
Subsequently, following a wave of criticism on social media, Nikol Pashinyan posted a video message apologizing.
He admitted that he was unable to control his emotions while discussing the sensitive topic of Karabakh, calling his behavior a “major shortcoming.”
“I apologize to the woman from Karabakh and her child and invite her to a new meeting,” the prime minister wrote on his Telegram channel.
He added that he is ready for a calm conversation without cameras if Armine Mosyan agrees to such a dialogue, despite a likely refusal or “a few harsh words in return.”
As a reminder, Pashinyan launched a revolution against the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Pashinyan also called the book about Artsakh gifted to Vens a “provocation.”
