Pashinyan confronts displaced Artsakh woman in heated subway exchange

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s subway ride in Yerevan on Sunday escalated into a shouting match as he yelled at a fellow rider who had been displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. The confrontation began as Pashinyan, who has been spending weekends campaigning across Armenia in the run-up to June’s parliamentary elections, handed out Armenia-shaped pins to passengers, when one refused. 

The woman, later identified as Artsakh-native Armine Mosiyan, is reported to be the daughter of field commander Meruzhan Mosiyan, who was killed in 1993 during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. She said she would not take the pin referencing the lack of Artsakh in it.

Pashinyan again attempted to give the woman’s young son the pin, which prompted her to speak her mind on the subject, accusing the prime minister of not allowing them to live in Artsakh. 

This most explosive part of the encounter has spread widely in an online clip during which Pashinyan’s temper flared, retorting that he had done everything possible for Artsakhis to live there, but that they blamed him during Azerbaijan’s 2023 blockade for not being able to escape into Armenia. He scolded Mosiyan, shaking his finger and shouting at her that millions of Armenian citizens’ tax dollars had been spent in order for Artsakhis to remain in Artsakh, and yet now that they are in Armenia, they want to return from where they fled. 

The clip concludes with Pashinyan shouting at her not to scorn the map of Armenia, and “next time, you runaways, don’t you dare say that I gave up Karabakh!” 

Observers have criticized Pashinyan for losing his temper and his choice of language, which was widely perceived as being derogatory toward Artsakhis. Analysts such as Tigran Grigoryan have warned of multiple examples of hate speech against Artsakhis in Armenian society, and in particular from media outlets under the control of the ruling party.  

On Monday, Armenia’s ombudswoman Anahit Manasyan also referenced this, urging officials and public figures to show sensitivity when addressing issues affecting displaced persons and refugees. She noted that “political rhetoric often intensifies during election periods, sometimes resulting in insensitive attitudes toward vulnerable groups,” urging officials and society to practice mutual respect. 

Later that same day in a video posted on Facebook, Pashinyan apologized to Mosiyan and her son and offered to deliver an apology in person at a location of their choosing. Mosiyan has so far not publicly commented on the offer. 

Mosiyan’s story of surviving multiple wars and the 2023 blockade appeared in a 2024 article from the Boston-based outlet The Armenian Weekly. She recalled breadlines, no electricity or gas, and the complete lack of humanitarian assistance. An accompanying photo shows her sheltering in a basement with her son from Azerbaijani rockets during the attack which prompted the mass exodus.