The official, Yeghishe Kirakosian, said on Thursday that he wants to “focus more on academic/scientific and professional activities.” In a statement posted on Facebook, he did not say whether his decision was influenced by Pashinian’s statements or intentions.
The Armenian government has brought four such cases in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and another one in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) since the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh. It accuses Azerbaijan of committing war crimes, violating the rights of Armenian prisoners, occupying Armenian territory and forcibly displacing Karabakh’s population. Baku has likewise taken Yerevan to these international tribunals, alleging various violations of international law.
Pashinian repeatedly suggested last year that the two sides could mutually drop these cases if they manage to finalize an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty. In January this year, he officially called for such moves as he signaled more concessions to Azerbaijan right after Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s fresh threats of military action against Armenia.
Baku wants the mutual withdrawals to be incorporated into the would-be peace treaty. Pashinian has not yet publicly clarified whether Yerevan is ready to withdraw its cases before or after the signing of the treaty.
Armenian civic organizations and legal experts denounced Pashinian’s stance in a joint statement issued in March 2024. They said that ECHR and ICJ verdicts sought by Yerevan are essential for “preventing new Azerbaijani encroachments against Armenia,” “investigating crimes committed against the people of Artsakh” and facilitating the Karabakh Armenians’ eventual safe return to their homeland.
In a January 2025 interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, Kirakosian similarly insisted that the Armenian lawsuits do not preclude peace between the two countries.
News of the official’s resignation emerged late on Wednesday. The government’s press office said his decision was the result of an “understanding reached months ago.” It did not elaborate.
Armenian media reports said that Kirakosian’s entire staff also tendered their resignations. Another senior government lawyer, Liparit Drmeyan, insisted, however, that only “one or two” of Kirakosian’s subordinates stepped down last month.
Some media outlets already reported Kirakosian’s resignation last August. The lawyer was officially on vacation at the time and returned to work a few weeks later.
Contrary to government pledges, Armenia has still not filed any cases against Azerbaijan at another tribunal, the International Criminal Court (ICC). Bringing Azerbaijan to justice for its war crimes and preventing more Azerbaijani attacks on Armenia was the main official rationale for Yerevan’s accession to the ICC completed in February 2024.
The ICC issued in 2023 an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over war crimes allegedly committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Pashinian’s detractors say the purpose of his decision to submit to The Hague court’s jurisdiction was to please the West and embarrass Moscow, rather than take further legal action against Baku.
