Armenian parties back Swiss Karabakh peace plan

By AI, Created 11:23 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – A cross-party group of Armenian political parties endorsed the Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno Karabakh ahead of Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary election and as EU leaders met in Yerevan on May 5, 2026. The backing adds domestic political weight to a proposal calling for an international forum on the return of displaced Armenians.

Why it matters: - The endorsements add visible Armenian political support to a Swiss-backed proposal centered on the safe, dignified return of 150,000 Armenians displaced from Nagorno Karabakh. - The declaration comes one month before Armenia’s June 7 election, giving the right-of-return debate fresh domestic political momentum. - The backing also comes as European leaders gather in Yerevan for the first EU-Armenia Partnership summit.

What happened: - Christian Solidarity International welcomed a unified declaration supporting the Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno Karabakh from multiple Armenian political parties, movements and alliances participating in the upcoming parliamentary elections. - The endorsing groups are HayaQve National Civil Union, campaigning with Strong Armenia Party; Mother Armenia Party, in alliance with Prosperous Armenia Party; Country to Live Party; Wings of Unity Party; and Armenia Alliance, including the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. - The declaration was presented in the context of the May 5, 2026 summit in Yerevan.

The details: - The Swiss Peace Initiative is anchored in Motion 24.4259, which both chambers of the Swiss Parliament adopted. - Motion 24.4259 directs the Swiss Federal Council to convene an international peace forum with representatives of Azerbaijan and the displaced Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh. - The forum would operate under international supervision and negotiate the collective return of the historically resident Armenian community. - Joel Veldkamp, CSI’s director for public advocacy, said the initiative was designed to give voice to the voiceless and was not dependent on political support from the Republic of Armenia. - Veldkamp said the cross-party endorsement ahead of the June 7 election sends a democratic rebuke to those who frame discussion of a right of return as external meddling or an obstacle to peace. - CSI says the initiative is championed in Bern by a non-partisan committee of 19 Swiss parliamentarians co-chaired by National Councilors Erich Vontobel and Stefan Müller-Altermatt. - CSI also works with the Committee for the Defense of the Fundamental Rights of the People of Nagorno Karabakh, which operates under the mandate of the Artsakh National Assembly in exile. - The organization urges Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin, who is leading Switzerland’s delegation to Yerevan, and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis to raise Motion 24.4259 in bilateral talks with Armenian, EU and partner-state counterparts. - CSI also called on all political parties in Armenia to take a clear position on the initiative. - More information is available in the Swiss Peace Initiative website.

Between the lines: - The endorsements broaden the initiative’s political base inside Armenia at a moment when the country is weighing both domestic election issues and diplomatic pressure from Europe. - CSI is trying to frame the initiative as a peace mechanism rather than a partisan Armenian demand. - The push also reflects a larger vacuum after the OSCE Minsk Group dissolved. - CSI argues that vacuum became more important after Baku demanded the group’s closure as a precondition for the Washington declaration of Aug. 8, 2025. - The initiative is being positioned as a replacement venue for negotiations that the Minsk Group handled for more than 30 years.

What’s next: - CSI wants Motion 24.4259 added to Switzerland’s bilateral discussions with Armenian, EU and partner-state officials. - Armenian parties are likely to face more pressure to clarify where they stand before the June 7 vote. - The Swiss Federal Council will decide whether and how to advance the peace forum concept. - Supporters are likely to keep pressing for a formal international process on the return of displaced Armenians to Nagorno Karabakh.

The bottom line: - The Armenian endorsements give the Swiss Peace Initiative broader political legitimacy just as election campaigning and high-level diplomacy intensify around Nagorno Karabakh.