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An Artsakh journalist questioned Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan about the possibility of returning to Artsakh in the parliament on Tuesday.

“When will I be able to return to Artsakh? Will I ever see my homeland again?” the journalist asked.

"Yes, when it is safe," Simonyan responded.

When asked when safety would be guaranteed, the parliament speaker replied: “When we sign a peace treaty and when all our relations are settled... The issue will naturally be addressed once safety is ensured.”

Simonyan also defended his use of the term “Karabakh” instead of “Artsakh", stating: “As a politician, I find it inappropriate, for example, for someone from another country to refer to one of my cities by Turkish or Azerbaijani names. I must uphold the ethics of my position.”

“Everything will be done for you to return when it's safe. When you left, it wasn’t safe. You could have stayed and fought until the end, yet you chose to leave. You had to fight.”

When the journalist pointed to the violence and casualties during the Azerbaijani attack and military takeover of Artsakh in 2023, Simonyan repeated: “You had to fight. You had to fight. Armenia fought, and you had to fight as well.”