Pashinyan confirms he asked Genocide Museum Director to resign

2026-03-13 - 12:05

Following reports regarding the resignation of Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Director Edita Gzoyan, varying accounts emerged addressing the issue and attempting to identify the main reasons behind her resignation. Initially, officials informed museum employees that the resignation was linked to controversies surrounding renovation work at the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial, including concerns about alleged carelessness during the renovations and claims that stones had been broken. Many former colleagues publicly expressed support for Dr. Edita Gzoyan, citing her professionalism, managerial capabilities and role in ensuring that the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute is recognized among the most important research institutions globally. This support was further reinforced by 74 current staff members who signed an appeal to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan calling for the decision to be reversed. However, on March 12, Pashinyan confirmed that the resignation of Dr. Edita Gzoyan came at his request. He said: “On my instructions, yes, I asked her to write a resignation letter. I considered it a provocative act, contrary to the foreign policy pursued by the government.” Pashinyan said the action he considered contrary to Armenia’s official policy occurred during the visit of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance to Armenia on Feb. 9-10, 2026. During the visit, Dr. Gzoyan showed Vance and his wife the khachkars dedicated to the victims of the massacres in Sumgait, Baku and Gandzak, perpetrated by Azerbaijan between 1988 and 1990. Dr. Gzoyan also explained the history behind these atrocities, discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh war and presented books about the conflict and the Armenian Genocide to Vance. Pashinyan said these were “things that happened that would have been better if they had not happened.” On March 12, he further explained: “This is a security issue. When the country’s prime minister says that the Karabakh movement must be stopped, there cannot be an official who continues it. What does it mean to present a book on the Artsakh issue to a foreign guest? How many people in this country can conduct foreign policy? In the Republic of Armenia, the government conducts foreign policy, and any state official whose actions contradict that policy should be dismissed.” Among the first and most critical reactions came from the chairman of the board of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, French Armenian genocide scholar Raymond Kévorkian, who resigned last week along with fellow board members Stephan Astourian, Harutyun Marutyan and Hranush Kharatyan. On March 12, a group of genocide scholars from universities across the United States and Europe, from both Armenian and non-Armenian backgrounds, released a joint statement calling for the reinstatement of Dr. Gzoyan, warning that her removal by the government would “seriously jeopardize the institute’s future and undermine its standing within the international scholarly community.” Former Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan also said that “Pashinyan called this a ‘provocation’ and ‘an action contrary to foreign policy.’ But the Genocide Museum is not the Foreign Ministry. The museum’s mission is precisely to preserve and transmit memory. Memory cannot be a provocation or an obstacle to peace.” It should also be noted that U.S. Vice President JD Vance deleted a post on X in which he commemorated the victims of the Armenian Genocide, prompting anger across the Armenian diaspora. Vance attributed the error to a staff mistake. However, he did leave a message in the guestbook of the Armenian Genocide Museum: “In solemn remembrance of the lives lost, we honor the resilience and enduring spirit of the Armenian people. May America and Armenia strive for a future of peace and understanding together.”