Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan Says Some Applicants Pretend to Be Gay to Get Asylum in Europe

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in Yerevan on 7 November 2026 that some people from Armenia claim to be gay and cite persecution at home to obtain asylum in Europe. He spoke at the MaskOFF panel discussion, organised by the Restart Foundation.

Pashinyan said some of those applicants came from criminal circles. He also recalled meeting a waiter at a hotel in Paris. According to the prime minister, the man said he had left Armenia because of his sexual orientation and could no longer live in his home country.

Pashinyan linked the issue to a bill on equality and protection against discrimination. In his view, the law should protect sexual minorities and would help Armenian authorities challenge persecution claims they consider false.

Armenia’s government approved the bill on 15 October and submitted it to parliament, CSO Meter reports. The bill explicitly lists sexual orientation as a protected ground against discrimination. It does not specifically list gender identity, which rights groups had also proposed including.