In January 2021, at a meeting held by the Armenian government in the parliament, Pashinyan stated in response to a question from Zohrabyan in regard to the Battle of Shusha, that "there was no option in the whole negotiation process to prevent the Azerbaijani refugees from returning to Shusha," adding that before the Armenian forces seized control of Shusha in 1992, "90% or more of the city's residents were Azerbaijanis." These statements created a resonance in the country, with political figures like Aram Sargsyan, Mikayel Minasyan, Naira Zohrabyan, and Zaruhi Postanjyan, criticising Pashinyan. At a briefing, local journalists asked the MPs representing My Step Alliance, which is led by Pashinyan, whether or not they had "any doubts" of Shusha being "an Armenian city," though left the briefing without answering the question. On 3 December 2020, Deputy Head of the Shushi Province, Samvel Harutyunyan, stated that about 4,500 Armenians were displaced from Shusha.