The National Assembly of Artsakh on Tuesday issued a statement calling on Yerevan to fulfill its obligation as the “security guarantor of Artsakh” and create an atmosphere of national unity that can bolster the “future of the Armenian people and the Homeland.”
Below is the text of the statement.
The National Assembly of the Artsakh Republic, as the highest representative body with the primary mandate from the people of Artsakh, expressing the opinion and position of a wide range of socio-political circles, calls for a consolidation pan-Armenian forces on issues related to the fate of Artsakh.
We are convinced that the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh, having the complete support of the Armenian communities of the Diaspora, becoming one fist, to jointly confront regional challenges and defend our national interests.
In this difficult period of geopolitical realities, when Azerbaijan, trying to thwart the Russian peacekeeping mission, continues to regularly fire at Armenian settlements, blows up the gas pipeline, tries to intimidate civilians living in their homeland, continues to occupy new territories, the National Assembly of Artsakh reaffirms the will and determination of the Artsakh people for their vision of a national liberation struggle which began in 1988 based on the right to live freely in their historic homeland.
By the declaration of September 2, 1991, and then through a nationwide referendum, the people of Artsakh formed the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) in accordance with all international norms.
Throughout the 30 years we have gone through victories and failures. As a result of the war that was imposed on us on September 27, 2020, which lasted for 44 days, we suffered human and territorial losses. But nothing and no one can deprive us of the right to self-determination, to decide our own destiny. Bowing to the memory of all the martyrs of our struggle, we declare our devotion and readiness to be consistent in the processes of international recognition of the Artsakh Republic and restoration of its territorial integrity.
After the 44-day war of 2020, our security environment has changed fundamentally, and the fragile peace established in the region is maintained through the efforts of the Artsakh Defense Army and the Russian peacekeeping forces. As the events of the last 1.5 years have shown, our enemies continue their plan to evict Armenians from Artsakh. In the current conditions only by reaffirming the obligation of the Republic of Armenia to act as the security guarantor of Artsakh and the creation of an atmosphere of pan-Armenian unity can create sufficient conditions to guarantee the future of the Armenian people in their Homeland.
Dear compatriots,
The key to the existence of the Armenian statehood and the security of the Armenian people is in Artsakh.