The Artsakh authorities on Thursday angrily criticized Armenia’s leadership for effectively opening the door to more bloodshed and the eventual loss of Artsakh after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, blaming pressure from the international community, said that his government was ready to engage in peace talks with Azerbaijan, which has been demanding the recognition of its territorial integrity.
In a speech to parliament on Wednesday Pashinyan said that the international community was pressuring Armenia to “lower the bar on the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh’s status,” which he said would result in major “consolidation around Armenia and Artsakh.”
Through this logic, Pashinyan acquiesced and announced that Armenia would engage in “peace talks,” fueling an unprecedented backlash from Artsakh authorities, who up until now were reserved in their criticism of Armenia’s authorities.
Artsakh Foreign Minister David Babayan said Thursday that while Armenia is “lowering the bar” Artsakh is calling on Yerevan to not cross “the red lines.”
“Any attempt to incorporate Artsakh into Azerbaijan would lead to bloodshed and the destruction of Artsakh,” said Babayan in remarks to parliament. “And after the destruction of Artsakh there would be no Republic of Armenia.”
“We have no bars anymore, we have only red lines drawn by blood,” added Babayan. “Our red line is that we will not be part of Azerbaijan. This is out of the question.”
He added that if Artsakh were to fall under Azerbaijani rule, it would mean certain “genocide” for all Armenians there. Babayan added that Pashinyan’s remarks had created a “wave of discontent” throughout Artsakh, as well as in Armenia and the Diaspora.
The Artsakh Parliament on Thursday called on Armenia’s authorities to recant their position, saying Artsakh’s statehood and its people’s right to live freely and independently in their historic homeland is indisputable.
During an emergency session, the parliament adopted a statement, delivering a rebuke to Armenia’s authorities for making such vocal concessions to Baku.
“The current legal and political status of the Republic of Artsakh has been formed by the will of the people as a result of three referendums and the adoption of a constitution based on their results and through a nationwide agreement established in the previous years,” the Parliament said in its statement.
“The Armenians of Artsakh are well aware of the high cost of peace. The statehood of Artsakh, the right to live freely and independently in the historical homeland are indisputable values from which even the threat of war cannot keep us,” the statement reads.
The Artsakh lawmakers demanded that Armenia’s authorities recant their current position and be guided exclusively by aforementioned principles.
“No government has the right to lower the bar of internationally recognized self-determination to a status unacceptable to Artsakh, under the pretext of peace,” the National Assembly said.
On behalf of the Armenians of Artsakh the members of the parliament called on:
Armenians all over the world to stand united and resolutely with their brothers and sisters in Armenia and Artsakh in this just struggle,
Colleagues in the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia to not deviate from the decision of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Armenia of July 8, 1992,
The leadership of the Russian Federation. During the peacekeeping mission, it is very important for us that you do not allow anyone to manipulate the problems that arise, as a basis for questioning the further security of the people of Artsakh,
The leaders of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries. Make efforts to maintain the only international mandate for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict regardless of all other disagreements.
“Artsakh has never been and will never be part of independent Azerbaijan and any discussion of this issue is unacceptable to us. This is the ‘red line’ which no one has the right to cross. Forced annexation of Artsakh to Azerbaijan will lead to the destruction of Artsakh and will be a historic and moral geopolitical tragedy for the Armenian statehood and the Armenian people,” Artur Tomvmasyan, the Speaker of the Artsakh parliament, said during an emergency session of the legislature.
Tovmasyan stressed that the people of Artsakh are determined and will not deviate from the path they have chosen.
“We paid an extremely high price for our independence and freedom, and we have no moral right to close our history in an undignified way. Eternal glory to all our liberation soldiers who died in the three Artsakh wars, in the border regions of Armenia and in March 2022. It’s clear to everyone that they died for the Armenian nation, for the existence of the people of Armenia and Artsakh,” Tovmasyan said.