The National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh issued a statement.

“The developments of the last few months, the statements and positions of various international organizations regarding the prospects for the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict and the future of Artsakh have caused serious concern in Artsakh and within the framework of the entire Armenian community.

The National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh, expressing the collective will of the people of Artsakh, considers it necessary to record and document the following for the world in this fortunate period.

• Artsakh has never been and will never be part of independent Azerbaijan. This idea should be the basis of the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict.

• Any attempt to annex Artsakh to Azerbaijan would be a gross violation of international law and an official license for the implementation of a new genocide of the Armenian people, therefore documents with such content are unacceptable for the Republic of Artsakh. Reaffirming that the Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity is one of the key foundations of all our successes and achievements and state building, the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh

• No authority of the Republic of Armenia has the right to refuse the mission of ensuring the security of the people of Artsakh or to consider any document acceptable where the existence of the sovereign Republic of Artsakh will be doubted. We demand the authorities of the Republic of Armenia defend the common interests of the two Armenian republics on international platforms, based on the existing fundamental documents, in particular, the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia and the historic decision of the Supreme Council of July 8, 1992.

• We call on Armenians around the world to continue to support Artsakh, to protect the rights and interests of the Artsakh people in various countries and international courts, and to comprehensively contribute to the recognition of the Republic of Artsakh.

• The Republic of Artsakh is in favor of stable peace and, therefore, the steps towards the signing of a peace treaty, but the authorities of the Republic of Armenia should approach the recognition of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan with reservations, taking into account the fact that the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict is not settled.

• Any document and proposal questioning the sovereignty of the Republic of Artsakh, our right to self-determination and the fact of its realization is unacceptable to us because it does not reflect the historical and legal realities. The international community is obliged to respect the demand of Artsakh Armenians because it corresponds to the fundamental principles and norms of international law.

• Taking into account Russia’s historical role in ensuring peace and stability in our region and, in particular, the cessation of the 44-day war imposed on us by the aggressor Azerbaijan in 2020, Russian President Putin’s direct and active participation, we appeal to the Russian Federation to continue its commitment to ensuring the security of the people of Artsakh. In order to strengthen it, we propose to introduce additional political and military mechanisms, taking into account the ontological real dangers threatening the people of Artsakh.

• Our struggle is continuous, the position is unchanged and expresses the collective will of Armenians around the world and fully derives from the 2022 resolution of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh, and from the principles outlined in the April 14 announcement.”