September 2 is a date that represents one of the most brilliant pages in the history of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic). This is what deputy of the National Assembly of Artsakh Vardges Baghryan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.
The deputy recalled that the movement for the liberation of Artsakh began before 1988, that is, after Karabakh was unlawfully incorporated within the composition of Azerbaijan. However, all Armenians rise to their feet in 1988.
It so happened that on August 30, 1991, the authorities of Soviet Azerbaijan adopted a decision to step out of the USSR. It is obvious that the people of Artsakh couldn’t agree with that. On September 2, the deputies of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast and Shahumyan region held a joint sitting during which they declared the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, and the independence referendum was held on December 10. After September 2, Yeltsin and Nazarbayev paid a visit, after which a war broke out in Stepanakert.
“I wasn’t a deputy at the time, but I was attending the session as deputy head of the television and radio committee. Many audio recordings have been preserved. Of course, we didn’t think independence was going to be served for us on a silver platter, and I believe that was the right step back then. However, this doesn’t mean that Artsakh refuses to reunite with Armenia. Reunification has been and remains the ultimate goal of the movement. The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic needs to be internationally recognized, and after that, the Armenian people will make a choice. I personally think there has to be one Armenian state,” the deputy emphasized.
According to Baghryan, nobody should get tired in the fair struggle of the people of Artsakh because he who gets tired will lose.
“However, September 2 is a date that remains one of the most brilliant pages in the history of Artsakh. I am proud that I witnessed the shaping of history,” Baghryan said in closing.