Armenia must remain a guarantor of Artsakh’s (Nagorno-Karabakh) security and refrain from signing a peace treaty with Azerbaijan that would undermine the right of Artsakh Armenians to self-determination, Armenia’s two opposition blocs Hayastan and Pativ Unem (With Honor) said in a statement at a rally in Yerevan's Liberty Square on Tuesday, outlining their demands on the authorities.

The full text of the statement shared by the Hayastan alliance is provided below.

"We, the participants of the rally held in defense of Armenia and Artsakh, regardless of our ideological and political differences, resolutely reject the agendas imposed by the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem.

To create preconditions for peace, Azerbaijan must return Armenian prisoners of war, hostages and other detained persons as well as those given prison sentence, withdraw its troops from the sovereign territory of Armenia, and return to the positions held in Artsakh as of November 9, 2020.

We, the participants of the rally, declare that we are committed to the following fundamental principles:

– to affirm that the Republic of Armenia is the guarantor of the security and right to self-determination of the Artsakh people with all its components;

– to exclude any status of Artsakh within Azerbaijan;

– to exclude an enclave status of Artsakh without a reliable land link with Armenia;

– to take steps to restore the negotiation process in line with the format and objectives enshrined in the 1994 OSCE summit decision;

– to exclude the provision of corridors under the pretext of “unblocking communications” at the expense of Armenia's sovereignty and territorial integrity;

– to exclude signing of any interstate treaty and any process of border delimitation and demarcation under the conditions of use or threat of force by Azerbaijan;

– not to sign any agreements with Azerbaijan which would undermine the exercise of Artsakh's right to self-determination without restrictions;

– to rule out any agreement in Armenian-Turkish relations which would call into question the Armenian Genocide as well as the right to be the bearer of the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage.

These principles stem from the vital interests of the Armenian people, thus any government must be guided by this agenda and ensure its implementation. Promoting this agenda does not entail war, but rather a willingness to establish a true, just and dignified peace that meets the vital interests of the Armenian people.

Failure to adhere to these principles will inevitably lead to a nationwide and legitimate uprising by all possible means and methods.

The individuals, civil society organizations and parties who share the agenda unveiled are free to join the statement.

Liberty Square, 5 April 2022.”