Thousands of Artsakh residents turned out for a rally in Stepanakert on May 9
After Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confirmed his agreement that Artsakh would fall under Azerbaijan’s control, the National Assembly of Artsakh convened an emergency session late Monday night and unanimously adopted a resolution expressing the legislature’s anger at the posturing by Armenia’s leader.
The lawmakers also vowed to never “waiver from its ongoing struggle.”
Addressing the parliament during the emergency session was its speaker Artur Tovmasyan, the heads of each party or bloc represented in the legislature, as well as lawmakers, who later unanimously adopted a text drafted by Vahram Balayn, the chair of the parliament’s permanent commission on foreign affairs.
“What rights, security and dialogue can we talk about when Azerbaijan has been illegally keeping Artsakh under complete blockade for 162 days?” said Speaker Tovmasyan. Ashot Danielyan, another lawmaker allied to Artsakh President Arayik Harutiunian branded Pashinyan a “capitulator,” according to Azatutyun.am
Below is the translated text of the announcement.
The announcement made today by Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a press conference where he reaffirmed his willingness to include Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan, has create resentment and anger in the Republic of Artsakh.
With this commitment, Nikol Pashinyan evidently is grossly violating elements related to Artsakh in the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia and the Constitution, in particular the July 8, 1992 order adopted by the Supreme Council of the Republic of Armenia whereby “any international or inter-state document stating the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic will be part of Azerbaijan is unacceptable for the the Republic of Armenia.”
Once again, we reaffirm that the status of Artsakh was already determined through the popular referendum of December 10, 1991 and not government has the right to nullify that.
For us, any statement by Nikol Pashinyan that ignores the sovereignty of the Republic of Artsakh, the right of self-determination of our people and the fact of its existence and any document drawn up based on this are unacceptable and are considered null and void. Artsakh will never waiver from its ongoing struggle.
We are deeply concerned and found this reality fraught with dangers. The National Assembly of the Artsakh Republic calls on all Armenians to not allow the disastrous steps by today’s leadership of the Republic of Armenia to surrender any part of our homeland—the Republic of Artsakh and the sovereign territories of Armenia—to Azerbaijan, which will inevitably result in the loss of Armenian statehood.
At the same time, we call on the previous and current president of Armenia and Artsakh to appeal and condemn Nikol Pashinyan’s announcements. Otherwise, we will deem your silence as a sign of agreement with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia.