Artsakh Security Council: Stepanakert is ready for direct  negotiations with Baku only as a full party in the negotiation  process to resolve the conflict

ArmInfo. Artsakh Republic President Arayik Harutyunyan, meeting the proposal of the National Assembly's political forces convened an extended sitting of the  Security Council with the participation of a number of high- ranking  officials, representatives of all the parliamentary forces and  Primate of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

As the press service of the Artsakh President reports, recent  military-political developments around the Artsakh Republic were on  the discussion agenda.  Following the thorough discussions, the  Security Council of the Artsakh Republic adopted a statement.

The statement reads:  "Concerned by the serious challenges caused by  current developments in the world and in our region,

Reaffirming the positions of the Artsakh Republic executive and  legislative power branches regarding the future of Artsakh,

Referring to the September 19 address of the Artsakh Republic  President,

Considering the new developments following it, in particular,  concerns of our public regarding some of the thoughts and views  expressed in the interview of the Premier of the Republic of Armenia  given to the Armenian Public Television on September 30,

We, all the participants of the extended sitting of the Security  Council of the Artsakh Republic, declare:

1.We record that as a result of the Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression  of 2020 and the subsequent two-year military-political developments,  we actually have a situation where Azerbaijan, with Turkey's  unconditional support, has gained influential leverage and is  aggressively using them to realize its most ambitious aspirations.  Azerbaijan's actions are accompanied by consistent use of force and  threat of force, aggravating manifestations of the Armenophobe state  policy, and other gross violations of the fundamental norms of  international law. Using all the levers, Azerbaijan strives to ensure  its oppressive and dictating position not only in relations with the  Republic of Armenia, but also to abort any format and efforts for the  settlement of the Karabakh conflict, declaring that it has solved the  problem by war. Contrary to that, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair  countries and other international actors have reaffirmed by different  formulations the existence of the conflict and the need for its  comprehensive settlement.

2. The position of the Artsakh Republic has always been clear: the  Karabakh conflict should be settled on the basis of the full and  non-negotiable recognition of the right of the people of Artsakh to  self-determination and the results of its realization. It is  undeniable that in 1991 the people of Artsakh declared independence  in conformity with the norms of international law and USSR  legislation, and Artsakh has never been part of independent  Azerbaijan.  Moreover, the fact that the Artsakh Republic is not  recognized internationally does not mean that the people of Artsakh  have no natural rights and the Artsakh Republic does not exist.  Despite all the difficulties and challenges, from now on we will  continue our chosen path towards determining and managing our own  destiny in our own homeland.

3.The long-term and stable security of Artsakh should be ensured  through our own defense capacities, the termless mission of Russian  peacekeepers, and all possible tools of the Republic of Armenia.  Improving our own defense capacities is an ongoing effort and is in  the spotlight of our attention. The Russian peacekeeping mission,  despite the additional challenges of recent months, continues to be  the main international guarantee of the security of the people of  Artsakh. Within this context, we consider the attempts to worsen  traditional relations with natural allies as extremely dangerous.

4.The Artsakh Republic and the Artsakh Armenians stand by the  statehood and people of Mother Armenia in overcoming all vital  challenges, because it has been stipulated by our national values and  interests. We perceive that the possible signing of an interstate  agreement regulating the Armenia-Azerbaijan relations can become an  important basis for guaranteeing the sovereign and safe future of the  Republic of Armenia, regional stability and peace. However, taking  into account the importance of the interests of the Artsakh  Armenians, as  an inseparable part of the Armenian people, in these  relations, we emphasize that any document that may ignore the  existence of the Karabakh conflict, undermine the prospect of its  fair settlement, and limit the possibilities of international  recognition of the right of the Artsakh people to self-determination  and the results of its implementation is unacceptable for us,  including the false agenda of its subordination to the principle of  territorial integrity. Within this context, we highlight the periodic  consultations between the authorities of the Artsakh Republic and the  Republic of Armenia on the topic, within the framework of which the  Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia presents details of  international negotiations to the Artsakh Republic President, and the  President, in his turn, presents the positions of the Artsakh  Republic authorities, including their disagreements.

5.During the past three decades, both the logic and the practical  steps of the Armenian people's national-liberation struggle and  state-building process were based on consolidating the pan-Armenian  potential and directing the political support of our friends and  allies in the right direction. Taking into account the positive  experience of the past, the best guarantee for overcoming these  difficult challenges faced by the Armenian people is the  manifestation of national unity. We have always appreciated the  consistent support of the entire Armenian people and the Republic of  Armenia to the Artsakh Republic, without which we could not have  recorded numerous important successes in our struggle. In that sense,  there is simply no alternative to maintaining and cementing the  Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity. Our national values and interests  imply that regardless of anything, Mother Armenia should always be  next to Artsakh in all spheres, especially in terms of guaranteeing  the security of the people of Artsakh and international recognition  of the right to self- determination.

6.It is undeniable that the beneficiary of the future of Artsakh  is the entire Armenian people, and the interests of Armenia and  Artsakh should be seen as a single whole. Considering especially the  post-war context and challenges, we highlight that as long as the  Artsakh Republic is not included in the conflict resolution process  as a full-fledged member and within the framework of a high  international format, the Republic of Armenia is obliged and  authorized to represent and protect the rights and interests of the  people of Artsakh on international platforms. Those obligations and  powers are fixed by a number of internal and international documents,  including the OSCE documents and the tripartite declaration of  November 9, 2020. Hence, we are ready to conduct negotiations with  Azerbaijan on the settlement of the conflict, in case of restoration  of the full-fledged format of negotiations, where the Artsakh  Republic is recognized as a full party.

The authorities of the Artsakh Republic will continue to follow the  geopolitical and regional developments, taking appropriate steps to  manage the risks arising from the situation," the Artsakh Security  Council summarized.