Artsakh Parliament issues statement on anniversary of referendum on  independence of Republic of Artsakh

ArmInfo.On December 10, on the occasion of the referendum on independence of the Republic of  Artsakh and the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, Artsakh MPs visited Yerablur to pay tribute to the memory of the Armenians that sacrificed their lives for Artsakh's freedom. 

On this occasion, the NKR Parliament also issued a statement stating  that in the history of the national liberation struggle of Artsakh,  the 1991 independence referendum became the key to the formation of  the republic on the basis of self-determination and democratic  principles.

"The 1991 independence referendum was the cornerstone on which the  Republic of Artsakh was built and became the pride and beacon of  victory for all Armenians.

On the same day in 2006, the people of Artsakh, through a referendum  on the adoption of the Constitution, once again expressed their  desire to have an independent state and continue the path of struggle  for freedom.

On September 19, 2023, as a result of the military aggression of  Azerbaijan, hundreds of our compatriots were killed, including  children and women, Artsakh, the thousand-year-old homeland of the  Armenian people, was de-Armenized. Due to the inability to ensure  security and respect for rights, the population of Artsakh decided to  take the extreme step of leaving their homeland. The international  community also gave its assessment to all this.

The Foreign Ministries of France and Cyprus, the German Bundestag,  the parliaments of Austria and the Netherlands, the European  Parliament, the Lemkin Institute for the Prevention of Genocide and  other authoritative international organizations called what happened  in Nagorno-Karabakh ethnic cleansing.

After committing genocide against the Armenian people, Azerbaijan  forced the President of the Republic of Artsakh to sign a document as  a precondition for the cessation of hostilities in order to throw  dust in the eyes of international players and justify their actions.

Initially realizing the unconstitutionality of the document imposed  by Azerbaijan, assessing the possible threats of genocide of the  civilian population, obstruction of their free movement and arbitrary  arrests, the President adopted a decree according to which the state  institutions of Artsakh were to be liquidated before January 1, 2024,  and the population had to decide to leave their homeland or integrate  into Azerbaijan.

Considering the intensity of the steps taken and being taken by the  parties interested in the final closure of the Artsakh issue, and the  aggressive behavior of the parties interested in this, the National  Assembly reaffirms its commitment to upholding the rights of the  people of Artsakh and expresses its readiness to discuss all  problematic issues with the interested parties.

The Parliament of Artsakh, faithful to the mandate received as a  result of the free will of the Artsakh people, is determined to  defend the rights and freedoms realized by the blood and sweat of  thousands of sons of the Armenian people," the statement reads.