Artsakh Armenians hold protest in front of RA Government 

ArmInfo. A group of Artsakh residents held a protest in front of the Armenian government building, demanding that the authorities no longer speak on their  behalf on international platforms. Specifically, they expressed  dissatisfaction with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's speech  at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which  stated that their return to their homeland was unrealistic.

They also expressed dissatisfaction with the authorities' claims that  the Artsakh issue has been definitively closed. Speaking to  journalists, Anastas Israelyan, coordinator of the "Reviving Artsakh"  movement and former member of the Artsakh Human Rights Council, noted  that he believes the authorities' behavior is a consequence of  insufficient advocacy and raising awareness of the rights of the  Artsakh residents.  However, he noted that, despite this, they will  not allow their right to return to their homeland to be deprived.  "The Armenian authorities have taken everything from the people of  Artsakh-their homeland, their children. But no one has the right to  deprive us of our right to return. Artsakh has always been and will  always be Armenian. Today, of course, our homeland is under  occupation, but this does not give anyone the right to question our  right to return," Israelyan stated.

During the rally, he also touched on the opposition's actions.  Specifically, he noted that the Artsakh issue has been ignored not  only by the authorities but also by Armenian opposition forces.

The Artsakh resident noted that today, beyond patriotic statements,  no practical steps are being taken.  Meanwhile, he expressed his  conviction that if this issue continues to remain secondary to them,  none of them will be able to achieve victory over the ruling regime.  "They must understand that the Artsakh issue must always be on the  agenda. Furthermore, we must show that we do not want a peace that  would require us to kneel before the enemy," Israelyan concluded.

As a reminder, on September 30, at the PACE, the Prime Minister  reiterated that the issue of the return of refugees from Artsakh was  dangerous to the peace process. Pashinyan noted that, according to  their proposal, "refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh should settle in  Armenia with the assistance of the international community."

On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan, under the pretext of an  "anti-terrorist operation," launched another act of aggression  against Artsakh. This followed a nearly 10-month blockade of the  unrecognized republic.  Since the enemy aggression that began in the  fall of 2020, which culminated in the complete ethnic cleansing of  Artsakh in September 2023, over 150,000 Artsakh residents have lost  their homeland and become refugees.