Members and participants of the European Parliament’s EU-Armenia Friendship Group arrived in Karabakh on Friday.

Following the meeting with the President of the National Assembly Ashot Ghulyan, delegation members they address members of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Parliament with official statements.

“Everyone in the world has a motherland and a fatherland, some people like me have 2 one is Greece and the other is Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh]. I would never believe when I came here 25 years ago that I would one day come back here as an MEP and address you, the brave people of Artsakh in your own parliament,” head of the group Eleni Theocharous said.

She called Artsakh is “a thriving democracy”, adding that the people of Karabakh proved that every free spirit, every free citizen in the world “is a citizen of Stepanakert.”

“Artsakh represents a beacon of freedom all founded through blood and sacrifice during the war. The people have carried out their plight for self determination and liberty and have managed to create a system of values based on the same principles which are present in western civilisation. We as members of the European Parliament and Members of European National Parliaments must work together to not allow history to repeat itself and to keep Artsakh free and proud so its people can live in peace and prosperity,” she said.

In her turn, French MP Valerie Boyer noted she Karanakh is based on principles of liberty, democracy and self-determination.

 “I am not Greek or Armenian but I come from Armenia’s second capital, Marseille. As friends of Armenia it must be our duty to raise the awareness of Artsakh globally. Artsakh is a place based on principles of liberty, democracy and self- determination and the world must see how these principles have manifested within society here. We must all work together on all levels, political, social and cultural to promote this cause for Artsakh, for it to receive the justice and recognition it deserves and for its people to continue living freely and happily,” Boyer said, addressing the Karabakh MPs.