Only the people of Artsakh have the right to decide their own destiny. Artur Tovmasyan, President of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) National Assembly, stated this at a briefing Tuesday.

According to him, if the enemy shows readiness for a ceasefire, Artsakh is ready to consider that option. However, as per Tovmasyan, the peace talks are possible only in the format after the Budapest summit; that is, with the participation of Nagorno-Karabakh. "Only we [the people of Artsakh] have the right to decide our destiny," he stressed.

Asked whether the relatively stable situation at night is connected with the numerous calls for the establishment of a ceasefire, Tovmasyan did not make any assumptions. However, he noted that the weather is bad, and it does not provide for hostilities. In addition, according to the Artsakh parliament speaker, Russia is already trying to bring the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan—and possibly the defense ministers—to the negotiating table. "But we must remember that there is usually a ‘calm’ before the ‘storm,’" said Artur Tovmasyan.