After the start of military operations, I realized that we are alone against Azerbaijani aggression, Artsakh President Samvel Shahramanyan said today, October 28, in an interview given to Artsakh Television, answering the question whether Artsakh was, in fact, alone and the president knew about it, as well as whether there were real offers and promises of help in that situation, and if so, from whom.

“On the morning of September 19, I was in the company of the Russian peacekeeping troops' commander. The initial indication of a potential military operation was when the Azerbaijani base near Shushi approached the Russian base, which was at the same location, and advised them to take cover, as artillery would soon start firing. We brought this information to the attention of the Russian peacekeepers, who said they were already aware of it. After verification, it became evident to me that military operations could commence in the near future.

Over an extended period of time, our military forces and security apparatus were brought to a high combat level, appropriate instructions were given, including those related to civil defense. Half an hour after I went up to the office, military operations began. Almost all regions were under intense shelling and we had to do everything we could to resist.
After the start of military operations, I realized that we are alone against Azerbaijani aggression.

The Russian side, one might say, was in the position of an observer, and we should have been able to settle our issues on our own. Countermeasures were initiated in coordination with the defense forces, other relevant agencies, and our citizens. It was thanks to these actions that it was possible to start negotiations with Azerbaijan, which lasted 12 hours,” he said.
Shahramanyan emphasized that they recognized the imperative need to halt the military operations, as the forces were significantly mismatched, and prolonging the conflict would only result in a greater number of casualties and losses.
“My goal as the president of Artsakh was to stop the war as soon as possible to avoid more victims.

I had to get in touch with high-ranking representatives of Azerbaijan, who were familiar to me, had previously also had contact with Arayik Harutyunyan and were authorized to carry out relevant work with us. We started negotiations to stop military operations.
First, the Azerbaijanis conveyed to me that the military operations have their goals and they will not stop until they reach the final goal - to completely dominate Artsakh.

Taking into account that Azerbaijan was also suffering significant losses and our regions were under siege, the enemy's special purpose units and military equipment had approached Stepanakert, very close to the Krkjan area, we found ourselves compelled to make more substantial concessions in that circumstance. And I suggested that they send their demands in writing for an immediate cessation of hostilities.

We clearly did not accept the initial document. We engaged in continuous discussions and modifications with a large team, involving the entire security council, former presidents, and nearly all political factions, while also keeping the Azerbaijani side informed of these developments," Shahramanyan said.

According to Shahramanyan, the initial document was essentially a surrender agreement, hence why they rejected it.
“As a result of the negotiations, we adopted a document that provided for the cessation of hostilities in all directions on October 20 at 1:00 p.m. The second point was the dissolution of the defense army, withdrawal of the remnants of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, among them, heavy military equipment was handed over for further utilization,” he noted.

However, the President emphasized that the formulation “RA Armed Forces” was Azerbaijan's false narrative, since, of course, there were no Armenian Armed Forces in Artsakh.

“It was clear that such a wording was unacceptable for us, but it was Azerbaijan's assertion. We, understanding that we do not endorse this document, do not accept any legal responsibility, and we informed them verbally and in writing that there are no Armenian Armed Forces in Artsakh.

The third point envisaged a meeting in Yevlakh on October 21, during which the integration issues presented by Azerbaijan were supposed to be discussed. This point was not new to us; we had agreed to a meeting in Yevlakh even before this, with the aim of reducing and easing tensions.

Regarding the second point, I know that there are many questions as to why the weapons were handed over and left in Artsakh. We lost the opportunity to deliver weapons to Armenia after the Azerbaijani side established a checkpoint, and it was clear that we would not be able to leave Artsakh with heavy equipment. As per the statement, we handed over the equipment to the Russian side for further disposal. According to the agreement, it was to be destroyed,” the President of Artsakh said.

Shahramanyan noted that the only goal of the decisions made by the leadership of the Republic of Artsakh and him personally was to save the lives of Artsakh people, the army, soldiers and officers, which, in his opinion, they were able to do. “After the end of the war, all Defense Army personnel passed through the checkpoint, and no one was detained. This was the result of our agreement,” he concluded.