The political course of the current authorities of Armenia is incompatible with the existence of Artsakh. Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) President Samvel Shahramanyan on Sunday told this to reporters at the Yerablur Military Pantheon of Yerevan on the sixth anniversary of the start of the 44-day war.

Responding to the question of what main political mistake the authorities of Armenia and Artsakh had made and whether the Artsakh authorities could have acted differently, Shahramanyan stated:

“It seems to me that the path chosen by Armenia’s authorities and the people who elected these authorities is incompatible with the existence of Artsakh.” At the same time, he did not elaborate on the accusations made against him that after September 19, 2023, the Artsakh authorities should have continued the resistance and not laid down their arms.

Shahramanyan said that he has already answered these questions many times. Speaking about the events of the 44-day war, Shahramanyan stated that, in his opinion, the Armenian side should have done everything possible to prevent the current situation.

“This is the result of the 44-day war, and the beginning of the dissolution of Artsakh was laid precisely by the result of the 44-day war. We, in my opinion, should have done everything to prevent this situation from happening,” he said. Also, Shahramanyan answered the question about the possibility of peace with Azerbaijan.

He stated that he strives for peace, but believes that the question is “what kind of peace do we want and at what price.” According to Shahramanyan, at present he does not see a realistic possibility of the return of Artsakh Armenians to Artsakh, but considers it necessary to keep this matter on the international agenda.

“It needs to be talked about it, and it should be on the agenda, because it is also international law,” he stated. Shahramanyan touched also upon the issue of Armenian prisoners of war and members of the military-political leadership of Artsakh in Azerbaijan. According to him, their continued detention is incompatible with the declared goal of establishing peace.

He stated that he maintains contact with the families of members of the Artsakh leadership being held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. “If we are moving towards peace, it is impossible for us to have detainees, convicted persons, including representatives of the military-political leadership of Artsakh in Azerbaijan,” Shahramanyan said.

He also stated the need to determine the fate of the missing and noted that this requires work between the Armenian and Azerbaijani authorities. Referring to the preservation of Artsakh’s state institutions, Shahramanyan stated that he supports their activities.

At the same time, he noted that, in his opinion, there is no corresponding policy on the part of Armenia’s authorities, which “greatly complicates this work.” When asked about the possibility of electing a new president and a new speaker of the National Assembly of Artsakh, Shahramanyan suggested contacting the persons directly responsible for this process.

Speaking about possible new threats to Armenia, Shahramanyan stated that the country’s authorities should inform the public about possible dangers. At the same time, he noted that, as far as he knows from the public sphere, the current authorities of Armenia do not see any threat.

When asked about the possibility of running for the post of president of Artsakh again, Shahramanyan stated that he considers it premature to discuss this matter for now. He added that he continues to do everything in his power for the Armenians of Artsakh. At the same time, when asked about his contacts with Armenia’s authorities, Shahramanyan replied: “At the moment, no.”

Today, September 27, 2026, on the sixth anniversary of the start of the 44-day war, members of the opposition "Strong Armenia" and "Armenia" parliamentary factions, as well as the "HayaQve" national civil association, and the leadership of Artsakh visited the Yerablur Military Pantheon, where the Armenian heroes who sacrificed their lives for the homeland rest.