Regardless of the extent of my real and objective responsibility for the current situation, after the war I was ready to lay down my powers as President of the Republic, but for several main reasons I did not take that step. Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) President Arayik Harutyunyan stated this in his address on Wednesday.

"First of all, should Artsakh—which was facing a post-war humanitarian catastrophe and plunged into many deprivations—instead of uniting quickly and meeting the current needs of the people, have gone through a long period of political tension and instability in governance? I believe the answer is clear (…).

Second, in the face of serious external and security challenges, is anyone convinced that we have the proper or even the least guaranteed environment to organize and hold snap presidential and parliamentary elections?

Third, we should not also forget about the constitutional regulations, which are structured in such a way that at this stage the early presidential and parliamentary elections can cause a constitutional crisis, deepening the general statal crisis.

Fourth and finally, I am not a person who avoids responsibility; on the contrary, in this difficult period I take full responsibility in the matter of bringing our Homeland and people out of the post-war crisis," Harutyunyan added in particular.