I have started political consultations with all interested parliamentary and extra-parliamentary forces and various public groups in order to combine our efforts to overcome this crisis. Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) President Arayik Harutyunyan stated this in his address on Wednesday.

"We already have concrete agreements and combining of efforts with a number of forces. (…). It should be emphasized that the cooperation should be in a broad sense, and not be limited to assuming political responsibility in the form of appointing specific individuals to various positions.

I have decided to resign from the post of Chairman of the [ruling] Free Homeland party and leave the party, so that I can act and be perceived as the supra-party head of the state in the position of the President of the Republic (…).

At the same time, realizing the certain public and political moods—created as a result of the [recent] war—regarding the need for my resignation from the post of President of the Republic, I would like to note that I am ready to resign at the first opportunity when the Republic will be ready—in terms of internal and external conditions and constitutional regulations—to overcome properly and with dignity the difficult hardships of presidential and parliamentary elections," Harutyunyan added in particular.