We have come out to declare that we are against the positions expressed by Ararat Mirzoyan and the government. This was stated by Anastas Israyelyan, coordinator of the Reviving Artsakh movement, member of the council for the protection of the rights of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) residents, speaking with reporters Monday during a protest in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Armenia.

“The MFA [of Armenia] is making statements that the page of the Artsakh issue is closed, there is no longer any talk about this topic either on public or international platforms. No one has the right to make such decisions related to the Artsakh issue. The position of Armenia’s authorities is clear, but we, as a society, must be demanding in the rights related to being Armenians, living as Armenians.

The concept of ‘authority’ is a temporary thing, we are the ones living here. The people are against decisions that are not in favor of Armenians. [FM] Ararat Mirzoyan or the authorities [of Armenia] make unilateral decisions, and we come to say that we are against it. If you do not have the answer to the question, it does not mean that the question has no answer. It is you, as the leadership, who cannot form the answer to that question.

If you are in that status, then there is no need to make those decisions today, or based on this or that situation. Times will come, leaders will come who will make other decisions. We have all the documentary grounds to raise that issue—or at least not to close it,” said Israyelyan.