Statements questioning the de facto status of Artsakh are impermissible. The five factions of the National Assembly (NA) of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) have issued a statement in this regard. The statement runs as follows:
The factions of the National Assembly of the Artsakh Republic [(AR)] reaffirm the emphasis of the AR NA decision of April 14, 2022 that "no authority has the right to lower the negotiating bar on an unacceptable status for Artsakh, as well as an internationally recognized right to self-determination under the pretext of "peace."
The people of Artsakh accepted their decision to self-determination and implemented it de facto in the historical cradle for more than three decades, unequivocally and in accordance with the provisions of the USSR legislation, as well as the requirements of the universal norms of international law, guided exclusively by the principles of democracy. Artsakh's right to self-determination is non-negotiable.
Despite the efforts made by the international community aimed at establishing a stable peace in the region, settling the Karabakh issue through Stepanakert-Baku negotiations, the latest statements of the leader of Azerbaijan containing threats prove that the military-political leadership of that country, ignoring the calls and decisions of authoritative international structures, is striving—through genocidal acts—to achieve its main goal: to de-Armenianize Artsakh once and for all.
We consider unacceptable the RA [(Republic of Armenia)] Prime Minister's point of view, which he voiced at the April 18 session of the RA National Assembly, according to which Armenia fully recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, trying to justify it all with one point of the working Madrid document, with the agreements reached during the well-known meetings held in Prague and Sochi in October 2022, as well as taking the Almaty Declaration of December 21, 1991 as a basis, while ignoring that the Republic of Armenia accepted that document with fundamental reservations related to the status of Nagorno-Karabakh.
In fact, the RA official frameworks separate the issue of ensuring the security of the people of Artsakh from their right to self-determination, ignoring the latter's crucial element, which is in fact consistent with the position of official Baku, thus contributing to the strengthening of Azerbaijan's open and encroaching ambitions towards the territories of Artsakh and Armenia.
We appeal on behalf of the people of the Republic of Artsakh:
We again urge the authorities of the Republic of Armenia not to deviate from the course of the RA Supreme Council's decision of July 8, 1992, at the same time drawing attention to the foreseeable prospect that the danger hanging over Artsakh's statehood is a destructive threat to Armenia's statehood as well.
To Armenians around the world: taking into account that the Republic of Artsakh is under a blockade [by Azerbaijan] for about 130 days, to fulfill—with collective and determined efforts—our national potential at any cost, standing in support of the unrelenting struggle of our people.
To the Russian Federation: to take additional diplomatic and military-political measures during the peacekeeping mission, which is very important for us, regardless of the current developments in the geopolitical situation, and to resolutely prevent the future security of the people of Artsakh from being at risk.
To the international community: not to be limited to declarations of sympathy for more than 120,000 civilians of the de facto established Artsakh Republic, in connection with the blockade by the Republic of Azerbaijan, and to resort to practical measures stipulated by international legal norms.
To the leaders of the co-chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group: regardless of possible disagreements between you, to make efforts to resume the negotiations—in the format with the only international mandate—on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.
