Former Armenian Prime Minister Vazgen Manukyan has called on the people in Armenia’s Syunik region to arm themselves and protect the country given the immenent threat that Azerbaijan will pose after it’s is done with the Nagorno-Karabakh.

Addressing thousands of protesters gathered on Republic Square in Yerevan, he said that we are now in a period when the Armenian people understand that Nagorno-Karabakh is being destroyed and the same will happen to Armenia soon.

"They [Azerbaijan] will say that the enclaves are ours and whoever is there is an aggressor, a separatist, they will bring in the army for those “bad” people, they will try to take Syunik. And I would call on the people of Syunik to arm themselves. Arm yourself, form squads, don't just rely on the army. The army is strong, but it is in the hands of a man who uses it as he pleases. Arm yourself, defend your country, and let us try to protect our country by replacing the government here," he said.

Azerbaijan launched a large-scale attack against Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19, among the casualties and wounded are civilians. On September 20, it became known that the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh accepted the proposal of the command of the Russian peacekeeping mission regarding the cessation of fire.

Proposal by Azerbaijan envisages the withdrawal of the remaining units and servicemen of the RA Armed Forces from the deployment zone of the Russian peacekeeping troops and the dissolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh armed formations, the complete disarmament of the Defense Army, as well as the withdrawal of heavy equipment and weapons from the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh in order to quickly eliminate them.

In addition, on Thursday, the representatives of Artsakh and Azerbaijan will meet in Yevlakh, a city in Azerbaijan located about 100 km northeast of Stepanakert, and the issues of ensuring the security of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians will be discussed.