President Sahakyan: Fate of Artsakh can’t be decided without its participation

The fate of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) cannot be decided without its participation, President Bako Sahakyan said at the opening of the Cooperation for Justice and Peace Forum of Artsakh Friends on Friday, October 11.

“Today’s event is distinguished both by its content and the participant list. This is the pioneering pro-Artsakh forum, which has brought together political, public, cultural figures, human rights advocates, scientists, analysts and journalists from different countries who support Artsakh. Here are members of the friendship groups and circles with Artsakh, representatives of administrative units and political forces having recognized the independence of the Artsakh Republic or have been cooperating with us,” the Artsakh leader said.

“Remaining true to the democratic principles and humanitarian values, you have spared no effort supporting Artsakh for years, raising awareness about and rendering objective information on our country on diverse international platforms, carrying out activities towards the development of bilateral relations and the implementation of multifaceted programs in Artsakh.”

“Building an independent, sovereign and strong state has always been the backbone of our state-building, our trinity with Armenia and the Diaspora, our commitment to democratic values and principles being among its pillars.

“The full-fledged security of Artsakh in all the dimensions is a must for us. Even the slightest decline in our security will tempt our opponents to launch a new aggression which itself is pregnant with unpredictable consequences. For this very reason security issues are top priority in the negotiation process too.

“Drawing upon the negotiation process, I would like to reaffirm our commitment to peaceful settlement of relations with Azerbaijan around the negotiation table under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group. It should be mentioned that it is impossible to achieve real progress without the restoration of the full-fledged negotiation format with the direct participation of Artsakh. Obviously, the fate of Artsakh cannot be decided without its participation and there is no return to the past, both with respect to status and borders.”