News - Karabakh parliament 3 factions: Russian peacekeeping troops’ withdrawal from Artsakh is unacceptable

The process of the withdrawal of the Russian peacekeeping contingent from the territory of the Republic of Artsakh occupied by Azerbaijan, which started a few days ago, is very worrying for the 150 thousand Artsakh citizens who were displaced from their homeland months ago under the real threat of genocide. The three factions of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) National Assembly noted this in a statement they released Friday. The statement continues as follows: "For the legitimate authorities elected by the people of the Republic of Artsakh and factions of the National Assembly, the issue of dignified and collective return has been and continues to be a priority in the previous months, in which the assurance of our fundamental rights and safety is of cornerstone importance. After September 27, 2020, our region has ended up in the realm of serious transformations, and the situation created after the 44-day war [in that year] does not in any way guarantee the expected and promised lasting peace and stability. The people of Artsakh, regardless of their will, found themselves in the trap of the provisions of the Trilateral Declaration of November 9, 2020 and believed in the assurances of the high leadership of the Russian Federation to ensure their safety. We are forced to record with pain and regret that the fate of the people of Artsakh became a matter of secondary importance for all the parties that signed the Trilateral Declaration, due to which the  Artsakh was completely de-Armenianized in September 2023. At the same time, it is obvious that the absence of an international presence in Artsakh will give additional freedom to the military and political leadership of Azerbaijan, which is implementing a policy of destroying ‘everything Armenian’ and erasing the Armenian trace in general. In such a situation, the centuries-old Armenian spiritual, cultural monuments, Armenian property, and national property will be under threat. It is an inalienable right of the people of Artsakh to live safely and securely in their millennium-old homeland with international guarantees, the preservation of all rights and freedoms, and the three factions of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh are concerned that the withdrawal of international organizations from Artsakh in general, and the withdrawal of Russian peacekeeping contingent in particular, puts that right at risk. At the same time, we consider it important to emphasize that making such decisions without discussions with the representatives of the native people of the region, the Artsakh Armenians, is unacceptable and cannot in any way contribute to the establishment of stable, long-term peace, and the resolution of the problem. Based on the above, the [three] factions of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh urge the relevant structures of the RF [(Russian Federation)] and their persons in charge to immediately start consultations and discussions with the legally elected representatives of the people of Artsakh about the real reasons for the withdrawal of the RF peacekeeping troops from the territory of the Republic of Artsakh, the catastrophic situation created as a result, the many challenges caused, and on making the necessary efforts to overcome them. Yerevan 04. 2024 Justice Faction ARF Dashnaktsutyun Faction Democratic Party of Artsakh Faction."