President of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Arayik Harutyunyan issued a statement which reads:
“Dear compatriots,
It’s been five days already, since Azerbaijan is keeping the 120,000 population of Artsakh in total blockade with an "emotional" and attention-grabbing agenda, flavoured with fake environmental pretexts, thus putting the Armenians of Artsakh in front of a humanitarian disaster. However, as we can see, the people of Artsakh do not kneel and honourably overcome the current processes, which are incompatible with the 21st century and almost unimaginable for civilized people, as well as the difficulties, sufferings, and humanitarian consequences arising from them.
In this regard, on behalf of the people of the Artsakh Republic, I declare:
• The people of Artsakh are supporters and advocates of peace, stability and neighborly relations between peoples in the region.
• The people of Artsakh are open to the discussion of any question and problem, to free dialogue, are willing to build and anticipate constructive relations formed on the basis of mutual respect of rights.
• We consider the use of coercion, demonstration and use of force as unacceptable and we call for the final rejection of the idea of depopulating Artsakh, which was the reason for the initiation of the Artsakh Liberation Struggle and is an integral part of the Azerbaijani state policy. In that case only will the will to achieve peace be appreciated, and peace be sincere, real, and tangible.
• The people of Artsakh have adopted a decision to resist the encroachment against their rights and to bear the physical deprivation inflicted on us with dignity, thereby neutralizing all possible attempts to impose concessions and conditions constraining the decision-making on Mother Armenia.
• We express our gratitude to the Republic of Armenia and our compatriots in the Diaspora, who are speaking out and informing the international community about the crime being committed against the citizens of the Artsakh Republic these days, initiating legal processes, simply encouraging and giving strength to the people of Artsakh.
• We convey our gratitude to the Russian peacekeeping contingent for remaining faithful to their mission. The peacekeepers have been standing by the people of Artsakh firmly and resolutely for days, without paying tribute to provocations, demonstrative insults and contemptuous attitude. We highly appreciate the conscious steps taken by the peacekeepers to alleviate the humanitarian problems of our people, we will continue our struggle and will never be a tool to put pressure on the Russian Federation or damage its reputation, because we are sure that the Russian Federation has the irrevocable will to solve the problems diplomatically and through dialogue.”
