Artur Tovmasyan, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), made a speech at the regular session of the Parliament.
The full speech is below:
“The blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan since December 12, 2022 took a tragic turn on March 5 and June 28.
Today, June 28, from 01:30, units of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan opened fire from artillery and drones in the direction of the Artsakh positions and military facilities of Martuni and Martakert. As a result of another Azerbaijani attack, the Armenian side has 4 victims.
Eternal glory to the Armenians who lost their lives defending the borders of Artsakh and Armenia.
Let's honor the immortal memory of all martyrs with a minute of silence.
Azerbaijan is not only deliberately starving the population of Artsakh, but has also brought it to the brink of annihilation.
Dear compatriots,
Artsakh has never been and will never be a part of Azerbaijan, and any discussion about it is unacceptable for us.
It is our red line, which no one has the right to violate.
The OSCE Minsk co-chairs and the leaders of these countries must understand that the annexation of our country to Azerbaijan will lead to the depopulation and destruction of Artsakh.
We cannot change the order of the world.
Small Artsakh does not pose any danger, but the right of our people to live safely and fully is at risk. And it is unfortunate that all this happens with the tacit consent of the international community.
We highly appreciate the PACE resolution entitled ‘Ensuring free and safe access through the Lachin Corridor’, the statements in the US Congress on the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, the statement of the France-Artsakh friendship framework “Let's move from words to action”.
I think the civilized world has all the leverage to apply appropriate sanctions against the Azerbaijani regime, because Azerbaijan not only disregards, but also violates the decisions of the ECHR and the International Court of Justice.
And the people of Artsakh are determined to face the challenges of Azerbaijan and live with dignity in their own Homeland.”
