Just a few days ago, the President of the Republic of Artsakh called on the people and authorities of Azerbaijan to put an end to the hatred and genocidal policy towards the people of Artsakh, to truly accept the principle of equality of peoples established by international law and the title and rights of the indigenous Armenian people to Artsakh and in a conversation with "Artsakhpress," the spokeswoman of the President of the Artsakh Republic, Lusine Avanesyan, stated in response to the statement made by Aliyev yesterday regarding the dissolution of state attributes in Artsakh.

"At the same time, President Harutyunyan expressed his willingness to start a dialogue in an international format, based on the norms and principles of international law, especially on the principles of equality and self-determination of peoples, non-use of force and threat of force, peaceful settlement of disputes and regulations of territorial integrity. It is not the first time Azerbaijan has spoken threateningly to the people of Artsakh after the tripartite declaration of a ceasefire; we have seen and continue to see manifestations of aggression in the form of local combat operations, blockade, energy, and other pressures. This time, the President of Azerbaijan has added illegal demands to the elected authorities of the people of Artsakh.

The President and the National Assembly hold the primary mandate of the people of Artsakh, elected on democratic principles and the basis of the Constitution of the Republic of Artsakh. And the president of Azerbaijan is well aware that the primary source of the subjectivity of Artsakh is those state institutions, and, in fact, with such demands, he recognizes the legitimacy and importance of those institutions. Along with the active international efforts to ensure lasting peace in the South Caucasus, the repeated threats of the Azerbaijani president to the people and statehood of Artsakh are aimed at undermining the perspective of the effectiveness of these efforts.

Emphasizing once again that Azerbaijan does not respect any international principles and obligations, President Harutyunyan reaffirms the provisions of his May 23 message addressed to the parties of the tripartite declaration and the UN Security Council," she said.