Dear people,

Dear compatriots,

Thirty-one years ago, on this day, the joint session of deputies of all levels of the Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Region and Shahumyan region decided on the adoption of the declaration of independence of Nagorno Karabakh by exercising the right to self-determination.

This decision of our compatriots was the answer to the existential threat, the manifestations of which were the massacres in Sumgait, Baku, and Kirovabad. This decision was made to guarantee the protection of the security and rights of Artsakh Armenians.

The declaration of independence was followed by the referendum held on December 10, 1991, the 1st Artsakh war, the 4-day war, and the 44-day war. The fact that our compatriots continue to live in Nagorno Karabakh or a part of it remained the same. And they have the right to live in their own home, in a safe environment where their rights will be protected. This is the essence of the Nagorno Karabakh problem.

All statements about the non-existence of Nagorno-Karabakh as a territorial unit and the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem are irrelevant until the issues of security and protection of the rights of the Artsakh Armenians are irrevocably addressed, and accordingly, the case of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, about which the co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group has a mandate approved by the international community and not revoked.

The international community must address the humanitarian problems caused by the 44-day war and prevent the implementation of the policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Republic of Armenia will continue to support maintaining everyday life in Nagorno-Karabakh, security, and human rights protection issues. Today, we express our appreciation to the person who embodies Nagorno-Karabakh. Our task is to ensure his inalienable right to live and create peacefully through peaceful, civilized means, through negotiation.

Today, we humbly remember our brothers and sisters who were martyred for the protection of the rights of our compatriots in Nagorno Karabakh. Our obligation to them is to ensure a peaceful Nagorno Karabakh, a peaceful Armenia, and a peaceful South Caucasus.