«The issue of Artsakh must return to the international agenda»․ Serzh Sargsyan

Address of the Third President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on the occasion of Independence Day of the Republic of Artsakh

On September 2, 1991 Artsakh declared its independence in accordance with all legal and international norms that were applicable at the time. The Armenians of Artsakh, who thirty-two years later, in September 2023 were subjected to ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan and driven out from their ancestral home through the most repulsive methods, have every right to return in dignity; at this moment, there exist all necessary international mechanisms for the implementation of their inalienable rights.

Those, who believe that the page of the Armenian Artsakh is closed and disregard the rights and opportunities for the return of the Armenians of Artsakh, openly promote interests of the enemy who maintains that viewpoint; they discredit the memory of those who fell for Artsakh, also a dedicated mission of the majority of our people who went through the unimaginable sufferings to live in freedom and independence.

The issue of Artsakh must return to the international agenda. If all necessary efforts are made, if all possible means are employed persistently, we will be able to succeed. It is obvious that to achieve that, it is essential first of all to work relentlessly at the state level guided by the national interest, and it is important to have the authorities which manifest such perspective. Regretably, the current authorities move down the road which leads the issue of Artsakh to oblivion; they are abjuring.

The civilized world, which advocates basic human rights and freedoms cannot and should not remain indifferent to the fate of a large part of the Armenian people who have been forcibly expelled and deprived of their ancestral home where they lived for millennia.