Armenian leaders say they have not abandoned idea of Karabakh's independence

Baku/02.09.22/Turan: On September 2, 1991, Armenian separatists declared the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh together with "attached" Shahumyan region of Azerbaijan.

Today, on the 31st anniversary of these events, Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan made a lengthy statement that justified these actions. He called this decision as "a guarantee of the protection of the security and rights of the Armenians of Artsakh."

"All statements about the non-existence of Nagorno-Karabakh as a territorial unit and the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue do not matter until the issues of security and protection of the rights of the Artsakh Armenians are irrevocably resolved, and, accordingly, the issue of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, for which the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs have a mandate approved and not canceled by the international community," Pashinyan went on.

He appealed to the international community to prevent "ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh" and promised to ensure the security of the population of Karabakh "by peaceful, civilized means."

In turn, Karabakh separatist leader Araik Harutyunyan made a statement calling September 2, 1991 a "historic day".

"After 31 years, the people of Artsakh firmly and resolutely declare that, despite all the trials of time, they are true to their decision, true to the chosen path, which is irreversible and unwavering. Artsakh must stand, be Armenian and continue its path of independence," he said.

As a matter of fact, all these statements are contrary to the content of the talks between Aliyev and Pashinyan, held a day earlier in Brussels. The main outcome of this meeting was an appeal to the Armenian side to abandon the idea of Karabakh independence and recognize the results of the Second Karabakh War. -02B-