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“Our pledge to recognize the Nagorno Karabakh independence didn’t mean we planned to do so on the first day of a war,” former President Serzh Sargsyan stated at a pass conference on Wednesday, responding to a question why Armenia didn’t recognize Artsakh during the April war. The president was reminded of his previous statement delivered in 2015 at the UN General Assembly about the readiness to recognize Artsakh should Azerbaijan continue its aggressive policy.

“The military actions in April 2016 lasted for 4 days. Should they continue  we would recognize the Karabakh independence according to our commitment that the Armed Forces of Armenia remain the guarantor of the Nagorno Karabakh security, and that Armenia should do everything to protect the population of Nagorno Karabakh,” Sargsyan said.

In Sargsyan’s words, the Azerbaijani attacks were suppressed on the first day of the April escalation, and additional actions such as formal recognition could impede the future diplomatic successes.  

“I believe that in case of a large-scale war today, the Republic of Armenia is obliged to recognize the independence Nagorno Karabakh. The move will come not as an occasion but a justified decision based on the situation,” added Sargsyan.