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Former President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan has issued a message on the Artsakh Republic Day, marked on September 2. In his message, Sargsyan notes that thirty years ago, the document on the proclamation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was adopted at the joint session of the NK central and Shahumyan regional councils in Stepanakert, which was the first important step on the way to ensuring the survival of the Artsakh-based Armenians in their historic homeland. Months later, that document was followed by the referendum on reinstating Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence.

"The Artsakh-based Armenians’ decision to take the once illegally annexed Autonomous Region of Nagorno-Karabakh out of Azerbaijan as the latter advocated and fostered Armenophobia was based on bitter lessons of history. None of us had forgotten that in 1921 another part of Armenia, Nakhichevan, was handed over to Azerbaijan in the same illegal manner resulting in pogroms, planned displacement and resettlement of Armenians in the Armenian-populated settlements of Azerbaijan and destruction of millenia-old Armenian monuments," said Sargsyan. He recalls that the same sad fate of Nakhichevan, which had been purged of Armenians, would befell Artsakh, if we failed to form self-defense units, and later on the Artsakh Defense Army, dealt a heavy blow on the invaders and threw them out of our homeland. A remarkable state-building campaign was initiated in Artsakh, which rapidly developed with the support of all Armenians.

"The war unleashed against Artsakh in 2020 and the November 9 document stealthily signed by the Capitulator who still holds the office of Prime Minister in Armenia, triggered a new round of challenging developments in Artsakh and Armenia, the consequences of which we feel every day in our border settlements. The incumbent authorities which keep promising that we may enjoy peace and will benefit from unblocked regional infrastructures, sustainable and safe development, are meant to weaken our people’s vigilance, to sow fear and distrust in our strength and eventually undermine the safety of the two Armenian states. In the meantime, Azerbaijan’s President confessed on several occasions that he was being “urged behind closed doors to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence,” the message said. 

In Sargsyan's words, they waged a challenging but victorious war in the 1990s. "I can insist today that at that time we managed to have the upper hand in a protracted, heavy and unequal war. Some say that Azerbaijan boasted more money, weaponry, ammunition and troops. That is right, but for me, the war was unequal because the strong fought against the weak, and we were strong. The freedom-lovers fought against the invaders, and we were freedom-lovers; the righteous fought against the unjust, and we were the embodiment of justice. We won because we believed in sanctity of our land and family. Similarly, we would have won the 44-day war, if the incumbent authorities had not squeezed our fighting spirit, ousted our best field commanders, mismanaged the war, failed to give vain promises of an imminent victory. As a result, part of our homeland was surrendered to the enemy, several thousands of our troops were killed and hundreds of Armenian prisoners of war were left unattended," added the former president. 

"Thirty years ago, Artsakh made a historical decision, and its status is to live safely outside of Azerbaijan, which is the legitimate right of the Artsakh-based Armenians. Any talks on the status of Artsakh should seek to enshrine that fundamental right, to achieve legal and historical justice, and bearing in mind the events of not so distant past, to prevent Artsakh from being purged of Armenian. All this will come true, if we have a strong army, highly professional diplomats and a strong faith in national values, if we keep working hard, if we glorify our heroes and victories and hold firm to our national values," according to the message.