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Artsakh Republic President Arayik Harutyunyan on Sunday released a statement, responding to the recent claims of Nikol Pashinyan. The full text of his statement is provided below.

"Dear compatriots,

Touching upon the recent statements of Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict and concerns about it, especially among the Artsakh Armenians, I would like to highlight some main provisions which I have referred to many times in various messages and statements.

1. The full recognition of the right of the Artsakh Armenians to self-determination is not subject to any stipulation and concession, the exclusive owner of this issue is the Armenians of Artsakh. Therefore, only the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh are authorized to speak on behalf of the people of Artsakh.

2. The international recognition of the independence of the Republic of Artsakh is our orienting point: no government can afford to deviate from it. Hence, the people and authorities of Artsakh will never and by no means accept any status within Azerbaijan.

3. There can be no return to the past, not only in terms of status but also in terms of demographics. What coexistence can we talk about, if Azerbaijan continues to feed its society with anti-Armenian propaganda, preparing them not for peace, but for the eviction of Armenians from Artsakh? Of course, we are in favor of a peaceful settlement of the conflict and are ready to exert efforts in that direction, but the vital rights, interests and demands of our people are not subject to any speculation.

4. The territorial integrity of the Republic of Artsakh should be restored at least in the territories within which the Republic of Artsakh was proclaimed in 1991. Therefore, our occupied territories must be de-occupied and their inhabitants must be able to return to their native homes.

5. As for the security of Artsakh, we will continue our efforts towards strengthening the capabilities of the Defense Army, while the mission of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Artsakh should be stable and indefinite until the final and just settlement of the conflict and the provision of additional international security guarantees.

6. Without referring to the details of the negotiation process in the past, it should simply be noted that now the situation is much more responsible and decisive than ever. Hence, we have no right to make mistakes, otherwise, those mistakes can be fatal for Artsakh and Mother Armenia.

7. If any Armenian wants to support Artsakh, they must take into account the will and goals of the Artsakh Armenians, otherwise they should not just hinder.

8. All the authorities come and go, but our goals and positions must be firmly upheld. Unity around our national values and goals is significant, and, as I have mentioned, the orienting point of every Armenian and any government in the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict must be the will and goals of the Armenians of Artsakh.

Artsakh has been Armenian for millennia and will remain such further on. The Artsakh Armenians have enough will and strategic patience to continue that struggle. Regardless of anyone's will and opinion, I am confident that the Armenians of Artsakh will continue their just struggle for the international recognition of Artsakh's independence and the defense of the homeland."