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The Artsakh National Assembly denounced Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan late on Monday after he confirmed his plans to recognize Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) as part of Azerbaijan.

“The statement made by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at today's press conference in which he reaffirmed his readiness to incorporate Artsakh into Azerbaijan has caused great indignation and anger in the Republic of Artsakh,” the country’s parliament said in a statement unanimously adopted at an emergency session.

“In fact, with that commitment of his, Nikol Pashinyan grossly violates the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia and provisions of the Constitution on Artsakh, particularly the imperative principle of the July 8, 1992 decision of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Armenia which reads "to consider any international or domestic document in which the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh will be mentioned as part of Artsakh, unacceptable for the Republic of Armenia.”

“Once again, we reaffirm that the status of Artsakh has already been determined by the popular Declaration of December 10, 1991, and no authority has the right to cancel it.

“For us, any statement of Nikol Pashinyan ignoring the sovereignty of the Republic of Artsakh and the right of self-determination of our people, and any document drawn up on its basis, is unacceptable and null and void. Artsakh will never give up its unwavering struggle,” reads the statement.

The parliament urged the former and current presidents of Armenia and Artsakh to condemn Pashinyan’s statements.

Speaking at a news conference earlier on Monday, Pashinyan reiterated his government’s readiness to recognize “Azerbaijan's territorial integrity of 86,600 square kilometers” through a bilateral peace treaty.

“The 86,600 square kilometers include Nagorno-Karabakh,” he said.