Your trusted source

Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan has deplored European Council President Charles Michel’s latest statement which referred to Artsakh people as "Armenians living in former NKAO.”

“It is upsetting that the EU in the face of European Council President Charles Michel refers to Artsakh people as "Armenians living in former NKAO", disregarding the fact of the decades-long existence of their statehood built on the exercise of their fundamental and inalienable right to self-determination,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Such formulations, made intentionally by a union that champions human rights values worldwide, not only hurt the feelings of Artsakh people, but also bring a destructive effect to the peace process over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as they ignore its main beneficiary's rights – Artsakh people.

“The neglect of Artsakh people's will and interests and the intentional avoidance of using the term “Nagorno-Karabakh” definitely do not contribute to the peace negotiations on the initiative of the EU, but pave the way to the forced subjugation of Artsakh with a sustainable level of democracy into an Armenophobic and authoritarian state – Azerbaijan,” reads the statement.