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February 20 marks the 36th anniversary of the Artsakh movement, which for several decades symbolized the Armenian people’s collective will and just aspirations to control their own destiny, as well as their determination to fight for national ideas, says MP Tigran Abrahamyan, the secretary of the opposition Pativ Unem faction.

On 20 February 1988, a special session of the NKAO Council of People's Deputies passed a decision to appeal to the Supreme Councils of the Azerbaijani SSR and Armenian SSR “to demonstrate a sense of deep understanding of the aspirations of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh and resolve the question of transferring NKAO from the Azerbaijani SSR to the Armenian SSR, at the same time to intercede with the Supreme Council of the USSR to reach a positive resolution on the issue of transferring the region from the Azerbaijani SSR to the Armenian SSR”.

"On 20 February 1988, the extraordinary session of the NKAO Council of People's Deputies adopted a historic decision expressing the Artsakh people’s will for free self-determination and initiating the revival of Artsakh,” Abrahamyan wrote on Facebook.

“This path was difficult and thorny, but the idea was so strong that many people gave their own lives on the way to achieve their goal. It created an opportunity for struggle and victory not only for Artsakh, but also for Armenia, as the Azerbaijani attacks targeted not only Artsakh, but also Armenia, from Meghri and Yeraskh to Tavush.

“In these challenging times for the Armenian people, this day should not be an occasion for despair or distress, but a testament that in the toughest times Armenians are able to consolidate around an idea and fight their decisive battle regardless of whether the enemy is inside or outside.

“Today's struggle is also a tribute to all those who sacrificed their lives defending Artsakh and Armenia," the MP added.