November 9, an extraordinary sitting of the Republic of Artsakh National Assembly was convened, chaired by the President of the Parliament Artur Tovmasyan.

The only issue on the agenda was the Statement of the Republic of Artsakh National Assembly "On the Inalienable Right of the People of Artsakh to Live Free and Independent".

Before moving on to the question on the agenda the NA President Artur Tovmasyan

referred to the anniversary of the day, emphasizing the brutal and insidious goals shown by Azerbaijan in the three Artsakh wars and the undeniable feat of the devotees of the motherland and the message left by them: "The message left by all of them is one - to live, create and become strong on this land. Therefore, we must overcome that pain by living and strengthening our Motherland, so that the name and work of our heroes live forever.”

Those present honored the memory of the Armenians who died in all the wars in Artsakh with a minute of silence.

In his speech, the head of parliament condemned another provocative criminal act of the Azerbaijani side against the civilian population, which took place yesterday, November 8.

The parliament unanimously adopted the Statement of the Republic of Artsakh National Assembly "On the Inalienable Right of the People of Artsakh to Live Free and Independent". The full text of the Statement is presented below:

ARTSAKH REPUBLIC NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

STATEMENT

ON THE

INALIENABLE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE OF ARTSAKH

TO LIVE FREE AND INDEPENDENT

In the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan, Turkey and with the support of international terrorist groups, having ignored the fundamental principles of international law, carried out aggression against the Republic of Artsakh and as a result of the 44-day war occupied most of the territory of the republic.

Thousands of families have been deprived of their homeland due to the forcible deportation of the population of Artsakh from its historical homeland, hundreds of national-cultural and Christian monuments were desecrated or destroyed.

A year ago, on November 9, through the mediation of the Russian Federation President, with the ceasefire established in the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict zone, the bloodshed was stopped. Nevertheless, we strongly believe that the threat to the physical security of the people of Artsakh can be prevented and lasting peace can be established between the peoples of the region only with the restoration of the territorial integrity of the Artsakh Republic, in case of the return of our captive compatriots and forcibly displaced persons to their homes and the settlement of the conflict on the basis of the right of nations to self-determination.

We call on the international community represented by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, to take urgent steps to resume the negotiation process with the participation of the Artsakh authorities in order to ensure a comprehensive solution to the problem.

Commemorating the memory of all the perished who sacrificed their lives for the motherland and recording the legitimacy of the proclamation of the sovereignty of Artsakh and the subsequent processes and compliance with international and domestic legal norms, the National Assembly of the Artsakh Republic, as the highest representative body, reaffirms the commitment undertaken in 1988 to preserve a free and independent Artsakh and the determination of the people of the Artsakh Republic in defending his right to live and create freely in his native land.

09 th November  2021

Stepanakert