Artsakh Can Never Have Any Status Within Azerbaijan: Gegham Stepanyan

There is a clear line established for Artsakh: it cannot be part of Azerbaijan under any status. This was stated by Gegham Stepanyan, the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh, during NEWS.am's "Power Factor" program.

“In this case, it was very natural for the political body of Artsakh to react to the thoughts expressed in the Armenian parliament. A clear boundary has been drawn that Artsakh cannot be part of Azerbaijan. We clarify our position as follows: for the protection of the rights and freedoms of the people of Artsakh, it can never have any status within Azerbaijan. The lowest threshold we can set is that the rights of the people of Artsakh cannot exist without the right to self-determination. Beyond this, there are no other rights,” said Gegham Stepanyan.

According to Stepanyan, the rights of the people of Artsakh include the right of self-determination, even if no emphasis is placed on it. Conversely, he believes that thinking otherwise is a delusion.

“The military crimes and acts of genocide from the 44-day war are clear indicators that the people of Artsakh, being part of Azerbaijan, cannot have guaranteed rights, even if the most capable peacekeeping forces and international organizations are deployed in Artsakh. This is not an emotional assessment; this is a fact. For 30 years, a generation raised in hatred—how can they guarantee the rights of those persons against whom they are filled with animosity?” emphasized Stepanyan.

Gegham Stepanyan also noted that a radio station has been launched in the city of Shushi, which broadcasts several times a day in the Armenian language, trying to demonstrate that the rights of the Armenian minority are supposedly protected. “However, the content of the provided material is entirely based on hatred, meaning they are propagating hatred in Armenian,” he added.