No One Has the Right to Determine Our Children's Future: Statement from Arkadi Ghukasian and Bako Sahakyan

The behavior and stance of the current authorities of the Republic of Armenia, aligned with the wishes of Azerbaijan on fate-defining issues for the people of Artsakh, is unacceptable. This was stated in a joint declaration by the second President of the Republic of Artsakh Arkadi Ghukasian and the third President Bako Sahakyan.

“In recent years, there have been numerous incomprehensible actions by the Armenian authorities that cast doubt on the statehood of Artsakh. We have tried through available channels to warn about the devastating consequences of such behavior. It is regrettable to note that our warnings have not had a sobering effect. Due to numerous failures, we stand today before collapsed negotiations, a disastrous war, and now the pressure to fulfill all the demands and whims of the adversary.”

For a long time, we have sought to adhere to the political tradition established among the political elites of the two Armenian republics, where not intervening in each other's internal affairs has been considered a manifestation of political correctness. However, what was articulated by the current Prime Minister of Armenia today has shaken the foundations of Armenian statehood, specifically violating the obligation to be the protector of the rights of the whole Armenian nation.

Thanks to the centuries-old struggle of our ancestors and the national-liberation struggle of Artsakh formed on that foundation, a new quality of national dignity has risen, which no one has the right to undermine, regardless of their position and status. No one has the moral right to decide our future and that of our children.

Artsakh has not accepted and will not accept the approaches presented today by the Prime Minister of Armenia and, just as it has fought in the past, will now fight by all possible means for the right to live with dignity in its homeland. We believe that, as in previous years, the entire Armenian nation will stand by the people of Artsakh,” the statement says.

Arkadi Ghukasian, Second President of the Republic of Artsakh
Bako Sahakyan, Third President of the Republic of Artsakh
May 22, 2023, Stepanakert