Nagorno-Karabakh Gained Independence from Soviet Azerbaijan in 1988, Sharmazanov to Pashinyan

It is shameful when a person holding the position of Prime Minister of Armenia is unaware of the history of his people and moreover distorts it. This was stated by the spokesperson of the Republican Party of Armenia, Eduard Sharmazanov, on his Facebook page.

He specifically noted: “Mr. Pashinyan, Nagorno-Karabakh gained independence from Soviet Azerbaijan back in 1988. On February 20, 1988, a decision was adopted at a session of the regional council of the People's Deputies of Nagorno-Karabakh, to mediate before the Supreme Councils of the Azerbaijani SSR and the Armenian SSR to seek the removal of the NKAR from the structure of Azerbaijan and its incorporation into Armenia.”

“On July 12, 1988, the session of the regional council of the People's Deputies of Nagorno-Karabakh decided to withdraw from the Azerbaijan SSR and declare the Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous region as the Republic of Artsakh. To inform Mr. Pashinyan, the exit of Artsakh from Soviet Azerbaijan occurred not on September 2, 1991, but in 1988. Instead of hastily writing statuses, the Prime Minister of the state would benefit from learning the history of his own people. Today marks the day of the proclamation of Artsakh's independence on September 2, 1991, which was logically concluded by the referendum on December 10, 1991, through which Artsakh gained independence from the Soviet Union (USSR).”