Statement of the ARF Regarding the Meeting Between Pashinyan, Putin, and Aliyev

The Bureau of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) has issued a statement ahead of today's trilateral meeting in Moscow.

The statement reads: "The developments that have occurred since the signing of the trilateral statement on November 9, 2020, and the verbally agreed secret agreements have legitimately raised our people's dissatisfaction and doubts, which are being ignored by the person clinging to the office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia. On the eve of the meetings scheduled for January 11, 2021, in Moscow, the possibility of the same dubious capitulatory actions has given rise to new concerns, which have been expressed at both the popular level and by national and political organizations, and groups within the homeland and the diaspora.

Considering that the Prime Minister of Armenia, especially in recent months, has increasingly acted in secret, without any accountability, and also considering that the explanations provided by several ministers or other officials of Armenia cannot be deemed as guarantees that the Prime Minister will not resort to unconstitutional capitulatory actions, the Bureau of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation shares the expressed concerns and therefore declares:

Any decision or agreement reached with the participation of the Prime Minister of Armenia, against the interests of Armenia, including Artsakh and the Armenian people in general, is void from the outset. This is because the person clinging to the Prime Minister's chair has exceeded his constitutional powers and has lost his political legitimacy.

All elected or appointed officials at all levels of the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh are responsible for any unconstitutional decisions made with the participation of the Prime Minister since November 9, 2020, within the scope of their offices, which include the protection of the integrity, security, and constitutional order of the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh. These officials are obliged to make every effort to halt the catastrophic course of these unconstitutional actions by protecting our people and the interests of both states.

The most appropriate option to halt this path threatening the existence, security, and independence of the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh is a process aimed at the removal of the Prime Minister of Armenia, which will allow national unity to withstand all threats.

The war unleashed against Artsakh by Azerbaijan and Turkey on September 27, 2020, and the trilateral statement signed on November 9, 2020, have created a new situation in which the Artsakh issue remains unresolved amid new uncertainties. Therefore, the co-chairing states of the OSCE Minsk Group, mandated by the international community to mediate the resolution of this issue, are obliged to take steps to halt the plans threatening the Armenian people by Turkey and Azerbaijan, establishing stability and peace in the region, in accordance with international laws and principles for resolving the Artsakh issue."