Significant Historical Fact Regarding the Right to Self-Determination of Armenians in Artsakh: Armenian Human Rights Defender

The Armenian Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan has stated on his Facebook page: "A significant historical fact regarding the self-determination right of Armenians in Artsakh is that during the period of the Sovietization of Armenia, on November 30, 1920, the Azerbaijani government issued a declaration stating that there no longer existed any border issue between Soviet Azerbaijan and Soviet Armenia. Zangezur and Nakhichevan would pass to Armenia, while the mountainous part of Karabakh would be granted the right to self-determination. The decree was published on December 2 in the Baku newspaper 'Communist'."

Furthermore, after that, the Azerbaijani government announced: "From today, the disputes regarding borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan are declared null and void. Nagorno-Karabakh, Zangezur, and Nakhichevan are considered parts of the Armenian SSR." The decision-appeal was published in the December 7, 1920 issue of the Yerevan 'Communist' newspaper.

It is also noteworthy that on June 3, 1921, the Caucasian Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) tasked the government of Soviet Armenia to declare by proclamation about the belonging of Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. The bureau's decision was unanimously adopted, including among those in favor was the President of the Azerbaijani government, N. Narimanov."