Artsakh MPs Propose Granting State Language Status to Russian

Artsakh MPs are proposing to grant state language status to Russian. A draft amendment to the "Language Law" has been posted on the official website of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh, which states that both literary Armenian and Russian can have state language status.

“Considering the historical memory of the cultural, military, and economic relations between Artsakh and Russia, and the fact that Russian serves as a second language for many Artsakh residents, we consider it important to re-evaluate the quality of these relations and to form a new agenda. In this context, we prioritize raising the status of the Russian language, which will create necessary conditions to deepen cooperation in all sectors and, in the near future, will contribute to the development of relations within a legal framework,” the justification section of the draft law states.

The understanding of the necessity for the prolonged presence of Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh and the joint resolution of numerous social and communication issues, alongside cooperation in construction, healthcare, education, and science, require a re-assessment of the role of the Russian language.

It is this consideration that necessitates introducing several new amendments to the laws on "Amendments to the Language Law" and "Amendments to the Law on Television and Radio,"