VIDEO: A Video of the Secret Agreement Between Armenia and Artsakh from 1993 is Circulating Online

A video purporting to show the signing of a secret agreement between Armenia and Artsakh in 1993 is circulating online. In the video, the first President of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, speaks during the signing of the agreement.

According to the video, the secret agreement (1993) states that Artsakh agrees to the OSCE (formerly CSCE) Minsk Group's peace initiative, committing to fully comply with all requirements of the peace plan applicable to it and to punish those who violate it.

Under the agreement, Armenia commits to take on the role of guarantor of the implementation of the peace plan and the security of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, deploying all its military capabilities if necessary. Armenia also commits to exclude the possibility of ceding the Lachin region to Azerbaijan in further negotiations, as well as the demilitarization and disarmament of the Nagorno-Karabakh armed forces. Armenia is also obligated to consistently fight for an acceptable legal status for Nagorno-Karabakh's participation.

The signatories of the agreement were Georgi Petrosyan, the acting President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Robert Kocharian, the head of the State Defense Committee of Nagorno-Karabakh, and Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the President of Armenia. The latter also suggested remaining in Stepanakert as a hostage for 10 days.

In 1994, Nagorno-Karabakh was internationally recognized as an equal party to the conflict at the OSCE Budapest Summit, and in 1997, under the phased proposal presented on behalf of the OSCE Minsk Group, the Lachin region remained under the control of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. This was the only settlement option officially accepted by Azerbaijan, as well as by Armenia, while Artsakh refused to sign it.

By 1997, Armenia had already fulfilled all obligations assumed under the secret agreement. However, in that same year, Artsakh refused to sign the aforementioned settlement option. The crisis led to the resignation of the Armenian President, changing the Armenian philosophy regarding the resolution, which led to Artsakh losing its internationally recognized status as an equal party to the conflict. Subsequently, the issue began to be perceived as a territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, resulting in a shift in the balance of power and the gradual loss of almost everything.