Artsakh Foreign Ministry Issues Statement

The Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Artsakh has issued a statement in connection with the 30th anniversary of the occupation of the Shahumyan region of Artsakh.

The statement reads:

“Thirty years ago, on June 12, 1992, the armed forces of Azerbaijan captured the Shahumyan region of the Republic of Artsakh. This ancient region of Artsakh, which has played a significant role in the history of Armenian statehood and the national liberation struggle, and was one of the founding subjects of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, was seized by the enemy, and the local population was subjected to genocidal actions. As a result of the aggression, we suffered significant losses.

Due to the occupation of the Shahumyan region, a large part of the population was forced to leave their historical homeland and settle abroad. The pain of dispossession has not healed in the hearts of both the residents of Shahumyan and the entire Artsakh Armenian community and the Armenian people. We will never come to terms with the loss of the Shahumyan region. The question of the de-occupation of Shahumyan remains on the external political agenda of the Republic of Artsakh. Shahumyan has been, is, and will always remain an integral part of Artsakh.”