Nagorno-Karabakh Has Never Been Part of Independent Azerbaijan: Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh to Charles Michel

The right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination is not dependent on the opinions of individual state leaders. This was stated by the special envoy of the President of the Republic of Artsakh and former Minister of Foreign Affairs Masis Mayilyan on his Facebook page, in response to the statement made by the President of the European Council regarding the results of the trilateral meeting between Pashinyan, Michel, and Aliyev on May 14.

On May 14, the President of the European Council issued a statement on the results of negotiations between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Charles Michel noted that the parties reaffirmed their unequivocal commitment to the 1991 Almaty Declaration and the territorial integrity of Armenia (29,800 sq. km) and Azerbaijan (86,600 sq. km).

It should be noted that the 86,600 square kilometers correspond to the territory of Soviet Azerbaijan, within which Nagorno-Karabakh was illegally included as an autonomous entity in 1921. Legal arguments have been repeatedly published proving that before the adoption of the Almaty Declaration, Nagorno-Karabakh had legally detached itself from Soviet Azerbaijan and has never been part of independent Azerbaijan.

Accepting Azerbaijan's territorial integrity without clarifying that this integrity does not extend to Nagorno-Karabakh poses a challenge for us; however, it cannot in any way affect the status of Artsakh as a self-determined republic, even if it is currently unrecognized at the international level. The right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination is not dependent on the opinions of individual state leaders. The Republic of Artsakh was established based on the will of the people of Artsakh, and this will is unshakable.

It should be noted that not only the people of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian diaspora support the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination. The Republic of Artsakh has been recognized by dozens of states, regions, and cities worldwide, from Los Angeles to Sydney, with a combined population of several hundred million. In this context, the resolutions unanimously adopted by the Senate and National Assembly of France on the issue of Artsakh in 2020 and 2022 are important.

The statement of the President of the European Council is not only a challenge but also an opportunity to strengthen the international subjectivity of the Republic of Artsakh. It is evident that the international recognition of the Republic of Artsakh can become a more effective basis for a comprehensive and lasting resolution of the conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan. If international and regional actors are genuinely interested in establishing peace and stability in the South Caucasus, they are obliged to respect the expression of will of the citizens of the Republic of Artsakh,” he wrote.