Political Forces of Armenia and Artsakh Issue Joint Statement

The political forces of the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh have issued a joint statement, presented below:

“The results announced at the end of the recent Brussels meeting, as well as the positions expressed by N. Pashinyan in Reykjavik, have caused deep concern among the Armenian people:

In the current geopolitical situation, the artificial acceleration of Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations, especially under pressure and threats, both in form and substance, does not serve the interests of the Armenian people. Thus:

1. Any negotiation content according to which the Armenian authorities will agree to recognize Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan, ignoring the right to self-determination, lacks legal basis, as it contradicts:
   • The UN Charter,
   • The Helsinki Final Act,
   • The documents adopted during the negotiations in the only internationally recognized format of the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group,
   • The Constitution and legislation of the Republic of Armenia,
   • The Constitution of the Republic of Artsakh.
2. Nikol Pashinyan is not authorized and has no mandate to reach such agreements or make promises regarding the Artsakh negotiations and Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement, especially considering that the promises he made during the last parliamentary elections and his government's program contain completely different provisions than those stated during various international meetings and public addresses.
3. Any type of extraterritorial communication through the territory of the Republic of Armenia must be excluded.
4. Azerbaijani troops must be withdrawn immediately from the sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh.
5. The presence of Armenian prisoners of war in Azerbaijani detention facilities after the November 9, 2020 statement is a gross violation of the trilateral statement and their release is imperative, not a subject of negotiation.
6. Any potential dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert should be conducted in an internationally recognized format with clear guarantees based on the equality of the parties, not confined to any imposed agenda. Any other format is unacceptable for the people of Artsakh.
7. The processes of delimitation and demarcation must reflect the mutual de-occupied territories resulting from the first Nagorno-Karabakh war and must exclude the return of enclaves.
8. The primary obligation and mission of the international community in the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement should be to guarantee the maintenance of the ceasefire, exclude the use or threat of force, activate the internationally recognized format as a negotiation platform, and propose solutions consistent with international law.
9. Immediate steps must be taken to unblock and fully operationalize the Berdzor/Lachin corridor in accordance with the conditions established by the November 9, 2020 statement.

We, the undersigned, declare that any negotiation outcome that contradicts these principles is unacceptable and does not reflect the interests of the global Armenian community. Neither Nikol Pashinyan nor any other politician is authorized to make verbal or written promises or assume obligations differing from this agenda.”