President of Artsakh Issues Statement

President of Artsakh Araik Harutyunyan has issued a statement: "Continuing from my decision announced on July 17 to join the sit-in that started at Renaissance Square, I would like to highlight the following intermediate results and further actions.

1. During this period, the international pressure on Azerbaijan has increased as a result of our public and closed-format efforts and initiatives, which has also been reflected in a number of international statements and actions.

2. We have succeeded in raising the level of international awareness and attention. The main event in this direction was my urgent press conference held on July 24, which was attended by a considerable number of journalists—around 100 from the international and diaspora media across 35 countries, including representatives from the world's leading media outlets. The outcomes of the conference have already been reflected in various publications since yesterday.

3. Considering the severe situation and utilizing the opportunity presented by the press conference, I declared Artsakh a disaster zone, calling on the international community to provide urgent humanitarian assistance. The first response has been the decision of the Government of the Republic of Armenia to send significant humanitarian aid to Artsakh today to save the people from disaster. Either Azerbaijan will open the Lachin (Kashatagh) corridor to allow this humanitarian assistance, or by repeatedly obstructing the entry of humanitarian cargoes into the disaster zone, it will reaffirm the genocidal essence of its policy to the world.

4. We call upon other countries and international organizations (first and foremost, the relevant agencies of the UN) to follow the example of the Republic of Armenia and provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the people of Artsakh within the framework of their international obligations.

5. As a result of our efforts, a tripartite meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan took place yesterday in Moscow; however, the outcomes are unacceptable for us.

6. At the same time, we anticipate other meetings and events in the coming days that we hope will ensure tangible results in addressing this disastrous situation. In this regard, we are demonstrating respective initiative and responsibility within the framework of our limited capabilities.

7. We urge the authorities of the Republic of Armenia to make maximum efforts to implement the International Court of Justice's order of February 22 and to appeal to the UN Security Council for guaranteeing the security of the people of Artsakh to ensure tangible results.

8. We ask and urge our compatriots in the Republic of Armenia and the Diaspora to exert pressure through persistent efforts on the key actors of the international community, especially the governments of the permanent members of the UN Security Council (Russia, the USA, France, the UK, and China), as well as on the UN bodies and the European Union using all available means to draw attention and push for urgent action. These can include civil disobedience, awareness-raising, protests, and other actions employing strict and unconventional methods within the limits of legality.

9. Pressure to open the Lachin corridor should be intensified using both political, humanitarian, and possible other tools. In this regard, the authorities of Artsakh are discussing all possible scenarios and steps to be implemented depending on the developments.

10. Considering that my sit-in, the nationwide movement, and all other efforts have already achieved certain results regarding attracting international attention and pushing for practical actions, I have decided to halt the sit-in and continue my efforts in an emergency working mode. At the same time, sit-ins and other actions continue to be held by other compatriots within the nationwide movement, and I will regularly meet with them to jointly discuss our next steps."