The daily newspaper “Zhoghovurd” writes: The self-determination of the people of Artsakh and the recognition of the inalienable right of the Armenians of Artsakh to self-determination have always been the cornerstone of the settlement of the Artsakh conflict and negotiations on it.

And what is the right of nations to self-determination? It is a fundamental principle of modern international law.

According to the Charter of the United Nations and the Convention on Human Rights, the right to self-determination is understood as the possibility of unilateral action aimed at the freedom of the people and the specific political status of the administrative territory, without any context nor limitation.

Artsakh exercised its right to free self-determination during the 1991 independence referendum. The self-determination of the people of Artsakh and the formation of an international consensus on this matter were the priority of the Armenian side during the 30 years of negotiations.

The negotiation process may have been thrown into disarray after the 44-day war of 2020, when the Armenian side’s negotiating positions were completely shaken.

The authorities of the Republic of Armenia, having made an irreversible mistake, gave the green light to the aggression and military operations of Baku, which gave rise to today’s painful situation, where Artsakh is completely depopulated, and from January 1 it will generally be disbanded.

Zhoghovurd daily asked Metakse Hakobyan, member of the National Assembly of Artsakh, whether he considers it possible to put the issue of the right to self-determination on the agenda even in these conditions, and what measures should officials and deputies take? Are the displaced people of Artsakh who are heading in this direction preparing? Call an NA session with this agenda and ask a question.

“Even in this situation, no one can prove that the Artsakh question is closed, that Artsakh cannot exist, that the people of Artsakh are scattered across the world, that everything is over. But now that we are at a stage where we are still organizing ourselves, we must be able to assess the situation soberly and calmly, so that each step is calculated and based on reality.

“I do not exclude anything at this stage, but it will take time to organize all this and take calculated steps,” said the MP from the Republic of Artsakh.

The government of Western Armenia has already declared in the declaration of September 25, 2023 that it does not accept or recognize any statement made orally or signed by anyone, which contradicts Artsakh, which is a province of State of Armenia, which the Republic of Western Armenia recognized as its province by its own decree. Artsakh exists, it exists, because there are its indigenous people with their culture, their writing and their millennia-old literature.

This is a temporary pause in the process of establishing a final and unified state of the Armenian people. Victory is near.