Shahramanyan reveals testimony on Аzerbaijani ultimatum

PanARMENIAN.Net - During a court hearing over the lawsuit filed by the fifth President of Artsakh, Samvel Shahramanyan, against Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports and the author of a 9th-grade history textbook, his testimony regarding Azerbaijan’s ultimatum was disclosed.

Shahramanyan’s lawyer, Roman Yeritsyan, presented the statement at a press conference, Panorama.am reports.

According to the testimony, Shahramanyan said: “After military operations ceased, the Azerbaijani side issued an ultimatum demanding that the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh adopt a self-dissolution declaration. The leadership of the Republic of Artsakh avoided this by issuing a public statement, which helped neutralize the threat to the physical safety of the population and facilitated their evacuation from the territory of Artsakh.”

After relocating to Armenia, Shahramanyan reportedly stated in various public appearances that no such decree exists. Furthermore, he argued that such a decree would contradict the laws of Artsakh and that no governmental body has the legal authority to adopt such an act. It is also absent from the Republic of Artsakh’s official legal information system.

The statement in question, which was released after Shahramanyan arrived in Armenia, aimed to nullify references to the so-called decree and prevent further misuse of the issue. According to Shahramanyan, the textbook’s authors failed to consider this fact, as it is not mentioned in the textbook.

In September 2025, lawyer Roman Yeritsyan had announced that a lawsuit was filed on behalf of Shahramanyan, disputing a claim in a 9th-grade history textbook that the President of Artsakh had signed a decree to dissolve the republic. Although the court rejected the claim, Yeritsyan said the ruling included key findings, including that such a decree was issued under duress and therefore holds no legal power.