No official can dissolve Artsakh, says Information Headquarters

PanARMENIAN.Net - No official, including the head of state, has the authority to dissolve the Republic of Artsakh under its constitution, the Artsakh Information Headquarters stated, responding to the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s April 5 declaration. The ministry had asserted that the forced displacement of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh and the issuance of a dissolution decree removed the issue from Armenia-Azerbaijan interstate talks.

The Information Headquarters emphasized that the Armenian Foreign Ministry referred to a document that never existed in Artsakh’s legal system, thereby disregarding its declaration of independence, constitution, and current legislation. It also criticized Armenia for ignoring its obligations toward Artsakh and its people as a guarantor of their security.

“No official, including the head of state, is authorized to dissolve the republic. Therefore, no one can dissolve a state created by a nationwide referendum. That authority lies solely with the people of Artsakh and is inseparable from them,” the statement said.

The so-called dissolution decree was signed under extreme conditions created by Azerbaijan’s large-scale offensive, when Artsakh faced superior enemy forces alone. At the time, Azerbaijani troops were invading Stepanakert and other towns, all inter-state roads were under their control, the defense forces were largely encircled, and there was a direct threat of physical annihilation of soldiers and civilians. The only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia was blocked, necessitating urgent evacuation for safety.

The headquarters added that the repeatedly cited decree, often mentioned by certain Armenian circles, could not be considered a legitimate document. It violated Artsakh’s constitution and the Law on Normative Legal Acts, which stipulates that such acts only take effect after official publication—unless the law provides otherwise. This decree was never published on the official legal acts platform (arlexsis.am), confirming its lack of legal validity.

Furthermore, after relocating to Yerevan, President Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree on the same platform annulling the September 26, 2023 decree, citing its unpublished status and other factors.

“In light of this reality, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry faces no legal barriers to reintroducing the issue of Artsakh and its displaced indigenous population into the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization agenda. We are ready to provide the Armenian government with all substantiating documents and publish them if necessary. We once again urge all parties to refrain from referencing a document that never legally existed in Artsakh’s legal domain,” the statement concluded.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry had earlier stated: “We have repeatedly declared that in negotiations with Azerbaijan, Armenia was working to ensure the security and rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, including through the creation of an international mechanism. This also included efforts to organize meetings between Azerbaijani and Nagorno-Karabakh representatives in third countries, which were rejected by Nagorno-Karabakh. Following the forced displacement and the publication of the decree on dissolution, the issue is no longer on the Armenia-Azerbaijan interstate relations agenda.”