Yerevan /Mediamax/. Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan will resign on September 1.

In his resignation message Arayik Harutyunyan said:

“I assumed the authorities of the President of Artsakh on May 21, 2020 after being elected by the people of Artsakh.

From the very next day, I started working on strengthening Artsakh’s defense capability, ensuring the inviolability of Artsakh’s borders. Unfortunately, just four months later, the 44-day war was unleashed by Azerbaijan and ended with our defeat.

We may put all the blame for the defeat on the President of Artsakh who was in office for four months, and I do not reject responsibility at all, but believe me, each of us had his share of responsibility, each according to his status and abilities.

I assure you that the situation was no less difficult even after the 44-day war, and the created situation did not require less responsibility.

Artsakh was on the verge of destruction, and again there was an extreme need to ensure internal stability. It seemed that post-war depression and psycho-physiological stress must have defeated me, but I found the strength to take responsibility even then. Throughout that time, I have addressed all my potential to strengthen the internal stability in Artsakh, to prevent the rise in crime, to ensure the return of Artsakh citizens, to preserve the constitutional order of the country and the foundations of statehood. We did not succeed in some issues, but in general, in the shortest possible time, we not only straightened the country’s hunched back, but also brought stability.

Maybe that was the reason why Azerbaijan - ready to destroy us at any cost and commit genocide - blockaded Artsakh from December 12, 2022 and from June 15, 2023 completely sieged. It also happened because, despite the daily provocations and repressions against the people of Artsakh, our people continued their sacred work of building Artsakh.

For almost nine months now, Artsakh has been under the Azerbaijani blockade, and the people of Artsakh, taken hostage, are being subjected to open genocide. During this time, we have taken all possible measures to present the situation to the world and to receive the support of the international community. Twice the issue was discussed at the UN Security Council. Twice the UN International Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights ruled to unblock Artsakh. A number of statements and calls were made by hundreds of international institutions. However, the aggressive behavior of Azerbaijan was not prevented in any way. Today’s unstable geopolitical situation in the world, regional events and forecasted developments, phenomena happening in and around Artsakh, Artsakh’s internal political and social atmosphere directly suggest that there is a need to change approaches and steps, to show flexibility. In order to achieve the above, it is necessary to change the main actors in Artsakh, starting with me.

My biography and Azerbaijan’s attitude towards it artificially create a number of conditions that cause significant problems from the point of view of building our next steps and conducting a flexible policy. In addition, the defeat in the war and the subsequent difficulties in the country have significantly reduced the trust in the authorities, especially the President, which has seriously hindered the further course of proper governance.

Therefore, the change must start with me. Tomorrow I will present my resignation from the post of President of the Republic of Artsakh to the people and the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh. I made this final decision two days ago, taking into account my interactions with all internal and external actors and the general public in recent weeks. This is a considered decision made solely by me based on the results of the analysis of the data I have.”