APPEAL of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic)

THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH
10 December, 2024
APPEAL
of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh
(Nagorno-Karabakh Republic)
to the United Nations and UN Member States
On the Return of Artsakh’s Indigenous People to Their Historical Homeland and the Recognition of the
Republic of Artsakh’s Independence
The National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh as a representative body legitimately elected by the
people of Artsakh, in the Appeal unanimously adopted on July 27, 2023 applied to the world community and
the United Nations Member States calling upon them to recognize the independence of the Republic of
Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) for the sake of Salvation (Remedial Recognition).
Unfortunately, the UN Security Council Member States and other international actors failed to take adequate
measures to protect the population from genocide (Responsibility to Protect). They did not give due
attention to the warnings contained in the appeal by the Parliament of Artsakh regarding the grave
existential threats faced by the people of Artsakh, nor did they adequately prevent Azerbaijan’s criminal
actions, including its military aggression against Artsakh in September 2023, which culminated in the
annexation of the entire territory of the Republic of Artsakh through ethnic cleansing and genocidal actions.
Before launching its latest military aggression against Artsakh, Azerbaijan, for ten months, in violation of
the provisions of the Trilateral Statement of November 9, 2020, particularly Article 6 – blocked the sole
extraterritorial and internationally recognized Lachin Corridor, which connects Artsakh with Armenia. This
blockade rendered it impossible to supply essential goods such as food, baby formula, and medicine, while
ignoring the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights on December 21, 2022, and the International
Court of Justice on February 22, 2023, and July 6, 2023, regarding the illegal blockade of the Lachin
Corridor.
The unpunished behavior of Azerbaijan’s military and political leadership emboldens others. Each day, the
world plunges further into new crises, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent people.
Driven by a policy of forcibly incorporating Artsakh into its territory and with an overt intention to erase the
Armenian presence in the region, Azerbaijan keeps destroying or appropriating cultural values created by
the Armenian people over millennia. It illegally resettles Armenian villages and cities with a history
spanning thousands of years, and continues to hold dozens of our compatriots hostage, including members
of the political and military leadership.
The only way to halt this criminal and inhumane policy and ensure the return of Artsakh’s citizens to their
historical homeland is the recognition of the Republic of Artsakh’s independence by the UN Member States.
In 1991, as the Soviet Union disintegrated, the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh exercised their right to self-
determination in full compliance with international law, the then-valid USSR Constitution, and the laws
governing the secession of Union republics and autonomous entities, not infringing territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan.
Before the recognition of the independence of the Republic of Artsakh by the international community and
the creation of safe conditions for the return of the Armenian indigenous population to their historical
homeland, it is necessary, through the relevant agencies of the UN, to immediately stop the ongoing looting
and barbaric destruction of the capital Stepanakert, other towns and villages, as well as Armenian
cemeteries, churches, monasteries, and other objects of historical and cultural heritage. Furthermore, the
inviolability of the forcibly abandoned movable and immovable property of Artsakh’s population, all state
and municipal buildings and structures, industrial enterprises, and commercial objects must be ensured.
The National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh, as the highest representative body with a primary
mandate,
HEREBY APPEALS TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AND CALLS ON UN MEMBER
STATES:
Guided by the principle of the right of nations to self-determination enshrined in the UN Charter, and based
on the Declaration “On the Proclamation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic” of September 2, 1991, the
results of the national referendum on independence held on December 10, 1991, and the Declaration of State
Independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic of January 6, 1992, to recognize the independence of the
Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) to enable the return of Artsakh’s indigenous people to
their historical homeland.
The recognition of the independence of the Republic of Artsakh by the member states of the United Nations
is the only way to restore historical justice. It will become a reliable guarantee for the protection of our
people, facilitate the dignified and secure return of 150 000 Armenians to their historical homeland within
internationally recognized borders, create favorable conditions for normal life in their historical places of
residence, and ensure stability, long-term, and sustainable peace in the South Caucasus region.
Unanimously adopted by the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh
December 10, 2024