The National Assembly of the Artsakh Republic has issued a statement, which reads:

“After the genocide of the Armenians in 1915 and the occupation of the historical cradle of the Armenian people, Turkey has been trying to do the same to the Armenians for the last hundred years.

Due to the organized struggle of the Armenian people, those deadly plans against the Armenians have always failed.

On 27 September, 2020 taking advantage of favorable international and regional conditions, Turkey and Azerbaijan, again tried to subject Armenians to genocide and perfidiously attacked the Republic of Artsak involving international terrorist groups.

As a result of forced deportation of the Armenian population from its historical homeland, thousands of people were deprived of their homeland, hundreds of National-Christian monuments were desecrated and destroyed.

We view Erdogan’s uninvited visit to the occupied territories of Artsakh, particularly the once prosperous capital Shushi, as a threat and a new attempt to show power. It is a continuation of the opening of the “trophy park” in Baku, which implies new psychological and moral pressures on the Armenian people in the post-war period.

Erdogan’s provocative action is an attempt to impede Russia’s peacekeeping activities in the region, a vicious plan to hit at the fragile stability.

Such a step by the Turkish President is a new challenge not only to Armenia and Azerbaijan, but also to Russia and Iran.

We call on international organizations, the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, in particular Russia, to curb the aggressive aspirations of Turkey, fraught with new dangers.

“In these difficult days all Armenians must unite to face and resist these new challenges.”