On the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the Declaration of the Independence of the Republic of Artsakh, on September 2 the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh Sergey Ghazaryan received the delegation of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum’s Armenian National Platform at the permanent representation of Artsakh in Armenia.

The delegates, in the face of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh, congratulated the people of Artsakh on the occasion of the holiday, expressed their support for this difficult situation, including in overcoming the humanitarian crisis created by the illegal blockade by Azerbaijan, and wished them will and strength. Hovsep Khurshudyan, EaP CSF National Facilitator for Armenia, presented the activities of the Platform, including the efforts made in terms of ensuring the security and rights of the Armenians of Artsakh. He also inquired about the situation created in Artsakh as a result of the 9-month blockade of the Lachin Corridor. The Minister of Foreign Affairs presented the severe humanitarian crisis prevailing in Artsakh and the activities carried out by the authorities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in order to achieve the lifting of the blockade.

During the discussion, the delegates of the Armenian National Platform shared their observations and concerns, asked questions to the Artsakh official, and were also interested in what the Platform could do to overcome the blockade and make a more substantive contribution to the settlement of the Karabakh-Azerbaijani conflict. At the end of the meeting, the participants expressed their desire to maintain operational contact and carry out their further actions related to the settlement of the Artsakh problem in cooperation with the permanent representation of the Republic of Artsakh.

The representatives of the Platform also visited the exhibition of oil paintings about Artsakh, which opened in the Permanent Representative office.

The ANP facilitator made a note in the memory book of the Artsakh representation in Armenia.