As long as these authorities are in power in Armenia, return to Artsakh will be impossible – Arega Hovsepyan

These authorities have long been trying—and will continue trying—to close the chapter on Artsakh but, as I like to say, Artsakh is not something Nikol brought from his father’s home to give away or to close its chapter, said Arega Hovsepyan, a public figure from Artsakh, in an interview with Alpha News.

“Artsakh was the guarantor of Armenia’s security, and Armenia was the guarantor of Artsakh’s security. It was a mutually connected security system that cannot function without the other—and life has proven that. We saw that after the depopulation of Artsakh, Azerbaijani troops entered Armenian territory and remain there to this day. Pashinyan will be held accountable for his statements, because they are declarations of state treason. The Constitution itself affirms that Artsakh is Armenian and that the Republic of Armenia is the guarantor of Artsakh’s security,” she said.

Speaking about the possibility of Artsakh Armenians returning to Artsakh, Hovsepyan added, “Of course, that will be impossible if these authorities remain in power in Armenia. If the authorities are closing or trying to close the Artsakh chapter, the return of Artsakh Armenians will be impossible. But at the very least, we see that even under these conditions, there are international actors who speak about the rights of Artsakh Armenians, about their collective and dignified return. Of course, this is a very complex and comprehensive issue. No one claims it will happen in a day or even tomorrow. It requires tremendous and diligent work to achieve that goal but at the very least, that goal must be set in order to become reality.”