Artsakh President opposes  dissolution  of OSCE Minsk Group   

ArmInfo. Artsakh President Samvel Shahramanyan spoke out against the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group and said that he had not had any contact with  Armenian authorities since the forced displacement. This was stated by Nagorno-Karabakh President Samvel Shahramanyan to journalists at the Artsakh representative office on April 18, in response to a question  about whether Armenian authorities were pressuring him.

"Since the forced displacement, I have had no contact with Armenian  authorities. If you consider this pressure, then yes, pressure is  being exerted," he said, adding that such behavior is unacceptable  and the people of Artsakh must be taken into account. He also noted  that they are treated as strangers.  Shahramanyan once again rejected  speculations about the abolition of Artsakh, recalling that they have  already expressed their position on this matter, and on the  statements of the Foreign Ministry and other pro- government forces.

Touching upon the accusations made by Armenian authorities regarding  the rejection of talks by Artsakh authorities with Azerbaijani  representatives in Sofia and Bratislava he noted "Arayik Harutyunyan  was the President of Artsakh, and during the National Security  Council meeting we discussed the possibility of a trip to Sofia, and  gave a positive answer. In addition, 15 days later, an offer to meet  in Bratislava was received, which we accepted. Our delegation even  bought tickets to go there, but Azerbaijan refused to participate.  These speculations are simply immoral, since the representatives of  Artsakh have held direct talks with Azerbaijan at different times."  Shahramanyan also mentioned that such statements are an effort to  shift blame for their diplomatic setbacks onto others. He also  addressed the statement of the Prime Minister of Armenia that the  Artsakh page is closed, emphasizing that the Artsakh page cannot be  considered closed until the Artsakh people are forcibly deported and  deprived of the opportunity for a dignified return to their homeland.

 "Regarding the issue of dissolving the OSCE Minsk Group, we are  opposed to it. This is the only international platform created to  resolve the conflict. These decisions, such as closing the Artsakh  page, and abolishing the OSCE Minsk Group - come from the Armenian  authorities, and I expect that the citizens of Armenia will respond  to this," he said. When asked what the Artsakh authorities are doing  to assist those who have found themselves in a difficult social  situation as a result of the exodus, Shahramanyan recalled that after  the forced displacement, the Armenian government took responsibility  for all social issues. "We have no way to influence these decisions.  We have used all our resources to convey to them that the people are  in an extremely difficult situation, that after the cessation of  these 50,000 drams, people will end up on the street. We have had  numerous meetings, we are coordinating our work. We will not be able  to influence the Armenian authorities in any way, public pressure is  needed here. I also share your concerns, but we have no way to  influence these decisions," Shahramanyan said. He also emphasized  that people of  Artsakh consider themselves citizens of Armenia and  hold passports issued by the Republic of Armenia.