Decree on dissolution of Artsakh in conflict with NKR Constitution -  lawyer 

ArmInfo. The decree on the dissolution of Artsakh is null and void and contradicts both the basic law of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) and other legal acts. Moreover, after moving to Yerevan, Artsakh President Samvel Shahramanyan published a decree dated September 26, 2023, which  invalidated the decree on the dissolution of Artsakh. 

Artsakh lawyer Roman Yeritsyan wrote about this on his Facebook page,  publishing the corresponding decree of Shahramanyan. Yeritsyan  emphasized that many are aware of the motives for the Artsakh  President's decree on the abolition of the NKR. In addition, he  recalled that no official, including the head of state, has the  authority to abolish the state by a single decree. "Nevertheless,  various circles of the public, ignoring the fact that the decree on  the abolition of Artsakh, as a legal act, did not even enter into  force, since it was not publicly announced, manipulated this  information. They called Samvel Shahramanyan the president who  abolished Artsakh, and not only," the Artsakh lawyer complained.

He further drew attention to the fact that, based on the contents of  the decree, which was never made public, some individuals in Armenia,  including the leaders of the Artsakh communities and members of the  Council of Elders, were charged with the fact that state institutions  had been abolished and the powers of officials had been terminated,  and therefore, their exercise of certain powers was a criminal  offense.

"For those who were seriously concerned about a certain decree on the  abolition of the Republic of Artsakh and in order to avoid further  speculation on this issue, after arriving in Yerevan, Shakhramanyan  issued another decree, which invalidated the previous decision on the  self-dissolution of the Republic of Artsakh dated September 26, 2023.  Shakhramanyan informed the Armenian authorities of this in an  official letter," the lawyer noted.

In this vein, he republished Shahramanyan's decree, which cancelled  the previous decision on the dissolution of the NKR of September 26,  2023, noting that it had no legal force, contradicted the  Constitution of Artsakh, did not enter into force and, therefore,  cannot cause any consequences. In this regard, Yeritsyan called for  no more talk on this topic.

"I also remind you that for about 30 years, there were leaders of  Shushi, Aghdam (Akna - Armenian) and other communities in Azerbaijan.  Therefore, do not consider the Artsakh page closed due to territorial  losses. We will get ours back," Yeritsyan summed up.

On September 28, 2023, the President of the Republic of Artsakh  Samvel Shahramanyan announced that he had signed a decree by which  the NKR ceases to exist from January 1, 2024. The document was never  made public, and no one saw it. The decree was signed under the  conditions of Azerbaijani aggression against the NKR and the threat  of complete physical extermination of the entire Artsakh population.  After the mass forced exodus of the population of the  Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, already in Yerevan, Shahramanyan published  a decree by which he canceled his previous decision. Despite this,  various kinds of speculation on this matter periodically appear in  the Armenian public sphere. Moreover, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan has repeatedly publicly stated that there cannot be an  Artsakh government in exile in Armenia, and there is only one  military-political leadership in the country - that of Armenia.