The leader of the Karabakh Armenians on Saturday (13 August) said that the community "should be armed with strong patience and not deviate from the path of independence". Arayik Harutyunyan, the self-styled president of the self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was speaking in the Karabakh town of Chartar in the Martuni District of the territory, where he got acquainted with progress in the construction of a multi-functional sports complex built with the funds of the Russian-based philanthropist Vladimir Avagyan, which is due to be officially opened in September .
Referring to the latest military-political developments in Karabakh, Harutyunyan noted that they are mainly due to the geopolitical situation. He said that it is no secret to anyone that the provocative actions taken by Azerbaijan are aimed at depopulating Karabakh of its Armenian population, devaluing the already fragile peace established by the tripartite declaration, as well as the mission of the Russian peacekeeping force, which has assumed the function of maintaining that peace.
Harutyunyan said one should be armed with strong patience and not deviate from the path of independence of Karabakh. He added that his administration will continue to make all possible efforts in the direction of solving existing security problems, ensuring living conditions necessary for a prosperous life, and guaranteeing a stable future.