Arayik Harutyunyan, president of the self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, stated yesterday (1 April) that his government intends to restore his self-declared country’s territorial integrity, at least in line with the Soviet borders of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), through a negotiated political solution.
The de facto president made the remarks during a visit to several villages in the Martuni province of the self-declared republic. There has recently been media speculation suggesting the village of Karmir Shuka, in the disputed province, is to be handed over to Azerbaijan. The de facto leader assured his audience that this was not the case:
“On the contrary, the restoration of the Artsakh territorial integrity at least within the borders of the former NKAO through a political way is on the agenda of the Artsakh authorities.”