The president of the republic, Samvel Shakhramanián, decreed the dissolution of all public institutions and organizations subordinated to them before January 1st, 2024, and announced that “the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) ceases to exist,” the Armenpress news agency reported this Thursday.

According to the official statement, which came into force immediately after its publication, the agreement, reached thanks to the mediation of the Russian peacekeeping contingent with representatives of the Republic of Azerbaijan, establishes “the priority of guaranteeing physical security and vital interests of the people of Karabakh”, and stipulates guarantees for the voluntary, free and unhindered transit of residents in Nagorno-Karabakh, including military personnel who have laid down their arms.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian urged on Sunday to create effective mechanisms to protect Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh from ethnic cleansing but warned that exodus may be the only way to save their lives and identities.

More than half of the inhabitants of the republic, about 65 thousand of a total estimated at around 120 thousand, have already moved to Armenia, according to figures released by Yerevan.

On September 19th, Azerbaijan announced the start of an “anti-terrorist operation” in Nagorno-Karabakh in order to achieve “the withdrawal of Armenian troops” from the territory, while Yerevan denied the presence of its forces in the region and called the action against the people of the republic an “aggression”.

The next day, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense announced that an agreement had been reached on a truce in the enclave, the conditions of which include, in particular, the disarmament and dissolution of illegal Armenian forces in the region.

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