The head of the unrecognized "Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh", Samvel Shahramanyan, has signed a decree on the cessation of its existence from January 1, 2024. This was reported by Voice of America.
According to the decree, by this date, "all state institutions and organizations under their jurisdiction will be dissolved, and the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) will cease to exist".
The population of Nagorno-Karabakh is advised to "familiarize themselves with Azerbaijani reintegration terms to decide whether to stay in the region", as stated in the decree.
According to the Armenian government, more than 65,000 people have left Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia by the morning of September 28th, which is almost half of the population of the unrecognized republic.
The decree also notes that the decision to cease the existence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was made "due to the complex military-political situation and in light of the priority of ensuring the physical security and vital interests of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh".
It is also stated that "the free, voluntary, and unimpeded passage of Nagorno-Karabakh residents, including servicemen who have laid down their arms, with their property on their vehicles through the Lachin corridor" will be ensured. This agreement was reached with the mediation of russian "peacekeepers" and Azerbaijani representatives, as stated in the decree.
The message reminds that last week, as a result of Azerbaijan's military operation, the Armenian authorities of the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, which had existed for over 30 years, effectively surrendered to Baku.
Armenian President Nikol Pashinyan expressed readiness to accept refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh.
Protests have been ongoing in Armenia for over a week, sparked by the Armenian authorities' acceptance of a ceasefire on Azerbaijani terms.