"Obliged to continue the fight": Karabakh marks movement anniversary

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian people are obliged to continue the struggle within the Karabakh movement and become stronger and united, Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) President Arayik Harutyunyan said on Saturday, February 20.

February 20, 1988, marks the beginning of the national liberation movement, after the Karabakh Council of People's Deputies, with a vote of 110 to 17, passed a resolution in favor of reuniting with Armenia. The move was in full accordance with the USSR Constitution, specifically the article on the right of secession.

"February 20, 1988 went down in the history of the Armenian people as a symbol of the revival of the national spirit, strong unity and unbreakable will, as the beginning of a period of struggle between restoration and creation, losses and victories," the President of Karabakh said.

Harutyunyan noted that the Armenians of Karabakh are now going through one of the most difficult periods in their history. At the same time, he added, "Karabakh must revive again, rise from the ashes and continue on its road for the sake of the fallen soldiers and future generations."

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev on November 9 signed a statement to end the war in Karabakh after almost 45 days. Under the deal, the Armenian side has returned all the seven regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, having lost a part of Karabakh itself in hostilities.