Karabakh won't abandon path to independence, President says

PanARMENIAN.Net - Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) will not abandon the path of independence despite various rumors, President Arayik Harutyunyan said Friday, March 12, during a visit to the State Revenue Committee.

Harutyunyan said Karabakh will build a security system with the Defense Army and the Russian peacekeeping force and implement long-term economic development programs.

At the meeting with the employees of the State Revenue Committee, the post-war situation in the country, the ways and perspectives of overcoming the problems were discussed.

Harutyunyan also urged the public to not believe "baseless rumors" about a new war in Artsakh, which he said are aimed at creating panic among the population. He called on the society to make every effort to eliminate the consequences of the war and work for the long-term security and socio-economic development of the state.

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.