Today is the Independence Day of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. 28 years ago, on 2 September 1991, the joint session of the people’s deputies of the Nagorno-Karabakh Regional Council, the Shahumyan District Council, and deputies of Councils at all levels adopted the declaration on the proclamation of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh and the formation of its provisional bodies of state authority and governance, in accordance with the legislation of the USSR, as well as the right of peoples to self-determination enshrined in international legal documents.
From that day began the modern history of Artsakh as an independent and sovereign state.
Later, exercising the right to hold an independent referendum and to raise the question of its own state-legal status, as enshrined in union legislation, the Council of People’s Deputies of the NKR adopted a decision to hold a referendum on the independence of the republic. In the referendum held on 10 December 1991, which took place under the relentless artillery bombardment of Armenian-populated settlements, 82.2% of registered citizens participated. 99.89% of those who voted came out in favour of independence from Azerbaijan. The results of the referendum and its democratic and transparent nature were confirmed by independent foreign observers.
In the parliamentary elections that followed the referendum, the NKR parliament was elected, which in turn formed the first government. The government of the independent NKR assumed its responsibilities under conditions of total blockade and the subsequent military attacks by Azerbaijan.
The road to Artsakh’s independence is still full of many obstacles. Artsakh is perhaps forced to confront Azerbaijani hostility every day. During the 28 years following the declaration of independence, no state in the world has recognised Artsakh’s independence. Despite that, today the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh is already established as a sovereign, democratic state.
