The President of the Republic of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, has issued a message on the occasion of the first anniversary of the cessation of military operations in the last Artsakh war. According to Armenpress, Arayik Harutyunyan emphasized that during this period, on a daily basis, the Artsakh authorities, with the support of the Republic of Armenia and the Diaspora, and in cooperation with the Russian peacekeeping forces, are striving to solve the diverse problems resulting from the war — military-political, security, socio-economic, and others.
“At times we have situations where the Azerbaijani side violates both the provisions of the declaration signed at a high level a year ago, as well as the agreements concerning daily work. This is the case with violations of the ceasefire on the line of contact, and this was the case in the last two incidents when civilians were killed and wounded. The citizens of the Republic of Artsakh were the target of Azerbaijan’s blatant terrorism, as were the Russian peacekeepers; the aim was to sow panic among us living in Artsakh, and, of course, to try to discredit the mission of the Russian peacekeeping forces,” noted Arayik Harutyunyan.
The President of Artsakh presented what has been accomplished during this period to strengthen the ceasefire regime ensured by the Artsakh Defense Army and the peacekeepers, and to solve other security issues. Changes have been made to the law on weapons, which will expand the possibilities for acquiring weapons.
Although tangible work has been carried out to date in ensuring permanent armed surveillance in the settlements adjacent to the line of contact, according to Arayik Harutyunyan, henceforth the relevant units operating within the law enforcement bodies will have greater participation in the work carried out in the areas near the line of contact, and in ensuring the security of settlements and roads. In this regard, the President has asked all citizens and organizations, when carrying out work in the mentioned areas, to apply to the National Security Service of the Republic of Artsakh.
During this one year, considerable work has also been carried out towards strengthening the frontline and ensuring the proper implementation of the Defense Army’s functions. Daily cooperation is also maintained with the Russian peacekeepers, towards the prevention of diverse security threats and the elimination of problems.
“Through various efforts that are mostly invisible, we will do our utmost so that the security level of our population continuously rises, using both our own security capabilities and the military-political guarantees provided by the Russian peacekeeping forces. I once again express my gratitude for the efforts made to the Russian peacekeeping forces in Artsakh, their command, and personally to the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin,” the message stated.
