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The National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) strongly condemns the act of aggression committed by Azerbaijan against the country on Sunday, National Assembly Speaker Artur Tovmasyan said in a Facebook post.

“The large-scale offensive of Azerbaijan, which also targeted civilians both in the capital city of Stepanakert and in the border settlements, is a cruel crime and entails international criminal responsibility for the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan,” he wrote.

“We consider the armed attack of Azerbaijan to be another link in the chain of mass and systematic attacks against the population of the Republic of Artsakh, carried out by Azerbaijan throughout the conflict, both in times of peace and war, which is qualified by international law as a crime against humanity.

“We are convinced that in conditions of persistent violations of fundamental rights of the citizens of Artsakh, including the right to life, an equivalent and adequate response of the international community to the criminal actions of Azerbaijan will be the international recognition of the de facto independence of Artsakh, which will help establish long-term peace in the region,” the parliament speaker added.

In Tovmasyan’s words, by integrating Artsakh into international processes, direct dialogue with the country’s authorities and activating international mechanisms for the protection of human rights of its citizens, the international community will demonstrate its rejection of the aggressive, illegitimate and criminal actions of Azerbaijan to resolve the Karabakh conflict.

“The Artsakh National Assembly calls on the parliaments of progressive countries of the world with to raise their voice in defence of the Artsakh people's rights to freedom and independence, to use all their authority to end the Azerbaijani aggression and prevent massive bloodshed,” he said.