On January 9, Vartan Oskanian, the former Foreign Minister of Armenia, provided his article to the media about the protests over Lachin Corridor and the steps taken to open the road.

"If Armenia, the Armenian people, [the separatist] Nagorno-Karabakh ever forcibly or voluntarily give up their inalienable right to self-determination and accept Azerbaijan's sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh, it will be a precedent in the world, which will earn us a low and humiliating assessment of the qualification of voluntary virtues of peoples," he stated.

In his article, the diplomat added: "First, we are faced with the imperative of opening the Lachin Corridor. No one will solve our problems for us, neither international organizations nor individual countries. Yes, effective diplomacy is needed in opening the corridor, but the solution to the issue on the ground should be our own initiative. It should already be the result of a bold decision by the authorities of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. This is simply the problem, the continuation or solution of which will be the beginning of greater losses at the expense of great concessions."

"Secondly, Yerevan should declare that the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh are Armenians, and it cannot be indifferent to their security problems," Oskanian added.

"Thirdly, Armenia should make it clear that the people of Nagorno-Karabakh will ultimately decide the fate of their status, as stipulated in the Madrid Principles document. If the people of Nagorno-Karabakh continue to strive for self-determination, Armenia will invest its political and diplomatic means to support them in this matter," the former Foreign Minister of Armenia concluded.

Previous comments by former Armenian Foreign Minister:

Former Foreign Minister of Armenia on Nagorno-Karabakh Issue

Former Armenian FM Addresses Nagorno-Karabakh Issue