On November 1, Azerbaijan’s Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan abolished its State Security Service (SSS) structure. It will be replaced by the newly formed Nakhchivani branch of Azerbaijan’s State Security Service. Additionally, Mohshun Ashurov was appointed as the Head of the new organization.

The cancellation of the State Security Service of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (AR) has caused rumors about Autonomous Republic's dissolution. According to the claims, a similar step will be taken with other institutions operating in Nakhchivan. 

Azerbaijani MP Eldar Ibrahimov, who represents Nakhchivan in the parliament, emphasized that this claim is inappropriate and baseless. The MP noted that there is no need to cancel the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. "The Autonomous Republic was established within Azerbaijan on October 13, 1921, with the agreement signed by five states - Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia, Russia, and Armenia. It is not possible to cancel the Autonomous Republic with any claim. Just as it was created lawfully, the dissolution process must also be lawful. Nakhchivan was included in the Constitution of Azerbaijan as an autonomous republic. Someone's word cannot cancel this," he added. Ibrahimov said he does not believe in this issue and is not a supporter of it: "There is no need to cancel the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. First of all, Nakhchivan is far away from Azerbaijan. It is an autonomous republic with its parliament and executive structure. Seven districts and cities are managed in the region. Nakhchivan is not a region located in a free zone, so its autonomy can be easily revoked. Even if communication links are established in the future, the status of the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan should not be canceled in terms of distance. There is simply no reason to cancel the status," the MP stated.

Tural Abbasli, the White Party's Chairman, said there is no need to grant the status of a special autonomous state to any territory in Azerbaijan. "Think about it; we are saying that there is no question of any status in the Karabakh issue, Azerbaijan is a unitary state. Now, opponents and enemies can use Nakhchivan as an example and say that if there is the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan, then another status should be given to Karabakh in another form," he added. "Considering that we live in a turbulent region, surrounded by neighbors such as Russia, Iran, and Armenia, the more centralized the Azerbaijani administration is, the better it will be. If not, one minister in Nakhchivan, another minister in Baku, another one there, it doesn't happen like that. Let us say it is like this today; tomorrow, people may be trying to take advantage of it. That's why we have been in favor of canceling the autonomy of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic for a long time. This is not against the people of Nakhchivan. This is a step for the sake of the integrity of Azerbaijan. If there is such a step, we will support it," the Chairman of the White Party stated.

According to MP Siyavush Novruzov, the issue of canceling the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic was raised and caused wide discussions. "These days, where the President of Azerbaijan is conducting the opening of the Zangazur Corridor, the signing of the peace agreement, the clarification of borders, and other works, is there a place for such a topic?" he questioned at a meeting of the Parliament. "These rumors come from Armenians and French. I think we should show our strong position against these people", the MP said. Novruzov recalled that previously the cancellation of the status of Nakhchivan was prevented by the national leader [Haydar Aliyev, the second President of Azerbaijan]. "At that time, the APC [People Front of Azerbaijan]-Musavat administration wanted to cancel the status of Nakhchivan and give it to Armenia, but the national leader did not. Even now, their traditions have raised this issue. For this, first, a referendum should be called by the President. These provocative discussions against Nakhchivan AR should be stopped today. Do not let others muddy the waters," he added. Reacting to this speech, Sahiba Gafarova, the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament, said that many things are written in the media. "Nobody has doubts about the status of Nakhchivan AR," she stated.

Natig Jafarli, the Executive Secretary of the Republican Alternative Party (REAL), characterized the cancellation of the SSS as an acceleration of the process of cancellation of autonomy: "I understand that preparations for the cancellation of the status of the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan are being accelerated - this is the right approach, there is no need for a private status of any territory in Azerbaijan, which is a unitary country, but the legal basis of this step, which we have been saying for years, must be the Constitutional reforms. In addition to many issues in the new Constitution, the administrative-territorial division of the country should also be changed. The created 14 economic regions (including Karabakh, Eastern Zangazur, and Nakhchivan) should be transformed into administrative-territorial units, and local self-government should be strengthened; Big City Municipalities and an elected Mayor institute should be established. This factor will speed up the political-economic-administrative-social integration of Azerbaijanis of Armenian origin living in Khankendi/Stepanakert (again, it is not the Azerbaijani ethnicity, but the citizenship definition, the top identity) into the country. System reforms and management improvement will finally be started in the whole country," he said.

It should be noted that the 1921 Kars Agreement guarantees the region's autonomous status, and that agreement is still in force. The Kars Treaty was signed on September 13, 1921, in the city of Kars between the Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, which included Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Georgian SSR, and Turkey. The treaty entered into force on September 11, 1922, and the expiration date was not determined. Although there is a clause in the Kars agreement that Nakhchivan has the status of autonomy within Azerbaijan, the document does not say anything about the limits of autonomy. However, according to the norms and principles of international law, that agreement does not allow the unilateral cancellation of the autonomy of Nakhchivan. For this, Turkey's consent and participation are required. According to international law, the Kars Agreement ensures Turkey's guarantor status over Nakhchivan.