Sputnik Armenia: David Melkumyan recounted episodes from the tragic events of September 2023 that led to the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh.
21.04.2025. Sputnik Armenia
In an interview, David Melkumyan, member of the National Assembly of Artsakh and head of the Democratic Party of Artsakh parliamentary faction, refuted claims that Arayik Harutyunyan was forced to resign or that the Karabakh leadership had allegedly rejected proposals for talks with Baku shortly before the Azerbaijani aggression and the subsequent deportation of the Artsakh population. Melkumyan, along with Sergey Martirosyan, the acting Secretary of the Security Council, held talks with Azerbaijani representatives in Yevlakh in September, but only after the military operations of September 19–20 had already taken place.
Melkumyan insists that everyone was opposed to Harutyunyan’s resignation; however, they were simply presented with a fait accompli. The parliamentary factions of Nagorno-Karabakh did not initiate Harutyunyan’s resignation. Moreover, neither former presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan - who are currently imprisoned alongside Harutyunyan - nor any other political figure had called for his resignation. While there was consensus that presidential elections should be held and that conditions were favorable, the process leading to Harutyunyan’s departure was initiated by Harutyunyan himself. Following his resignation, steps had to be taken to avoid a constitutional crisis. As a result, the decision was made to elect a new leader - Samvel Shahramanyan.
As for the proposed talks in Sofia -also previously mentioned by Shahramanyan - they were initiated before Harutyunyan’s resignation, who, according to Melkumyan, was the only person the Armenian authorities maintained communication with.
“The claim that Stepanakert refused to engage in talks with Baku is simply not true, first of all,” Melkumyan said. “There was a proposal for a meeting: Nagorno-Karabakh did not reject it, though they did have their own proposals. Nagorno-Karabakh was not in a position to decline such offers for talks. I should emphasize that all these discussions and the entire process took place with the participation of Armenia’s authorities.”
