Chairman of the National Assembly of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Artur Tovmasyan is resigning, he himself said in a social media post on Friday, July 28.
“By my personal decision, I take on the political responsibility to leave the post of chairman of the National Assembly, but I will forever remain faithful to the idea adopted by our people in a referendum in 1991,” Tovmasyan said.
“May the Lord bless the Armenian people.”
Tovmasyan said he will submit his resignation on July 29.
The parliament speaker’s resignation comes amid the blockade of the sole road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia – the Lachin Corridor – by Azerbaijan since December 12, 2022. Baku tightened the blockade on June 15, 2023, banning emergency relief supplies that were carried out by Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross through the sole road connecting Karabakh to Armenia and the outside world. The move aggravated the shortages of food, medicine and other essential items experienced by the region’s population.
