I think, that the Presence of Russian Peacekeepers in Artsakh Should Be Guaranteed and Indefinite: President of the Artsakh Republic

• 12.23.2021, 19:40
•  World,  NKR

On 23 December President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan participated in the regular sitting of the National Assembly, at which the draft law "On the State Budget of the Artsakh Republic for 2022" was discussed in the second reading.
In his concluding speech President Harutyunyan touched upon the works carried out in 2021, noting that the relative stability maintained due to the Defense Army and the Russian peacekeeping contingent has enabled the resolution of a number of vital issues and the launch of programs that will facilitate progress. Arayik Harutyunyan also spoke about medium-term expenditure programs for 2022-2025. According to the President, the most important issue for Artsakh has been and remains demographics, and the goal of all programs for the coming years will be the improvement of the demographic situation. To this end, a number of both social and economic programs have been launched and are planned to be implemented.
The President of the Republic also referred to the ongoing and future housing programs, noting that his pre-election program "A separate apartment for each family" remains in force. He underlined that in the coming years, after meeting the housing needs of the main beneficiary groups, the scope of housing programs will be expanded to fully implement this pre-election promise. President Harutyunyan also highlighted a number of social programs, emphasizing in particular the fact that in the coming years the amount of child benefits and pensions will be increased to the size of the minimum consumer basket.
The Head of the State also talked about the foreign political and security issues. " I think, that the presence of Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh should be guaranteed and indefinite as long as it is necessary. Within this context the needs and opinions of the people of Artsakh should be key factors, as we are the main beneficiaries of the peacekeeping mission", the President of the republic said. Arayik Harutyunyan mentioned that another pivotal direction to ensure the proper security is the consistent development of capabilities and fortifications of the Defense Army considering the existing challenges and peculiarities of the situation.
In the foreign political arena the struggle for the unconditional recognition of the realization of our people's right to self-determination and the return of the occupied territories will be continued. "We are in favor of a peaceful settlement of the conflict, where the international recognition of the independence of the Republic of Artsakh on the basis of the right to self-determination is our main and uncompromising goal, which will pave the way for the realization of the ultimate goal of the Artsakh movement", Arayik Harutyunyan noted.
The law "On the State budget of the Artsakh Republic for 2022" was adopted with 18 votes in favor and 11 against.