The de facto president of the internationally unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Arayik Harutyunyan, said on October 21 that he could not imagine the future of Nagorno-Karabakh without Russia.

"Here the question may arise whether Armenia is the guarantor of Nagorno-Karabakh's security, but the conflict is no longer a question between Armenia and Azerbaijan or Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, this conflict has much deeper roots for a long time. There is the Shusha Declaration between Baku and Ankara, the role of Turkey in this last war. The role of Turkey in the region has increased after the war.  So we expect more reliable guarantees from Russia and not just a peacekeeping mission," Harutyunyan said in an interview with local public broadcaster Artsakh TV.

"Of course, we welcome today's activities of the international community, but I want to say directly that for me the future of Nagorno-Karabakh is doubtful without Russia's guarantees," he said.

Harutyunyan added that the self-defense of Nagorno-Karabakh should not be questioned and that it will be further improved even if Armenia is no longer involved in the defense of the non-recognized republic. 

It should be recalled that since the Armenian-Azerbaijani war over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, the Russian peacekeepers have been stationed on the ground. The Armenian population lives in the area of responsibility of the Russian army, while the wider part of the disputed territories ( around 75%) has been recaptured by Azerbaijan. A decision on whether to extend the mission of the Russian peacekeepers is to be made in 2025.