A group of former Artsakh residents today protested outside the Nagorno Karabakh representative office in Yerevan and demanded a meeting with Artsakh President Samvel Shahramanyan.

They wanted clarification on a document Shahramanyan signed on September 28 to formally dissolve the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) by year’s end.

Some in the crowd argued that people fought for thirty years to create such a state, but it took just one day to dissolve it.

"The NKR is not dissolved. Is there anyone here who has read that document? There are many issues related to that document, which I cannot talk about here," said Shahramanyan, stressing that no document can dissolve a republic created by the people.

Shahramanyan argued he signed the document to end Azerbaijan’s military offensive in September. He said the ceasefire saved countless lives in Artsakh.

“If the war stopped an hour later, they would have entered the city and massacred the children," Shahramyan told the crowd.

The Artsakh president said such rallies only undermine the future of Armena and Artsakh. He didn’t elaborate.

One of the protesters accused Artsakh officials of plundering the country's resources for decades and using the money to build hotels an palatial residences in Armenia. The woman said these places should be made available to house those displaced from Artsakh.

Police intervened when some of the protesters tried to block an official car from leaving the NKR office.

Shahramanyan was elected NKR president on September 9, replacing Arayik Harutyunyan who resigned citing a lack of public trust in the government and its officials.