20 years have passed since Shushi was freed. www.aravot.am inquired from military expert Artsrun Hovhannisyan whose victory the freeing of Shushi had really been. Our interlocutor responded, “The Shushi victory was crucial for us, it has played a big role in building our state. As Bako Sahakyan said during the parade in Stepanakert today, the Shushi victory is a victory of all Armenians.”
We inquired how the military expert would assess the phenomenon, when politicians or individuals tried to win points using that victory of the people. A. Hovhannisyan stated, “It is mean, when one tries to localize, diminish or appropriate national values.”
During the parade in Stepanakert, Robert Kocharyan, the second President of the Republic of Armenia, was sitting on the stage next to Bako Sahakyan, the President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Serzh Sargsyan, the President of the Republic of Armenia, Garegin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians and other high-ranking officials of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. www.aravot.am asked A. Hovhannisyan to comment on the second president’s presence. The military expert stated, “It should be so. I don’t want to go into other political issues, but the unity of people who directly participated in the freeing of Shushi is important. I don’t link Robert Kocharyan’s presence at the parade to his return to politics, perhaps people involved in internal political issues will link them to each other.”
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
