“As the coronavirus spread, I said that we needed to start looking at it as an opportunity. The brightest and most memorable example of this theory took place. We were all in a difficult situation as the genocide remembrance day approached, but, at the same time, the spread of the virus began to slow down. What were we supposed to do?” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a Facebook live video where he discussed the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the fact that only officials were allowed to participate in the commemoration events, and the musical performances.
According to Pashinyan, it was unimaginable that Armenian citizens would not be allowed to visit Tsitsernakaberd. “If we allowed it, we would have had hundreds of new cases. Most likely, the situation would have gotten out of control. Therefore, we decided to lead according to the ‘use the crisis as an opportunity’ theory. We didn’t know if it would work or not. It worked, but what happened? We told our history without yelling and we remembered in a strong and visible way, but without grief. We saw ourselves in another way. I am convinced that people liked that. I am happy that people, when expressing their view, say things such as, ‘how can you go to Tsitsernakaberd while eating sunflower seeds?’ People were also speaking out about the many people selling flowers along the streets.” The Prime Minister believes that the online commemoration showed a new, civilized approach.
Luiza Sukiasyan
