Recently, on the occasion of the 101st anniversary of the “David Beck Oath,” the 505-meter flag created by the Unity Flag initiative reached the regional center of Syunik, Kapan. The length of the flag was not determined by chance. It summarizes 5 important events in Syunik in 1920 that Garegin Nzhdeh participated in. 101 years later, the sum of these events became the length of the Tricolor – 5 × 101. In particular, the flag symbolizes the assembly of the Armenians of Kapargoght in the mines of Kapan on June 17, 1920, the assembly of 37 villages of Syunik on July 6, the formation of the Davit Bek Oath on August 25, the uprising of Kapan on October 10, and the first Pan-Zangezur assembly at the Tatev monastery on December 25. The participants of the initiative walked with the people of Kapan 505 meters from the city center to the Garegin Nzhdeh memorial. The founder of the Unity Flag initiative is Ara Shahinyan from Abovyan. Although the initiative was formed in the city of Abovyan, it cooperates with individuals and groups from the regions of Armenia and the patriotic mission of Artsakh.
“In February, when I first went to the border positions of Syunik to hand over basic necessities to the boys standing at the border, the idea arose to spread our state flag. I noticed that there was a lack of tricolor in our positions, and I decided to prepare and send flags to as many of our positions in Armenia as possible,” said Ara Shahinyan. A month or two later, in April, he decided to unite ideological people around the Armenian tricolor to work together for the benefit of Armenia. According to him, the idea also became a unique call for unity. After signing a trilateral agreement on November 9, 2020, the Azerbaijanis settled in some parts of Syunik “allegedly in their historical lands.” Of course, the historical truth gets sick, but it does not die and one day, everything will fall into place.
Ara Shahinyan is convinced that it is unacceptable for him and all of us to see the enemy’s flags in those parts of Syunik. “The existence of flags is still unbearable. Personally, I do not accept it in any way, and it seems that this hostile attitude towards the flags makes me work harder,” he says. And the goal of the initiative is not only to present the 505-meter flag in the regions of Armenia. They have 4 directions: social, within the framework of which he delivered food, clothes, and other items to the needy. Within the framework of the military-educational program, in addition to thematic patriotic events, they cooperate with individuals and organizations organizing military-patriotic camps.
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Ara Shahinyan does not have a habit of talking about future plans, but he thinks that the 505-meter flag should be extended, and maybe they will hold a pan-Armenian event including the residents of the capital and the regions of Armenia and Artsakh. He did not say anything else. “We must always fight, we cannot give up all kinds of weapons. Armenia must become a safe country, Armenians must never and will never lose their national image,” Ara Shahinyan concluded in his interview with Aravot Daily.
Armen Davtyan
