The leader of the Democratic Party of Armenia Aram Sargsyan and the leader of the Freedom party Hrant Bagratyan undertook the initiative to intensify the process of recognition of the Republic of Artsakh. They were joined by many intellectuals and figures from different fields in Armenia and the Diaspora. The initiative is apolitical. The members of the initiative recently left for Artsakh to get the support of the Artsakh leadership. At a press conference on February 25, Hrant Bagratyan presented the motives of the initiative.
“Our contacts with Artsakh in recent months do not say good things. In practice, there is no serious movement in Armenia regarding the vision of the future of Artsakh. And there is a need for that. Not only Artsakh is not in favor, but also Armenia is not in favor, and we see how other states are discussing some issues related to the status of Artsakh. There is no enthusiasm for the problem within the society. Our friends in Artsakh say that they are left alone: indiscriminately, everyone. It is unknown at this time what will happen in three years. That is, everything is clear, nothing good will happen.
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Therefore, a lot depends on us how we fight for that part of the Armenian land. Meanwhile, Artsakh has economic and political energy. Most people do not leave Artsakh, except for those displaced from Shushi and Hadrut, who have not yet returned to Artsakh. But 85-90% of the population is there. They have high hopes.” The aim of the initiative is to launch a movement “Save Artsakh”, which will unite Armenians for the preservation of Artsakh. Aram Sargsyan noted that in 1994, there were all the opportunities to force Azerbaijan to recognize the legitimacy and independent existence of Artsakh, which did not happen. Now there are unresolved consequences of the 44-day war.
According to him, it is not possible to change anything in the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, but that does not mean that we have to come to terms with the content of that document. In any case, this movement, according to the speaker, must show the unity of the Armenians, the ultimate goal of which will be the establishment of a council of national accord and the convening of an all-Armenian forum in Artsakh. The authors of the initiative expect that the government will be prudent and will join the initiative. According to Aram Sargsyan, the Azerbaijani authorities also welcomed such an initiative. According to the speaker, if the Armenian government had united the Armenians, not divided them, and received the support of friendly countries, we would not have lost even in the war with the participation of Turkey. “The war in Ukraine shows that the Bayraktars could have been defeated and eliminated.” The petition to join the initiative will start on Tuesday.
Nelly GRIGORYAN
