Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has issued a message on the on the occasion of May 9. The message reads:
Dear compatriots,
Dear people,
I congratulate all of us on the 77th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. This holiday symbolizes the end of World War II, the beginning of a new era in human history.
With the victory in the war, civilized humanity said no to one of the greatest evils, fascism. The role of the Armenian people in this struggle is invaluable, as more than half a million Armenians made a significant contribution to saving humanity from fascism within the Soviet Army and the armies of the allied countries.
Many Armenians sacrificed their lives for the sake of civilization in that struggle, showing heroism and unwavering devotion.
We had more than 300,000 casualties in World War II. 107 Armenians were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, many of our compatriots fought in the armies of allied countries, participated in the anti-fascist struggle of a number of countries and were crowned with glory. Today we bow to the deeds and memory of our heroes, our martyrs, we are proud of the heroism of our ancestors.
It was the spirit of our grandfathers and fathers, who became heroes in the Great Patriotic War and World War II, that merged with the spirit of volunteerism in the early 1990s and became the guarantor of the Artsakh struggle for survival, the victory in the First Artsakh War, the liberation of Shushi.
Today, after the catastrophic 44-day war, we note with sorrow and bitterness that not only could we not transform the victory in the first Artsakh war into a diplomatic, political, economic victory, but many fruits of that victory have been lost, Artsakh and Armenia are facing serious challenges.
Our response to this situation, however, should not be the end of everything, but a sober, cold, literate analysis of the reasons that led to the current military-political and regional situation, the pragmatic planning of the future.
The blood of our martyrs who gave their lives for the Motherland should not be wasted, the greatest expression of their work should be the strengthening Armenian statehood, full realization of the rights of the Armenians of Artsakh, peaceful development of our generations and peaceful regional coexistence, which is the only reliable guarantee of the security of Artsakh and Armenia.
The political majority that received the people’s vote is leading Armenia in this way, understanding all the difficulties that will arise. We are ready to face these difficulties because we are guided by the conviction that yes, we are moving in a difficult but right way.
We are not the author of the disasters that befell our country, we have suffered a cruel fate and a sacred mission to lead our Homeland through the inevitable disasters that have befallen us all for many years, to lead it to a peaceful, prosperous, happy future.
Dear people,
Dear compatriots,
We have not always been able to turn victories on the battlefield into victories in life. We must be able to turn our failures on the battlefield into victories in the fields of education, science, industry, economy, foreign policy, the sum of which must be lasting peace, a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Today we bow to our grandfathers, our fathers, our brothers and our children who fought for the Motherland and sacrificed their lives. Their victories in wars, our failures in wars must become the victory of life.
Eternal glory to our heroes.
