Artsakh leaders, led by President Samvel Sharamnyan, visited the Yerablur National Cemetery in Yerevan on Thursday to mark the first anniversary of Azerbaijan’s occupation of Artsakh and the forced exodus of its Armenian population.
Sharamnyan was joined by the acting Speaker of the Artsakh Parliament, Gagik Baghounts, lawmakers and other officials, who paid tribute to those who gave their lives for Artsakh liberation and independence.
A requiem service was led by the Primate of the Artsakh Diocese, Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan.
“This day will remain in our memories as the day when, after ten months of blockade, then four months of complete siege, Azerbaijan resorted to military aggression, as a result of which we had casualties, injuries. Today we paid our respects to our casualties who protected our homeland and their families at the cost of their lives,” Sharamanyan told reporters.
“As a result of the events of last September—the military operations, the explosion of the fuel warehouse—hundreds of people were killed, sustained various injuries, which had very serious consequences for us. As a result of military operations [by Azerbaijan], our population had to leave their homeland,” Shahramanyan added.
“We will always remember the names of those devotees who defended our homeland at the cost of their lives, created an opportunity for more than 100 thousand people to get out of the blockade, to avoid more difficult, direr consequences for us,” he said.
“I listen with great pain to such statements, including by high-ranking officials [of Armenia], who consider that we, the people of Artsakh, are guests in Armenia, who consider that recognizing Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan is Armenia’s victory. I have great doubts that all members of Armenia’s government think that way and the people of Armenia think so,” Shahramanyan said, referring to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his government’s recent announcements that suggest that Artsakh is no longer on the Armenian government’s agenda.
