Category: 2021

Armenia’s second President, first President of Artsakh Robert Kocharyan extended congratulations on the Artsakh Revival Day and the anniversary of the Karabakh Liberation Movement marked on February 20.

On the occasion, the ex-president’s office presented a part of Kocharyan’s message of 20 February 2019, adding, “Unfortunately, Robert Kocharyan’s predictions came true.”

“Unfortunately, I appeal to you not only to congratulate you and once again stress the importance of this day. People who came to power as a result of complicated internal and geopolitical upheavals continue to deliver major blows to the foundations of the statehood of Armenia and Artsakh. They are taking deliberate steps to undermine the national unity, drive a wedge between different strata of the Armenian society, discredit our history and heroes and weaken the spirit of our victorious army. It doesn’t matter whether all this is done at the instigation of an outsider, based on ideological views of spiritual fathers, or simply to overcome their own complexes. All the same, in any case it leads us to the devaluation of the Karabakh victories, particularly inevitable losses, which will be destructive for our statehood.

“Today we just have to wake up. The challenges facing our two countries are growing day by day. We need a vision of the country’s development and strong unity to confront them. The hatred propaganda, the de facto revision of national values, the destruction of the state instructions, as well as the unilateral “peace-loving” foreign policy are destructive for us. Maybe, we will not have the opportunity to overcome the worst consequences of turning the country into a testing ground by a few dilettantes,” the message read.  

The rally organised by opposition Homeland Salvation Movement, a coalition of 17 opposition parties, have started in Yerevan despite unfavorable weather. Thousands have gathered in central Liberty square to demand the resignation of Pm Pashinyan and the ruling force. 

Heavy police forces are deployed around the square and central part of the city. A number of political, public and cultural figures have urged the people to join today’s rally. 

“The moment is exciting, as 33 years ago on this day and under similar weather conditions we gathered here for our first rally that marked the beginning of the Karabakh movement,” Vazgen Manukyan, the candidate for the PM’s post from the Homeland Salvation Movement stated on Saturday during the opposition rally in Yerevan. 

Manukyan reminded that after the Genocide ‘Artsakh was the only island settled by ethnic Armenians’ who applied to rejoin with Armenia. “Artsakh applied to Mother Armenia with a desire to rejoin, and the whole nation stood up,” said Manukyan. He reminded that the Karabakh movement formulated the primary task of creating an independent state based on ideas of freedom and liberty, justice in the state and prosperity for the whole people not only for a group. 

Speaking of ‘the 2018 revolution’ in Armenia and its consequences, Manukyan said: “What do we have after three years? We have lost everything. All our military victories vanished. Our country is not even independent, as our security is ensured by Russia which means we are totally dependent on Russians in security issues. They [government] tried to eliminate the national ideas. They have spoken about freedom, while in reality our country is turning into a police state where dedicated and patriotic people are arrested,” said Manukyan, pointing also to the unfortunate situation in the economy.  

The opposition figure next spoke of the two options as a way out of the existing situation, which, in his words, require the removal of the current leaders in the first place.  

“Only after that real actions may follow. Some of the steps are not only about recovering what we have lost, but also building the state we have dreamed about. If Pashinyan is gone or replaced by others who are fond of electoral fraud, money and thirst for power,  we will again fail. It will be quite difficult as we need to rebuild our army, and our security should be ensured not by Russian but Armenian troops,” said Manukyan. 

“Let me state that no matter how many rallies we hold Pashinyan may not leave the post on this own. That is why we should break the pillars supporting him. Which are those pillars? First, they are the part of our compatriots who does not realize the way our country moves forward. Our task is to explain these citizens the real state of affairs in the country. The law enforcement is the second pillar – the Police the National Security Service. They do not perceive they are serving the Turkish-Azerbaijani interests. We should be tough and convincing at the same time. We should also leave an exit strategy for those parliamentarians who are still supporting Pashinyan. Armenia must boil,” said Manukyan. 

As to the second option, Manukyan noted every moment they should stay ready to uprise and instantly take the power. 

“We will proceed with the first option, always staying ready for the second one,” concluded the oppositionist. 

“Starting Monday, mass protest actions will start in Armenia to make this evil government resign,” the coordinator at opposition Homeland Salvation Movement Ishkhan Saghatelyan told reporters during the protest march after the rally at Liberty Square. 

In Saghatelyan’s words, the persistent plan of the opposition is to keep in pressure ‘the evil government’ and make them retreat and resign.  

The opposition representative pointed to the Saturday’s rally at Liberty Square, saying the people proved that the current leaders of Armenia have nothing to do and should immediately leave. “Coming to the square in this weather the people proved that they will always struggle and be victorious and have no plan to reconcile with the existing reality,” added the ARFD member. 

To note, following the rally, thousands of the protesters started marches in different directions through central streets in Yerevan.   

VETO social-political movement issued on Saturday a statement in connection with the detention of its founder Narek Malyan. As reported earlier, a group of plainclothes police officers detained opposition activists Malyan ahead of the nationwide rally at 15.00 in the Liberty square. 

“Yesterday’s developments came to show that the capitulant authorities will continue resorting to transgressions to suppress the freedom of speech and persecute their political opponents,” the statement said , referring to the detention of number of opposition activists and public figures by the country’s National Security Service (NSS), political scientists Anzhela Elibekova, Karen Bekaryan as well as former National Assembly Chief of Staff Ara Saghatelyan among them. 

“We assure that miserable attempts to silence us will fail,” the statement added, calling on the citizens to join the rally at 14.00 at Liberty square where the members of the movement plan to stage a futuristic performance named “The execution of Ceaușescu or death to the traitors.” 

Large number of police forces and vehicles have been deployed in capital city Yerevan as the opposition Homeland Salvation Movement is holding a nation-wide rally demanding the resignation of PM Pashinyan. 

As Mediaport Telegram Channel reports, a truck with barbed wire fence is parked near the National Assembly building. Buses with riot police officers have been stationed near the residence of Pashinyan. 

To remind, a rally organized by the Homeland Salvation Movement, a coalition of 17 opposition parties, will take place at Yerevan’s Liberty Square on Saturday, February 20. A number of political, public and cultural figures have urged the people to join today’s rally. 

No search operations for the war casualties were conducted in the past five days due to adverse weather conditions, the Artsakh State Service of Emergency Situations said. “The search operations yield no result due to abundance of snow and fog,” the Service aid on Saturday. 

Artsakh search and rescue teams have carried out operations in the Azerbaijani-held territories to find casualties of the 2020 war and those missing in action since the start of the ceasefire.

The search has been suspended several times in recent months due to ceasefire violations, landmine explosions on the Azerbaijani-held areas and bad weather.

Thus far, a total of 1,485 bodies of fallen troops and civilians have been recovered from the battle zones.