Karabakh President Arayik Harutyunyan pays homage to the war dead in Stepanakert

Artsakh Movement First Step in Restoring Our Statehood, Pashinyan Says

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YEREVAN (Public Radio of Armenia) — The Karabakh Movement that started on these days 34 years ago on February 20, was a turning point for the future history of the Armenian people, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a message on the anniversary of the Movement.

According to him, “the nationwide movement formed in Armenia and Artsakh was exceptional in its power, it was deeply national and democratic.”

“Through the people’s movement, our people once again showed their unity, the ability to unite and act resolutely as one united fist for the realization of national goals,” PM Pashinyan said, adding that it was “the first step in restoring our statehood, in which we rediscovered the determination to live freely and independently, to shape our destiny and to manage our future.”

“Today we remember and bow our heads to the memory of all our martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the Motherland in the first and second wars of Karabakh, in the last three decades,” Pashinyan said.

“Though wounded, Artsakh is still standing today. Today our steps are aimed not only at solving the socio-economic problems of the Armenians of Artsakh, overcoming security challenges, but also at the protection of the rights of the Armenians of Artsakh, the international registration of those rights,” he added.

“I am convinced that the Armenian people will soon heal the wounds of the past war and will take even more decisive and firm steps towards the future for the realization of our dreams and aspirations. Only in this way will we be able to keep alive the memory of all our heroic children. The opening of an era of peaceful development for their generations, for our common Homeland, will be the greatest tribute to their memory, which will guarantee the longevity of our state, the international recognition and realization of the rights of Artsakh. Achieving these goals requires consistent, careful and honest work and we must be steadfast in this work,” Pashinyan said.

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In Stepanakert, officials celebrated the day, with President Arayik Harutyunyan laying flowers at a memorial to the war dead.

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