YEREVAN (Panorama.am) — On Artsakh’s Independence Day on September 2, displaced Armenians from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) gathered at Yerablur Military Pantheon in Yerevan, unable to mark the occasion in their homeland or visit the graves of their loved ones left behind. Many do not even know if those graves still stand or have been desecrated by Azerbaijan.
A new memorial complex, Call of Artsakh, was inaugurated at Yerablur in honor of all those who were killed in the Artsakh wars, civilians buried in Artsakh and the victims of the 2023 fuel depot explosion in Stepanakert. The ceremony included the blessing of khachkars (cross-stones).
The 500-square-meter complex features a six-meter-high central monument surrounded by khachkars. Conceived by former Artsakh President Samvel Shahramanyan, the project was realized by Interior Minister Karen Sargsyan and funded by Homeland Party leader Artur Vanetsyan. The design was led by architects Vladimir and Mikayel Sargsyan, with sculptor Robert Askaryan and khachkar maker Varazdat Hambardzumyan.
On the same day, Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, issued a message marking Artsakh’s Independence Day.
“Ahead of the thirtieth anniversary of Artsakh’s independence, between 2020 and 2023, tragic events unfolded. As a result of Azerbaijan’s war and genocidal actions, Artsakh has been occupied and its Armenian population forcibly expelled from their millennia-old homeland.
“Thousands of our sons gave their lives for the Motherland, and numerous sacred sites were desecrated and destroyed. To date, state officials and military personnel of Artsakh remain hostages in Baku.
