Tuesday, February 13 2018 14:32

ArmInfo. President of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan took part in the rally held in Renaissance Square in Stepanakert, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Artsakh national liberation movement, and delivered a speech.

The press service of Artsakh head told ArmInfo about this. Sahakyan recalled in his welcoming speech that 1988 was a turning point in the history of the Armenian people. "Thirty years ago, all Armenians united, became one, declaring to the whole world their readiness to fight for a free and safe life in their homeland. This national rush was a challenge to tyranny, persecution, human rights abuses, all the horrors that survive our people in the course of their centuries-old history, and the restoration of the Armenian independent statehood was the crowning of this movement, being contrary to its will as part of an alien and artificially created Azerbaijan, Artsakh was doomed and the death and expulsion of the Armenian population. This fate was awarded to Nakhijevan, other Armenian territories forcibly annexed to Azerbaijan. Many ethnic minorities in this country were subjected to forced assimilation and disappeared from the historical arena. We had no alternative, and we never reconciled with captivity, making numerous attempts to get rid of the alien yoke. As the well-known academician Andrei Sakharov once said, this struggle for Armenians is a matter of life and death, and for Azerbaijan - ambitions ", said Sahakyan. At the same time, he added that with all this the Artsakh movement is one of those exceptional examples of the national liberation movement, which initially adhered to the principle of restoring historical justice and violated rights by civilized and peaceful means, in strict accordance with international norms and rules. In response to this, according to the head of Artsakh, the authorities of Azerbaijan, without hesitation, again resorted to violence, organizing massacres of peaceful Armenian population, pogroms, deportations, which became the vilest manifestations of crimes against humanity. "As a result of this genocidal policy, hundreds of thousands of Armenians were forcibly deported from their homes, different parts of our historic homeland, thousands of people were killed and injured, and the rich material and intangible heritage of Armenian culture in the territory of the present Azerbaijan Republic was destroyed. The Baku authorities did not abandon their goal of solving the Artsakh problem by force through various provocations, daily violating the ceasefire regime, conducting aggressive policy against Artsakh and Armenia in the information, political, diplomatic and other spheres, and in April 2016 Azerbaijan, having committed a full-scale attack, planned to destroy the Artsakh statehood by means of a blitzkrieg. These attempts failed and the enemy was thrown back, considerable material, and moral losses, as it was and always will be! The guarantor of this is our powerful army, a strong Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity, our people, who are building their own country by their own forces and its bright future, patriotic and strong generation of independence, tempered in the course of defending the country. The Defense Army and the Armenian Armed Forces are one of the greatest achievements of our national liberation struggle, our independent statehood, the most reliable guarantor of ensuring the security of our people and the motherland, its natural development, one of the most effective factors for maintaining stability and peace in the region, Sahakyan stressed that at the same time he assured that the state will continue to do everything possible to strengthen the country's defense capability, to ensure the high level of combat capability of our armed forces and equipping the army with modern technology. "In this struggle for survival, we, unfortunately, also suffer irreplaceable losses. For the sake of the holy cause of the defense of the Motherland, the best sons of our people sacrificed their lives. They are not victims, they are fallen heroes who are immortal and continue to carry out their holy mission to defend the fatherland, inspiring and committing themselves to serve the homeland, to work for the glory of its development and strengthening its power. All our losses are unhealed wounds, and they will always remain in the memory and history of our people. The spirit and the covenant of 1988, after thirty years, remain for us landmarks, and our view is turned only to the future. We will continue to build and equip an independent democratic and social country, further strengthen the triune of Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora. Independent statehood is our greatest value, and our common duty is to do everything in our power for its consistent development and strengthening. Over the past three decades, Artsakh has gone through a serious path of state building. Our people have effectively solved the most difficult tasks confronting them. We defended our state, its independence and freedom, restored the economy, almost completely destroyed during the war, and entered the stage of stable development. At present, we confidently develop practically all branches of the economy, consistently raise the standard of living of the people. The process of international recognition of Artsakh continues. Our country becomes recognizable every day in the world and establishes close ties with various associations. During all these years, we have always felt the special care of Mother Armenia regarding Artsakh. It is impossible to imagine our achievements and victories without the effective and direct participation of the Republic of Armenia. And today we jointly solve big and responsible tasks. We are all determined and will do our best to make tomorrow a reliable one, and our homeland is stronger and more prosperous. The enemy must always know that trying to speak to us in the language of power is doomed to failure. Our people, our army and the whole Armenians will at any moment give a fitting rebuff to any encroachment on our freedom and independence, "Sahakyan summed up." The solemn rally was attended by the second president of Artsakh Arkady Ghukasian, the head of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan, veterans Artsakh movement, high-ranking officials, representatives of Armenia and the Diaspora, guests from abroad.