Artsakh War veterans return their military awards to Armenian  government 

ArmInfo. Seven participants in the Artsakh wars held a protest outside the Armenian government building. They placed their military awards outside the government building in protest against the authorities' attempt to rewrite  history and erase the Armenian people's National Liberation Struggle  from memory.

The protesters wanted to show that, despite the authorities' attempt  to diminish the importance  of their victories, for which they and  their comrades had received these awards, they would continue to  fight and resist the ruling regime to realize its plans. Speaking to  journalists, Arman Petrosyan, the initiator of the protest,  recalled  that the Third Republic was established as a result of the victory in  the National Liberation Struggle, which had given  Armenia political,  military, and geopolitical significance in the region for 30 years. 

However, he noted that after the  statement made on November 9, 2020,  the country began to make concessions, losing territory and  abandoning its national values. He added that by leaving their awards  and medals outside the government building, they also seek to  demonstrate that the authorities are pursuing an anti-national  policy, evidenced by the gradual erosion of Armenian statehood. "All  our losses began the moment Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan  declared  in Stepanakert that 'Artsakh is Armenia, and that's it' and  as a result, we experienced war, territorial and human losses. Then  the authorities promised there would be no 'corridor,' whereas today  they are already discussing providing a path to an enemy state  (Azerbaijan - ed.). We want to leave future generations a system of  values  allowing them to continue this struggle. Our actions will be  long lasting," Petrosyan stated.

In turn, Hovsep Ghazaryan, one of the protesters,  expressed his  conviction that the ruling power in the country is trying to justify  its mistakes and negate the struggle for which they and their  comrades shed blood. "We can no longer wear these medals when the  sacrifice that underpinned them has simply been annulled. Moreover,  this is impossible against the backdrop of claims that this entire  struggle was nothing more than a grave mistake and delusion,"  Ghazaryan concluded. 

Recall that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declared on April 16 that  "the Karabakh movement will not continue in Armenia," describing it  as  another manifestation of a policy directed against the interests  of the state and the nation. -