NKR activists urge to set up Day of Defender of Combat Positions

Activists of three NGOs from the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) and Armenia have marked the anniversary of the April 2016 war with a motor rally. They called on the authorities to establish the Day of the Defender of Combat Positions on April 2 in memory of the perished warriors.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 2, 2019, flowers were laid at the soldiers' monuments, and memory lessons were held at educational establishments of the unrecognized republic in memory of those killed during the April 2016 war in the NKR.

According to the organizers of the motor rally, activists of the "Armenian National Guard" organization have joined the rally from Armenia.

The goal of the event is to remind residents of the republic about the courage of Karabakh warriors, said Arthur Airapetyan, the head of the civil initiative "Voroshum". Three years ago they strengthened the victory that Karabakh won in 1994, the activist said.

"We have learned lessons from the April War; the society has changed its attitude towards the army. It is important that we do not lose vigilance, having such enemies," said Arshak Zakaryan, a co-chair of the "Armenian National Guard", a film director and a military journalist.

The "Arach Artsakh" youth organization has been working for seven years now; and in April 2016, its activists took part in the warfare as volunteers, said Sose Balasanyan, an activist of the organization.