Nagorno-Karabakh political and public figures pay tribute to memory of those killed during wars

On May 9, members of the National Assembly of Nagorno-Karabakh, President of Nagorno-Karabakh Samvel Shakhramanyan, and activists from Nagorno-Karabakh public organizations visited the “Yerablur” military pantheon in Yerevan, where they laid flowers and wreaths at the graves of those killed in the Nagorno-Karabakh wars and military figures, a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent reports.

“No one has the right to dispute the heroism of our heroes, even if we have failures and losses,” Vagram Balayan, a member of the National Assembly of Nagorno-Karabakh, told journalists at a briefing. He suggests that “in order to correct the situation and return Armenian Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to the Armenians, national unity is needed first of all, and then everything else.”

“Only by strengthening Armenia will it be possible to liberate Shushi and all of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh),” former Nagorno-Karabakh Ombudsperson Artak Beglaryan has told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

Artak Beglaryan believes Armenia needs “effective governance with a clearly expressed national ideology and national elite.” The former Nagorno-Karabakh Ombudsperson has also emphasized that “the main goal of Armenian people should remain the return of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the Artsakh people, but a return without Azerbaijani genocidal control over Armenians.” Artak Beglaryan has emphasized that the Armenian people also should “not forget about our right to self-determination.”

Armenian leaders to be blamed for defeats, as Armenian people did everything, even impossible

“The blame for the defeats lies with the Armenian leaders, because the Armenian people did everything, even the impossible,” claimed Nagorno-Karabakh MP Metakse Akopyan. According to her version, “states are being created by peoples, and no person, not even the president, has the authority to dissolve a state, so the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) exists, even though it is occupied.”

“For our people, May 9 will remain a symbol of victory, perseverance, and an integral part of our common memory, identity, and dignity, and the people celebrate this day despite the policy of the Armenian authorities to ignore all the achievements of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh),” Artak Mkrtchyan, a spokesperson for the “Council for the Protection of the Rights of the People of Artsakh”, told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

Artak Mkrtchyan has emphasized that the “Council for the Protection of the Rights of the People of Artsakh” continues its activities to restore and respect the collective and historical rights of the Nagorno-Karabakh people and “create unity, in order to resolve the social and political rights of the indigenous population of Artsakh.”

“Despite the current situation of the Artsakh people, May 9 for us is a day of our victories, which we are proud of, and for the sake of the memory of the fallen heroes, we must not allow this day to be turned into an ordinary day,” a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent was told by Silvard Margaryan, a spokesperson for the “Union of Reserve Officers” of Nagorno-Karabakh.

According to the Silvard Margaryan’s report, on May 9, activists from the “Union of Reserve Officers” and several dozen of Nagorno-Karabakh NGOs visited the “Yerablur” military pantheon.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 10, 2025 at 12:54 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.