Dear compatriots, brothers and sisters. I have made a difficult, extremely difficult decision for myself and for all of us.
I signed an agreement with the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan to end the Karabakh War at 1:00. The text of the announcement, which has already been published, is unspeakably painful for me personally and for our people.
I made that decision based on thorough analysis of the military situation and assessment of that situation by experts. The decision was also based on the conviction that it is the best possible solution in the current reality. I will present a detailed message in the coming days regarding all of this.
This is not a victory, but there is no defeat as long as you do not recognize yourself as defeated. We will never recognize ourselves as defeated, and this will become the beginning of an era of national unification and rebirth.
We must analyze our years of independence in order to plan our future and prevent the repetition of our mistakes.
I kneel before our martyrs. I bow before all the soldiers, officers, generals and officials who have defended and defend our homeland with their lives. They have saved the Armenians of Artsakh with their selflessness.
We fought until the end. We will win. Artsakh stands.
Long live Armenia. Long live Artsakh.
Translated by Weekly Staff
Editor’s Note: This is breaking news. The joint statement is forthcoming.
‘Freedom’ for the Armenian people:
1. Martial Law.
2. Arrest Levon Ter Petrosyan.
3. Arrest Robert Kocharyan.
4. Arrest Serjh Sargsyan.
5. Arrest Nikol Pashinyan.
6. Publicly HANG ALL OF THEM!
7. Declare War on Azerbaijan.
8. Invade with EVERYTHING YOU GOT.
9. Impose a peace treaty in Baku.
10. The End.
I’m not sure that works, bro. Steps 2-5. – sure. Step 6. seems a bit crass and barbaric, I thought we represent civilization in this fight? Step 7 & 8 – What is your contingency plan if this doesn’t succeed? Did you do the math quickly and figured out how this can be achieved despite significant losses in the last 6 weeks against the same military? Will you be going too?
You people keep yapping on about Turkish help and jihadist mercenaries, etc. because why? That gives them an unfair advantage? True, but newsflash: Nobody cares.
So, please feel free to elaborate on your plan or relax and get smart. The latter is exactly what was needed the last 25 years, maybe these recent events will help to realize that and finally start getting our shit together.
I mean, this is Russia’s punishment for another color revolution, the way I read it. And it can’t be that surprising after Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014, right?
When the Armenian people (1) voted into power an obscure journalist and, those that didn’t vote for him, (2) tolerated him taking power, despite knowing his destructive agenda, they effectively underwrote this outcome. Heroic resistance or not, 150,000 people including majority civilian population can’t withstand the efforts of militaries with spending that is several magnitudes higher than their combined economic output. Not if they don’t prepare properly which we have seen during the drone strikes, they did not.
Now, the way I see it, this was tolerated by Russia up to a degree because of the crass and provocative behaviour of the current administration (think: charges against the CSTO secretary at the time, the arrest of Robert Kocharyan, odd anti-Russian remarks by virtually all higher ups, etc.). Is this “just” or “fair” in the sense that it is justified? Probably not, because I’m convinced this would be a short-lived fad that would be over in a few years, but it just shows a fundamental disconnect with the realities of the world and this region.
Either way, it also shows that the Westernizers and Democratizers were pretty wrong – in this particular corner of the world, you probably are better off with a strongman a la Aliev. Did anyone notice the public outcry and support for the “shining democracy” against the “evil dictatorship”? No? Thought so.
The real issue is, again and again, that lessons aren’t learned. I pray that people can this time, not following a fragile victory such as in 1994, decide that they need to be better and smarter. That they ought to start governing in the long-term interest of the majority of the population and actively seek the support of the Diaspora – which does NOT include political meddling from Glendale. What it does include is the significant know-how that people have built from Moscow to Paris to New York and that they can use to help Armenia get up to speed.
In short, and I commented saying this for a wihle now: The outcome (2020 or 2025 or sometime else in the future) was directionally predictable and the general mis-politicized population that let the current PM take power is no less likely to make such mistakes in the futures. As such, the main question is: How to install a failsafe that prevents something like this from happening again. Part of the issue is that following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Americanizatoin of all societies, countries that are led by religion or nationalism have virtually no values (good or bad) that they can follow, and as such, Armenia being more than included here, need to get on board with fundamental changes or perish. Such changes include the idea that an uneducated mob cannot be trusted to vote. Hot take, so I’ll stop here but you get the idea.
That’s one hell of a rant. Armenia may have lost those lands, but if it means peace and prosperity in the long run then so be it. Nikol may have been naïve with his calculations but a democracy is the right path and there’s no turning back from that.
There will be more killed by #7 and #9 is not possible as Russia will eliminate little Armenia if you don’t follow the deal. Agree with all other points. Hang the whole Armenian leadership for crimes against humanity.
What a sad day for Artsakh, Armenia, and Armenians everywhere. It appears to be as Archbishop Khorene De Lusignan had written in his poem titled “Let Us Die Armenians.”
“Brothers, we have no hope from foreigners;
Gaze not around for aid…
Rest not upon the foreigner your hope…
Heavy your burden is, but do you think
That foreign hands will lift it? You are wrong.
Nay, leave the foreigner, lend brother’s arm
To brother, and be strong! …“
Well, what can I say. He did what he was brought into power by the western/turkish establishment to do. And the Armenian people welcomed him in with open arms. All I can say is Armenians deserve what they got with Nikol, I just feel horrible for the poor Artsakhtsis.
I bet you that Russia has forced Armenia to do this. They stopped Armenia entering Nakhichevan in the first Nagorno-Karabakh war. Russia always does this whenever Armenia looks like it’s going to win. This should be a reminder to Russophile Armenians that Russia is no ally of Armenia.
Arresting them may make people feel good because of vindictiveness, but it is not a solid plan. The NATO and EU countries that financed, legitimized, and used as Turkey as a counterweight to Russia and Iran did this. Turkey would never have dared to do this if they were not given so much legitimacy by the West.
No criticism of Russia K? Are you saying that they are not even somewhat responsible for this proposed transfer of land? K, for several weeks you were praising “mother Russia” for repelling Azeri drones and defending Armenia. Look at how they have sold out Armenia to Turks. Oh but let me guess it’s all just the West’s fault (not saying they are not at fault) and Russia can do no wrong- not now, and not when Stalin handed over Artsakh and Nakhcivan to the Azeris.
When will Russophile/ rusamol Armenians learn that Russia is not Armenia’s ally. I’m waiting for your predictable reply which will either excuse Russians of any wrongdoing or put all the blame on Armenia and the west.
If “Mother Russia” was sincere in it’s “alliance” with Armenia, NONE of this would happen. No moral support, no military support, no political support, only support for Turkey and Azerbaijan political ambitions while sitting in Armenia for free. Also, Armenian leaders are all traitors and corrupt, and always have been.
Considering the previous statements of some Russian officials it can be assumed that they weren’t content with Pashinyan’s pro-western policies.
So it’s likely that Russia let Azerbaijan take at least some parts of the Karabakh (or maybe all of it) back in order to put Pashinyan’s administration in a much more difficult position.
It is worth remembering that Pashinyan has publicly stated that it was the military who were hard pressed and forced him to sign this peace deal. It wasn’t his call.
There is still more to come, but it seems like this conflict needs a scapegoat, and it will possibly be Pashinyan.
This agreement that Nikol Pashinyan signed, eerily resembles Czechoslavakia’s signing of the Munich Agreement. Pashinyan will go down as the biggest traitor in Armenian history, and join the likes of Laval and Petain of France and Quisling of Norway.
I agree, he is an ordinary loser and a typical charlatan who don’t give damn about his people, he is only interested in his chair and how to manipulate the people who are dying for their freedom
To my Armenian friends,
As a Greek who has always had Armenian friends and is supportive of Armenia, I watched with concern as this war started. My friends went from defiant to concerned to worried as the days rolled by. It is difficult for me to see them so despondent. I have spent this time doing research and I want to raise some questions that perhaps some here can answer as well as some comments.
1) I am not a military person. I’m actually a pediatrician, but looking back through the last few years it’s quite obvious that Azerbaijan has been using petroleum dollars to buy modern weaponry. If I as a pediatrician can see this trend why was the Armenian Army general staff not better prepared? Did they think Azerbaijan was going to use the weapons to attack Russia or Iran?
2) It was very obvious to me that the tactics used by Armenia were very circa 1990. Use of trenches and artillery without supporting air power was proven to be ineffective during WWII. Where was Armenia’s air cover?
3) Given a belligerent neighbor why was there not a priority on weapons updates?
4) Turkey is a known meddler and trouble maker with a history of genocide. I fear that this has only emboldened them to cause further trouble.
5) Putin does not care about Armenia. Any other belief is childish.
6) Israel, despite a shared history of genocide, only functions along a realpolitik agenda. They will not stop selling weapons to the Azeris.
7) As painful as it is for me to say the cease fire, with its punishing terms, was about the best that could be made of the situation. If the Lachin corridor was lost there was a very real possibility of encirclement and complete destruction.
Finally I am sorry for your loss my Armenian friends. All I can offer in this hour is the thought that the Armenian nation has faced great hardships in the past and always survived. I know the you will survive this as well. God bless you.
Israel is the successor state to Nazi Germany. The Palestinians are paying for what Hitler did.
Pashinian signed away Artsakh and Armenia , Never think their not the same , over a year ago after cutting all ties with Russia ,
The “ Velvet Revolution” was a Soros / forces against Armenia , method of Genocide . It’s not Democracy Fool on You ,
It was going backwards. Wake up !
Just a reminder: Vladimir Putin considers George Soros public enemy #1. He’s considered Soros the enemy ever since Soros started promoting liberal democracy.
The right wing in the US (which I like to call the reich wing) believes any negative thing that it hears about George Soros. Practically every reich-winger in the US is convinced that Soros is the leader of an international conspiracy (not that they could define it).
George Soros kept mum about politics for most of his life. That changed after 9/11. When Shrub declared “you’re either with us or you’re with the enemy”, that reminded Soros of what Hungary’s Soviet-backed government said. Those who vilify George Soros as some sort of puppet master only aid a fascist agenda.