Message from the Primate of the Diocese of Artsakh on the Anniversary of the Tragic Events of September 2023

Dear citizens of Artsakh,

Today marks one year since the tragic events that befell our people. Despite the heroic perseverance of our nation—enduring nine months of blockade, hunger, and deprivation, with no assistance from the outside world—on September 19, 2023, and the days that followed, Azerbaijan launched military actions and pursued genocidal policies, fully occupying and depopulating the Republic of Artsakh, the homeland of the Armenian people. Over 120,000 Armenians from Artsakh were forcibly displaced.

Adding to these tragic events was the explosion at the fuel depot in Stepanakert, which claimed the lives of many innocent Armenians and injured numerous others. Following this, the state leaders of Artsakh, symbols of our independent statehood, were taken captive. Just as we remember the souls of our heroic martyrs in every prayer, so too must we pray for the swift release of our captives held in Azerbaijani prisons.

With profound sorrow, we acknowledge these events. However, God forbid that this pain and suffering should lead us to despair or cause us to turn away from God and our homeland. Indeed, the loss we have endured is immense and indescribable—both as a collective and as individuals. The genocidal policies of our enemy have taken the lives of our children, destroyed our homes, and obliterated our efforts and sacrifices. Beyond the human and material losses, we have also lost the spiritual anchors of our identity, the foundations that rooted us in our land. With the loss of our sacred homeland, we have lost our monasteries, churches, and the graves of our ancestors.

Yet, dear people of Artsakh, this should inspire us with new strength, renewed hope in God, and confidence in our national unity, ensuring that September 19 does not become merely a day of remembrance. It must become a day of reevaluating our lives, rediscovering our identity, and rallying around the idea of returning to Artsakh. Truly, our Lord God is just and merciful. By filling ourselves with faith, hope, and love, we can confront this shameful chapter of our history with clear eyes and turn it into a new beginning, charting horizons of national revival and progress.

Thanks be to God that our sisters and brothers in Armenia received us warmly and unconditionally, ensuring that we do not feel like strangers in our Motherland. Through the efforts of our compatriots, the people of Artsakh are integrating into public life in the Republic of Armenia while preserving their unique identity.

Faithful Children, Let the light of hope for return never fade from our hearts and souls. We must keep it burning at all costs, constantly strengthening it through acts of love, compassion, and dedication.

To believe and to act—this is the formula for our return and future achievements as a nation. It is time to dedicate ourselves to fulfilling our sacred national aspirations, seizing every opportunity to restore justice in our lives, and ensuring that Artsakh becomes once again an integral part of the Motherland we all strive for—Armenia.

To God, I direct my prayers and the most cherished desires of my heart toward one purpose: to see Artsakh reinhabited by Armenians. It is my duty, as a father to all of you, to urge you to keep this same aspiration alive in your lives.

May the Almighty Lord abundantly bless our people, granting them strength, perseverance, and the fruits of brotherly love. May our national dream be sanctified by God’s will, and may the bells of Artsakh’s churches ring once again, calling their children to the embrace of their Motherland. May the memory of our heroic martyrs remain eternal, and may our captives, unjustly imprisoned, soon be blessed with the gift of freedom. Amen.