Address by the Primate of the Diocese of Artsakh on the 33rd Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic of Artsakh

September 2 stands as an eternal testament to the heroic will and unwavering faith of our devoted people in national unity. The independence of the Republic of Artsakh is one of the brightest manifestations of our people's just aspiration to live freely under a peaceful sky, holding its rightful place in the millennia-old history of the Armenian nation.

The Artsakh Movement, which began in the late 1980s, sought to peacefully reunify Armenian Artsakh with its Motherland, adhering to international principles of human rights. Tragically, this movement was met with violent responses from Azerbaijan. Yet, the unyielding determination of the devoted sons and daughters of our nation ensured that this rightful demand would not be silenced.

Through the holy and God-given ideal of human freedom, achieved by the selfless efforts of the Armenian people and at the cost of the blood of our brave children, Artsakh attained its much-desired independence. In our hearts, the righteous memory of our compatriots remains ever-vivid—those who, like the widow in the Gospel parable, offered everything they had, even their lives, on the altar of their nation and faith.

Over the past three decades, however, Azerbaijan has never reconciled with the idea of Artsakh's independence. Ultimately, the large-scale war of 2020 brought a profoundly painful resolution for our people. Despite our nation’s resolute readiness to defend the homeland at all costs and the heroic acts witnessed throughout the 44-day war, the enemy, under the gaze and partial support of the international community, broke through the resistance of the Armenian army, which stood alone against multiple adversarial forces, and seized most of the Republic of Artsakh.
 
In the two years following the war, Azerbaijan carried out the next phase of its genocidal policy—the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh. The complete deportation of Artsakh's population in September 2023 will forever remain a stain of shame on the pages of the so-called civilized world, which turned a blind eye to an entire people’s right to live freely on their ancestral land. After enduring nine months of starvation and relentless psychological and physical violence, our brothers and sisters of Artsakh ultimately succumbed, leaving Artsakh without Armenians for the first time in history.

Dear compatriots, for us, the question of Artsakh is by no means closed. The obligation of all national, social, and political forces today must be to ensure a dignified life for the people of Artsakh in Armenia. Our brothers and sisters from Artsakh must never, even for a moment, feel like strangers in their Motherland; they should be embraced as full citizens of their homeland.

We urge all of you to stand in defense of the rights of the people of Artsakh because walking the path of justice as a nation means finding favor in the eyes of our Heavenly Father, as the Psalmist writes: "He will cut off all the horns of the wicked, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up" (Psalm 75:10). Our efforts must first and foremost be directed toward preserving the state structures of the Republic of Artsakh in Armenia. In this way, we can keep alive the people’s hope and faith in the future, in their longed-for return. Today, Azerbaijan continues its systematic destruction of Armenian traces in Artsakh, obliterating ancient monasteries and churches, desecrating cemeteries, and promoting false, anti-scientific narratives about the Albanian Church. Only through the eventual return of the people of Artsakh to their ancestral home can we safeguard and preserve Artsakh’s Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage, preventing its ongoing desecration and destruction.

We pray to God for the safe return of our sons held captive in Azerbaijani prisons, as well as the leaders who symbolize the independent Republic of Artsakh.

Artsakh is the Cross of the entire Armenian nation. But will that Cross be seen as foolishness or as the power of God for our people? Each of us must find the answer within ourselves. The Cross of Artsakh was strength to those who liberated it, yet it is foolishness to those who view Artsakh as a burden or a nuisance. And as for the fate of those who deem it foolishness, it is not we who judge but the Apostle Paul. Are we truly unable to rediscover the national and divine potential of our Cross? Drawing strength from the Cross, which symbolizes the boundless love of our Lord, let us fill our hearts with love, care, and forgiveness for one another, so that as a nation, we may be deemed worthy of the true culmination of Christian crusades—victorious resurrection.
 
We congratulate you on the occasion of the proclamation of the Republic of Artsakh and pray to the Holy Spirit to bestow upon us the grace to become witnesses to the great joy of justice and salvation, a victorious return through Christ.
We extend our blessings and heartfelt wishes for the success of all initiatives devoted to the nation and the homeland.