May 9—Congratulatory Address
Beloved People of Artsakh,
Today marks the sacred triple feast of the Armenian nation—Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War, the Liberation of Shushi in the First Artsakh War, and the Founding of the Defense Army of Artsakh. These noble and glorious milestones are united in the national significance of May 9.
The current painful reality, which in recent years has cast a shadow of sorrow over all our hearts, offers few occasions for national or patriotic joy. Yet this must not become a reason to cast our heroic past into the abyss of oblivion, nor to abandon the hope for a bright future—hope that draws strength from the national achievements of past decades.
Let our national losses not dim the memory of our victories, nor of the heroes who gave their lives and fought to achieve them. May this memory fortify us and inspire us to forge a new path of resolve, so that the collective celebrations of our nation may continue.
Beloved ones, let this day be yet another occasion to offer prayers for those sons and daughters of our people who are living witnesses to the glory of the past—especially those who stood at the roots of the Liberation of Shushi and the formation of the Artsakh Army. Some of them now rest in the Lord, having passed along the paths of glory. May their righteous souls be ever remembered. Others endure unspeakable suffering in enemy captivity—punished solely for having served the statehood of Artsakh.
Therefore, let us commemorate our sacred triple holiday and keep the courage of our spirit ablaze. For the Lord commanded: “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27). Just as our sons, brothers, fathers, and grandfathers did not waver and were not afraid. The path to victory and national honor passes through the road of spiritual joy, fortified in the Lord.
