From Sardarabad to Artsakh

This past week, we celebrated the anniversary of the victorious battles of Sardarabad, Bash-Aparan and Gharakilisa. During May 26-27, 1918, the Armenian nation witnessed one of it greatest achievements in history, as the outnumbered Armenian military units comprised of volunteer civilians not only defeated the better-equipped Turkish army, but also halted there advances into the Armenian heartland and prevented the complete destruction of our nation.

Coming just three short years after the Genocide and complete devastation of Western Armenia, our people stood united in fighting the invading enemy forces. The spirit of our soldiers and the will of our nation had prevailed, and the invading forces were defeated at the doors of Yerevan and forced to retreat. Thanks to these victories the Armenian statehood was restored after a disruption that lasted five hundred years.

Only a few decades later, the Armenians once again were compelled to fight a new war, when, in the late 80s and early 90s, the Karabakh liberation war was fought against the Azeri occupiers. Thanks to the unshakable will of our nation, our second greatest victory of the twentieth century was recorded, and the Artsakh Armenians were liberated to form their own independent state.

However, in contrast to the battles of Sardarabad which were short, the Artsakh liberation war continues to this day, over thirty years after it began. Azerbaijan is not ready to accept its defeat and to reconcile with the will of the people of Artsakh for self-determination and independence. Although this ongoing war has been fought at the expense of precious human lives and resources, any retreat at this point would cost our nation a much higher price.

As was the case during the battles of Sardarabad, the unity and collaboration among all segments of our people have been the determining factors in achieving our goals and maintaining our independence. Yet, in the last few weeks, the ties between Armenia and Artsakh, which thus far have proven to be unbreakable, began to show some cracks. Artsakh was pulled into internal political events in Armenia, creating friction between the leaderships of Armenia and Artsakh. These phenomena are worrying, unacceptable and should be cause for concern for all of us. We are not allowed such luxuries, not even for a short period of time. The absence of the Artsakh Republic‘s President from the May 28th celebrations was noticeable and disturbing. Our enemies, undoubtedly, are in joy and planning their next moves.

The Diaspora Armenians, are not indifferent to the events in our Homeland, and are concerned about the current situation. However, we are confident in the wisdom of our leadership in both Armenia and Artsakh. We are hopeful that the clouds will soon move away, skies will clear, and everything will return to its normal course, so as from Sardarabad to Artsakh we continue our united march.

MASSIS