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TO MAINTAIN THE REVIVED FREEDOM-LOVING SPIRIT
http://artsakhtert.com/eng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id`6:-to-maintain-the-revived-freedom-loving-spirit&catid=3:all&Itemid=4
Monday, 18 February 2013 09:31
These days, the 25th anniversary of the Karabakh Movement is
celebrated in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Mass rallies took place
on February 12 in Martuni and Hadrut, on February 13 - in
Stepanakert,reminding us, the witnesses and participants of the truly
crucial events, of the cold February of 1988 ... It was then that the
Movement actually came out of underground and gaining unprecedented
power covered the squares and central streets of the then district's
towns with common people demanding restoration of the historical
justice and reunification of Artsakh with Armenia.
For the history, the past quarter of a century is just a moment.
However, it was this moment that comprised the bitterness of defeat
and the joy of victory during the heaviest tests, tragic losses and
significant achievements. But, the most important thing is that a new
generation of Artsakhtsis has grown over the years - a generation of
the citizens of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.
And I must say that the program offestivities, elaborated by the
state commission on the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the
Movement, is aimed mainly, and perhaps primarily, at young Artsakhtsis
born after February 1988. That is why the pivot of almost all the
public events on marking the 25th anniversary of the Movement was the
idea of relation of generations, the necessity of preserving the
freedom-loving spirit of the people of Artsakh and the moral values
that were gained in the memorable troubled days of 1988. To prevent
the fading away of the flame of the national struggle, which is not
completed yet, but due to the geopolitical transformations has gained
other forms, an effective memory is needed. But to remember, it is
necessary to know.
The young people of Artsakh who, fortunately for them, didn't taste
the "charms" of being in genocidal Azerbaijan, need to know what the
cost was to achieve the freedom. They must know and remember that the
current independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was achieved in
an unequal struggle against the enemy who initially tried to drown the
Movement in blood, having committed unprecedented on their cruelty
acts of mass massacres and pogroms of the peaceful Armenian
population. They should know that the people of Karabakh, who strongly
believed in the ideals of Gorbachev's perestroika, were severely
disappointed and then had to struggle against the Soviet
totalitarianism and Azerbaijani nationalism, which directed the entire
power of the state repressive apparatus towards the people of Artsakh.
They should know that it was with the tacit consent of the then Moscow
that Baku launched an economic and communication blockade against
Nagorno-Karabakh, which has not been lifted so far. And then, after
the collapse of the Soviet Union and the proclamation of the NKR, it
unleashed a bloody and criminal war against the Republic, with the use
of banned weapons of mass destruction, which took the lives of
thousands of our countrymen and almost completely destroyed our
economy.
We remember that in due time, the Movement was rightfully called a
revolution, which radically changed the course of history of the
ancient Artsakh. However, our new generation should know that a
revolution took place also in the minds of the people of Artsakh,
changing their outlook. It should be fairly recognized that the
seventy-year stay of Nagorno-Karabakh within Soviet Azerbaijan dulled,
to a certain extent, the Karabakh people's sense of freedom, which
they had held for millennia. But, fortunately, no one managed to kill
the spirit of freedom in us, and it was just waiting for its moment of
glory. The evolution of the Karabakh people's outlook led to the
understanding of the indisputable truth that the essential condition
for achieving the high goal is the national unity, which allowed us to
withstand and win. We got rid of romantic illusions and realized that
we should not rely on the mercy of those powerful, but rely on our own
potential. Life taught us severe lessons. At the cost of heavy losses
and testing, we came to the conviction that people are masters of
their own fate, that in the modern world, with its harsh rules,
survives the one who has strong will and spirit, who knows how to
respect himself, to defend his rights, honor and dignity. TheMovement
became a kind of catharsis for the people of Karabakh, thanks to which
we again proved ourselves, getting rid of the feeling of hopelessness
and defeatist sentiments, which were about to cover us. We have proved
to the whole world and to ourselves that we have not lost the sense of
self-respect, that we have fully deserved the right to a worthy life,
to the creation of our own statehood.
I think one of the main challenges of nowadays is not to lose the
achievements of our 25-year struggle. Moreover, to develop and
increase them, as the people-winner has earned the right to a decent
life. A new generation has come, which wants to continue the historic
mission of building, consolidating and protecting our statehood.
Statehood, which was created thanks to the revived spirit, strong will
and courage of the people of Artsakh and at the cost of lives of many
of our countrymen.
The rallies - now festive and dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the
Karabakh Movement, have demonstrated that the youth of Artsakh
realizes its responsibility for the future of the Motherland and is
ready to preserve and defend the national values inherited from the
older generation of the people of Artsakh.
Leonid MARTIROSSIAN
Editor-in-Chief of Azat Artsakh newspaper
http://artsakhtert.com/eng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id`6:-to-maintain-the-revived-freedom-loving-spirit&catid=3:all&Itemid=4
Monday, 18 February 2013 09:31
These days, the 25th anniversary of the Karabakh Movement is
celebrated in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Mass rallies took place
on February 12 in Martuni and Hadrut, on February 13 - in
Stepanakert,reminding us, the witnesses and participants of the truly
crucial events, of the cold February of 1988 ... It was then that the
Movement actually came out of underground and gaining unprecedented
power covered the squares and central streets of the then district's
towns with common people demanding restoration of the historical
justice and reunification of Artsakh with Armenia.
For the history, the past quarter of a century is just a moment.
However, it was this moment that comprised the bitterness of defeat
and the joy of victory during the heaviest tests, tragic losses and
significant achievements. But, the most important thing is that a new
generation of Artsakhtsis has grown over the years - a generation of
the citizens of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.
And I must say that the program offestivities, elaborated by the
state commission on the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the
Movement, is aimed mainly, and perhaps primarily, at young Artsakhtsis
born after February 1988. That is why the pivot of almost all the
public events on marking the 25th anniversary of the Movement was the
idea of relation of generations, the necessity of preserving the
freedom-loving spirit of the people of Artsakh and the moral values
that were gained in the memorable troubled days of 1988. To prevent
the fading away of the flame of the national struggle, which is not
completed yet, but due to the geopolitical transformations has gained
other forms, an effective memory is needed. But to remember, it is
necessary to know.
The young people of Artsakh who, fortunately for them, didn't taste
the "charms" of being in genocidal Azerbaijan, need to know what the
cost was to achieve the freedom. They must know and remember that the
current independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was achieved in
an unequal struggle against the enemy who initially tried to drown the
Movement in blood, having committed unprecedented on their cruelty
acts of mass massacres and pogroms of the peaceful Armenian
population. They should know that the people of Karabakh, who strongly
believed in the ideals of Gorbachev's perestroika, were severely
disappointed and then had to struggle against the Soviet
totalitarianism and Azerbaijani nationalism, which directed the entire
power of the state repressive apparatus towards the people of Artsakh.
They should know that it was with the tacit consent of the then Moscow
that Baku launched an economic and communication blockade against
Nagorno-Karabakh, which has not been lifted so far. And then, after
the collapse of the Soviet Union and the proclamation of the NKR, it
unleashed a bloody and criminal war against the Republic, with the use
of banned weapons of mass destruction, which took the lives of
thousands of our countrymen and almost completely destroyed our
economy.
We remember that in due time, the Movement was rightfully called a
revolution, which radically changed the course of history of the
ancient Artsakh. However, our new generation should know that a
revolution took place also in the minds of the people of Artsakh,
changing their outlook. It should be fairly recognized that the
seventy-year stay of Nagorno-Karabakh within Soviet Azerbaijan dulled,
to a certain extent, the Karabakh people's sense of freedom, which
they had held for millennia. But, fortunately, no one managed to kill
the spirit of freedom in us, and it was just waiting for its moment of
glory. The evolution of the Karabakh people's outlook led to the
understanding of the indisputable truth that the essential condition
for achieving the high goal is the national unity, which allowed us to
withstand and win. We got rid of romantic illusions and realized that
we should not rely on the mercy of those powerful, but rely on our own
potential. Life taught us severe lessons. At the cost of heavy losses
and testing, we came to the conviction that people are masters of
their own fate, that in the modern world, with its harsh rules,
survives the one who has strong will and spirit, who knows how to
respect himself, to defend his rights, honor and dignity. TheMovement
became a kind of catharsis for the people of Karabakh, thanks to which
we again proved ourselves, getting rid of the feeling of hopelessness
and defeatist sentiments, which were about to cover us. We have proved
to the whole world and to ourselves that we have not lost the sense of
self-respect, that we have fully deserved the right to a worthy life,
to the creation of our own statehood.
I think one of the main challenges of nowadays is not to lose the
achievements of our 25-year struggle. Moreover, to develop and
increase them, as the people-winner has earned the right to a decent
life. A new generation has come, which wants to continue the historic
mission of building, consolidating and protecting our statehood.
Statehood, which was created thanks to the revived spirit, strong will
and courage of the people of Artsakh and at the cost of lives of many
of our countrymen.
The rallies - now festive and dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the
Karabakh Movement, have demonstrated that the youth of Artsakh
realizes its responsibility for the future of the Motherland and is
ready to preserve and defend the national values inherited from the
older generation of the people of Artsakh.
Leonid MARTIROSSIAN
Editor-in-Chief of Azat Artsakh newspaper