The President of the Artsakh Republic delivered a message posted on his official Facebook page. The message, in particular, reads:
"Dear compatriots,
Having lost a significant part of our holy homeland and thousands of bright lives as a result of the heavy war imposed by the Azerbaijani-Turkish alliance, however, thanks to the collective strength and will of our people, at the cost of the blood of our devoted sons, we managed to preserve a part of historic Artsakh, where the Armenians of Artsakh will continue to live, create and fight for their rights and freedoms, for national dignity and survival.
First of all, I would like to express my deep condolences to the relatives of all the victims and to the entire Armenian people for their irreparable and heavy losses. We are lifelong grateful and indebted to every hero and their relatives, who fell for the Homeland. We are also grateful to every person who has sincerely participated in the defense of the Homeland in one way or another, from a soldier to a Diaspora Armenian child, from the front line to deep rear.
It should be noted that despite the current difficult challenges, the independence of the Artsakh Republic and the Constitution operate in the same way as before, moreover, they oblige us to continue more resolutely the struggle. It should also be noted that the protection of human rights in international relations remains a purely declarative desire. The international community has largely failed to fulfill its obligations to ensure these rights, turning a blind eye to the outrageous facts of crimes against Armenians (humanity).
There are three main issues in this 44-day war and the resulting criticism. The first is whether it was right to end the war on November 9 under those conditions, and I have honestly answered that question several times, that at that time the alternative was greater human and territorial losses, even complete deprivation of the homeland. The second question is whether it was not possible to end the war sooner with relatively better conditions and less losses, and the third question was whether it was not possible to make the Armenian armed forces better prepared for the war in advance. The answers to the last two questions are positive, but I will return to the details on another occasion", Harutyunyan writes and continues:
"Despite the extent of my real and objective responsibility for the current situation, after the war I was ready to resign as President of the Republic, but for several main reasons I did not take that step. In the face of the post-war humanitarian catastrophe and plunged into many deprivations, should Artsakh have gone through a long period of political tension and instability of governance instead of uniting quickly and meeting the current needs of the people? I think the answer is simple. At least one must be insane to leave the people's sorrows and enter the circus of internal political struggle".
"Dear compatriots,
There are too many problems and challenges in this period, sometimes unmanageable and uncertain for us. However, before our previous and future generations, we must stand firm in the position of salvation and development of the Homeland. We as a nation are determined to get out of this hard situation with honor, to straighten our backs and move forward in our historic march. We simply do not have the right to fail at this stage, which could mean the failure of all stages. This is our just struggle, the natural continuation of the struggle of our ancestors, and we will definitely succeed.
Strongness, security and eternal life to the Holy Armenian Motherland", the message of the Artsakh President reads in part.
