You Seek the Approval of Armenian Authorities, Yet Work Against Them from Below: Babayan

Samvel Babayan's office has issued a statement.

The statement is presented in full below.

“For almost six days, Samvel Babayan has been in Artsakh, yet the tensions have not eased. There, they cannot come to terms with the fact that Artsakh has widely opened its arms to its hero. They are working on all fronts—legislative, constitutional, governmental, personal, and media. Yes, the personality of Samvel Babayan inadvertently creates an atmosphere of attention, respect, and joy around him. Today, the entire Armenian government is busy weaving legends and ballads around one individual, pulling in media outlets receiving contracts for money and feeding the entire society with this information. The media, losing a few square meters of this sunshine, is trying to find refuge by exploiting national issues. This is a disgrace to our own nation, to those people who believe in the validity of your media reports.

Samvel Babayan values friendship and human relations highly, and it is therefore neither coincidental nor surprising that he has friends. What is surprising is that attending a friend’s birthday has caused a stir in certain circles. The roots of the friendship between Samvel Babayan and Eduard Verdyan run deep, dating back to the 1980s. We would not touch on personal matters of individuals if that media source had not brought it up. Eduard Verdyan, like 95% of our population, has taken out a loan to improve his business and provide a favorable and dignified life for his family, not to rob, plunder, and establish casinos and restaurants abroad at the expense of his nation. If having a loan is something dishonorable in your narrow perspective, then know that for the past 20 years you have kept your nation in that dishonorable atmosphere. Move from the sentimental realm to reality; your people are suffering. Get to work, improve your people’s lives.

Yes, Samvel Babayan is having meetings in Artsakh with his people, who are dissatisfied with the authorities there. Yes, you are very well informed that there are queues in front of Samvel Babayan’s house, people are simply disheartened and distressed. For these past years, their lives have been filled only with loans, debts, fears, and coercion. They barely survive because they unwittingly fill the government’s pockets. This is the reality. Starting today, Samvel Babayan will begin official meetings in villages and cities to become more familiar with the issues concerning the Artsakh people. Those issues that plague an entire victorious nation. If your pain and sorrow is about that petition, then that is a distant future; for Samvel Babayan, the primary question now is about the nation’s welfare.

While you are playing two games, trying to impress the Armenian authorities by turning their phones red, claiming that Samvel Babayan has come to destroy us all, people are knocking at Samvel Babayan’s door to express their dissatisfaction, filled to the throat with your governance. You are trying to ingratiate yourselves with the Armenian authorities for approval, yet you are acting against those same authorities from below. Please inform the public, show what the current situation is in Artsakh. Or is your two-penny opinion above the nation’s issues?

Since we have addressed the issues of this period numerous times, let’s ask one of the authors from those media outlets, who simply lives off Samvel Babayan and compares Armenia to Chukotka, one last question: if the Armenian soldier comes to protect the border of Artsakh, does that soldier not have the right to aspire to any position in Artsakh, or is his sole duty to ensure your safety and die for it? Samvel Babayan has clearly stated in his application to the Artsakh police what he applied for. He has inquired to clarify whether he has been deprived of citizenship, and not whether they have just taken him off the register. As soon as this is clarified, we will present the infamous author and the whole nation with not only Samvel Babayan’s economic plans but also his political and military plans that will lead Artsakh to revival.

And finally, especially for “Hraparak,” the greatest sin in the world is to forget one’s parent, one’s child. This is unforgivable,” reads the statement.