Heroes Must Be Recognized, Valued, and Held Accountable if Necessary, But Not Deprived of Their Honor

The British BBC article about March 1 will soon become a forgotten past in its content, but it will leave one wound: the article targeted our hero. This was mentioned by the former Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the Holy See, Portugal, and the Sovereign Order of Malta, Mikael Minasian, in his Facebook post. We present his statement in full below.

“George Martin wrote in his book ‘A Game of Thrones’: ‘Many have been forgotten. Many deserve to be forgotten. But heroes will always be remembered. The worthy ones. The best and the worst. And some who were both.’ Whether we want it or not, the history of any country is the story of its heroes. Remove the heroes, and it becomes a faceless narrative. That’s why the greatest danger in our public agenda is the indiscriminate attitude towards our heroes of the last 30 years. It seems that there is an unannounced ‘witch hunt’ against them.

A vivid example of this is the British BBC article about March 1. If there is an impression from it, it is that of targeting the distinguished military figure of Artsakh, Major General Samvel Karapetyan, and the hypothetical link between him and the victims. The article will soon be forgotten, but it leaves one wound: it targeted our hero. Samvel Karapetyan is a hero.

Scott Fitzgerald said, ‘Show me the hero, and I will write his tragedy.’ I do not know if this is our collective tragedy or an individual one, for example, that of General Manvel, who is now in the dock. He, Monten, and many others liberated Artsakh together. Unfortunately, Monten fell, sacrificed himself and remained a hero. Manvel exists and, instead of having a chance to atone for his real sins, is in captivity, mocked by what is called ‘tushonka’ (a type of food in a tin). The boys who forged the April victory are heroes. All of them. The boys who fell in the Artsakh hero war and the April War will forever remain heroes, while those alive today are either defendants or potential defendants.

Heroes are like that. Contradictory. That has always been the case and will continue to be. The question is how we should treat them. To go beyond the political context but understand the problem, let us take, for example, Ruben Hakverdyan. He is one of the stars of our time - a talented Yerevantsi, author of many beloved songs. But Hakverdyan has always stood out for the most absurd statements and disgraceful interviews. Did that change his status or our attitude towards him? No. It is the same for the heroes of the war and the country.

Regardless of many omissions and mistakes, there should be no complexes in calling things by their names among Armenians, Artsakh, and the Armenian community. One should not develop complexes and fail to call Levon Ter-Petrosyan a hero. Because President Ter-Petrosyan was the leader of our state and people in times of crisis, in periods of existential choice. As the captain of a ship caught in a stormy sea, he and his team managed to bring the ship to a safe harbor.

One should not develop complexes and fail to call Robert Kocharian a hero. Because President Kocharian led Artsakh during the republic's birth and later governed the Republic of Armenia, ensuring undeniable progress for both Armenian states, gradually cementing the ship of state-building.

One should not develop complexes and fail to call Serzh Sargsyan a hero. Because under the leadership of President Sargsyan, who dedicated more than 30 years of his life to statehood and security, Armenia faced nearly all types of challenges, setting a bar for ensuring external and internal balance, opening the country, and giving Armenia wings that few understand but which must take flight.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Robert Kocharian, and Serzh Sargsyan are heroes to me, despite the mistakes all three made. They still have a decisive voice today. Undoubtedly, heroes are Vazgen Manukyan, Bako Sahakyan, Arkadi Ghukasian, and Pargev Srpazan, who have made history during and after the war.

Heroes are also Arkadi Ter-Tadevosyan, Arshavir Gharamyan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, Vitali Balasanyan, Seyran Ohanyan, Movses Hakobyan, Samvel Babayan, Yuri Khachaturov, Mikael Harutyunyan, Arthur Aghabekyan, Manvel Grigoryan, Seyran Saroyan, Sasun Mikayelyan, Zhora Gasparyan, and others, despite their mistakes yesterday, today, or tomorrow.

We cannot and must not live by the thesis ‘there is no past, only the present.’ The past exists, with both victories and mistakes, but we must move towards the future. Heroes must be recognized, valued, and held accountable for mistakes when necessary. But they must not be deprived of their honor or annihilated. We must not deprive the country of its basis. Our reference point, the creators of our destiny, are the heroes. It may be difficult with them, but it is impossible without them.

Heroes are also among the living. We must have the courage to see what history will later record. And enemies? How much do we want? Just beyond the border. In Armenia, we should not have enemies. And we will not have! No one has fallen into battle meaninglessly, and no one lives meaninglessly today. A society capable of making heroic feats and radical changes cannot be built on hatred. The right to live well and safely can only be earned in an atmosphere of solidarity. And it is possible.”