Victory Has No Age and Never Grows Old: President Armen Sarkissian's Congratulations Message

President Armen Sarkissian's congratulatory message on the occasion of the Victory and Peace Day and the anniversary of the liberation of Shushi.

“Dear compatriots,
I sincerely congratulate you on the 75th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War and the day of liberation of Shushi. Today, we all would like to visit the Victory monuments and the graves of our heroes. We would like to congratulate our veterans more warmly and directly. However, we all certainly understand that in the context of the pandemic, we must show maximum responsibility and vigilance.

Dear compatriots,
Victory has no age and never grows old. On this day in 1992, through the united efforts of the Armenian people, Shushi was liberated. Seventy-five years ago, on this day, the peoples of the Soviet Union achieved a united victory in the Great Patriotic War.

Victory in the Great Patriotic War was achieved at a high price for us. Our people, who lost 1.5 million during the Armenian Genocide, lost another 300,000 Armenian lives during World War II: 300,000 out of 600,000 who fought on the battlefield. Our participation in the fight against fascism rightly places us among the first ranks of victorious peoples.

More than a hundred brave Armenians were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and they also received high titles of marshals and generals, and we will always be proud of them. Our pride also includes our compatriots from the Diaspora who supported the Soviet army with their donations. They themselves joined the fight against fascism in the Resistance movement in France, Europe, and other countries.

Dear compatriots,
Seventy-five years ago, Armenian Aramik Aramyan also entered Berlin victoriously. He immortalized his name on the wall of the Reichstag, writing, ‘Stepanakert-Berlin-Aramik Aramyan.’ Almost half a century later, the story of victory was already being forged in his homeland—Artsakh—specifically in Shushi. The path of victory to Shushi stretched not only from Stepanakert but also from Armenia and the Diaspora.

Our chronicle has been enriched with the contemporary story of our struggle for freedom and the names of the new heroes who forged it. It was no coincidence that the day of the liberation of Shushi, May 9, was proclaimed the day of the establishment of the Artsakh Defense Army. That army is now a powerful and combat-ready force, like all of our armed forces.

I bow my head before all the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the Soviet Union and Europe during World War II, before the memory of the brave sons of our Homeland who forged the victory of the Artsakh Liberation War.

I pay tribute and deep respect to our veterans, who are a living textbook of patriotism for generations to come.

Dear compatriots,
Seventy-five years have passed since victory in the Great Patriotic War and 28 years since the liberation of Shushi. Behind these dates are countries, peoples, and destinies of people. However, victories endure... They endure if they are strengthened by the empowerment and enrichment of the Homeland. They are lasting if we maintain our vigilance and combat readiness.

Dear friends, dear compatriots,
This day carries multiple meanings—victory, freedom, peace, and a shared memory that unifies all of these. May we be worthy of our victories, our freedom, and our peace. May we also be worthy of our memories. Let us be the living bearers of that memory and victories—veterans of the Great Patriotic War and the Artsakh Liberation War.

God protect us all, our families, our people, our Homeland. Long live the Republic of Armenia. Long live the Republic of Artsakh. Long live our people.”