Call to Refrain from Actions that Could Undermine the Foundations of Statehood: Message from the Armenian Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces General Staff

The Armenian Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces have issued a statement:

Dear compatriots, on September 27, a war was unleashed against Artsakh, unprecedented in terms of the number and type of forces, resources, and weapons involved. It was also unprecedented in that our army was fighting not only against the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, which has a population of 10 million, but also against Turkey’s direct military involvement and its full and unconditional political, military, and diplomatic support, as well as several thousand mercenary terrorists.

In these circumstances, our army has done everything possible and impossible to confront the enemy. Every soldier, officer, and general of the Armenian army has done their utmost to defend the Homeland, dedicating themselves entirely to this struggle and creating numerous heroic tales. This war has taken from us our best sons, whose memory will forever remain in all our hearts as the true heroes of our times.

Each of you should be assured, and there should not be an ounce of doubt in anyone’s mind that our army has done everything possible and impossible. We have once again proven that we have indomitable soldiers, officers, and generals who are ready to sacrifice their lives for the defense of our holy Homeland without a moment's hesitation.

However, it is time to stop the bloodshed. The political leaders of Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan have reached an agreement, the content of which you are already familiar with. The war has not fully ended, and combat operations in Artsakh are still ongoing. Nevertheless, we support and must fulfill the decisions made by our country’s military-political leadership based on a multi-faceted analysis and assessment of the situation.

We are obliged to stop the bloodshed. We are obligated to find the bodies of all our heroes and, with military honor, return them to the soil. We must try to comfort the pain of our heroic mothers and heal the wounds of the wounded. We must restore and further strengthen our army's potential, turning it into a state-of-the-art and highly capable force.

We have numerous responsibilities ahead of us. The war is ending. The army has done its duty and will continue to do so selflessly.

We call on all to refrain from actions that could undermine the foundations of statehood and, learning lessons from all possible mistakes made, to build a significantly stronger and more capable army that our heroic people deserve.