I Announce My Willingness to Engage in State Building Efforts: Vitaly Balasanyan

I demand the President of Artsakh to form a new national unity government, which will include individuals with high professional and moral qualities from both Artsakh, Armenia, and the Diaspora. This was stated by Artsakh hero, Major General Vitaly Balasanyan on his Facebook page.

“Dear compatriots, the first bullet I fired in February 1988 was for the security of the Armenian people. Subsequently, thanks to the direct initiative of my comrades and myself, a regular army was formed from a zero state, which served honorably for 27 years, accomplishing all the tasks set before it. The same occurred during April 2016 and in September, October, and November of 2020, during the war unleashed by Azerbaijan with the overt participation of Turkey.

However, due to the disorganized and at times irresponsible governance of those responsible for the political aspect, we have encountered a reality that has led us to surrender lands soaked in the blood of Armenian heroes, the homes, schools, and state structures built over 27 years, one after another. None of this can remain unanswered. Continuing this way is a crime. We must clearly understand that old Artsakh is no more, the old context of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is gone, and the overwhelming majority of old perceptions and calculations no longer exist.

From this point, we must start the era of significant Armenian transformation, which includes not only Artsakh but also Armenia, the Diaspora, our neighbors, our allies, our adversaries, our interests, and resources. Choosing the path of pan-Armenian lamentation will lead us to lose Armenian statehood. Therefore, conclusions must be drawn and work must be done: what we need to do is the following:

a. It is essential to revise all power structures in Artsakh. This is a mandatory condition. We must know that this power has been defeated, not the army, nor the Armenian people, and this defeat must serve as a lesson.

b. Newly formed state bodies must possess the capacity and moral right to work without the mentality of a loser.

c. A new qualitative reconstruction of the armed forces is essential.

d. It is necessary to establish a new pan-Armenian agenda with new formats and content of cooperation with the Diaspora and Armenia, as well as the Russian Federation. The transformed government should start working with the Diaspora with intense and completely different logic.

Based on the above, regardless of my political views and my attitude towards the current authorities of the Republic of Artsakh—I demand and urge the National Assembly of Artsakh to change the composition of the Assembly President, the Deputy President, and the permanent working committees of the Assembly, and I urge the President of Artsakh to form a new national unity government that will include high professional and moral individuals from Artsakh, Armenia, and the Diaspora.

I appeal to the President of the Republic of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan: if you also share my concerns and agree with my proposals, in this case, I announce my willingness to engage in state-building efforts.

I serve my Motherland with love,

Your General, Vitaly Balasanyan

City of Stepanakert, December 1, 2020.