We Were Ready to Send 7,000 Volunteers, When We Needed 3,000 Soldiers to Defend Shushi: Hovhikyan

On October 6, 2020, when our volunteer squad was heading to Artsakh, I met with Armenians who had come from France and Russia. They expressed their distress that military recruitment offices had told them in a harsh manner that only citizens of the Republic of Armenia could participate in the war, while those from the diaspora were advised to stay in Yerevan and organize humanitarian aid.

On October 12, I received a call from a friend in the United States, complaining that Armenian state agencies were obstructing their group from coming to Armenia to participate in the self-defense of Artsakh. Armenian Americans were told that participating in the war could categorize them as mercenaries, which could harm Armenia's international reputation.

On October 16, I spoke with an acquaintance who had arrived from Ukraine. He mentioned that they had come in a group to the Republic of Armenia, but he could not understand why the Armenian Ministry of Defense was not allowing them to go to Artsakh when there was a significant need for volunteers there.

Today, I read that Armen Maradoyan, a deputy in the Crimean parliament, announced that he was ready to send 450 experienced fighters to the battlefield on the second day of the war, who had gone through several wars. Subsequently, Alexander Borodan also expressed readiness to send 7,000 volunteers to defend Artsakh. This is despite the fact that we needed at most 3,000 soldiers to halt the enemy's advance towards Shushi near Lisagor.

However, they too were forbidden in Armenia to participate in the military actions, as it was considered inappropriate for mercenaries to take part in the war. It appears that while the participation of mercenary terrorists from Azerbaijan is acceptable, the involvement of our compatriots from the diaspora in defending their homeland is not allowed. Since when have the diaspora Armenians become mercenaries?