Nikol Pashinyan: "I take the defeat upon myself, so you do not feel defeated"

Artsakh is wounded today, but still standing. Normal life is being restored thanks to our fallen soldiers and our army. This was stated by Nikol Pashinyan during a meeting with the residents of Ujan on March 20.

"We have lived and are living through very difficult days. We must be able to draw conclusions from what has happened. I have spoken in Nerk’in Bazmaberd and Nor Yedesia, and I will not repeat the same here. But the most important statement I want to make is this: why did our fallen soldiers fall and for what purpose? The assessment is as follows: Artsakh is wounded today, but still standing, and normal life is being restored thanks to our fallen soldiers and our army.

For 20 years, judges in Armenia have not had the opportunity to make independent decisions. We gave them that opportunity, but some used it to run to their old masters and execute their will. And they must be punished for that. But today our hands are tied; the war dealt us a severe blow. I take the defeat upon myself, so you do not feel defeated; the defeat is mine. I will stand for your victory until the last moment. The defeat is mine, the victory is yours," said Pashinyan.

As of today, the Armenian side has officially confirmed 3,250 casualties, according to Nikol Pashinyan. "Currently, we have 189 parents who have submitted DNA samples and are waiting for answers. Yes, we have quite a large list of missing persons, but that list needs to be clarified because in the last months, 10 people from the missing persons list have been found under various circumstances, including at 'Zvartnots' airport during attempts to leave Armenia," said Pashinyan.

He noted that the Armenian side has already suffered many losses, and the number of those casualties should not be inflated for political exploitation. "Unless some new circumstances arise, which is very unlikely, our number of casualties will not exceed 4,000. This is still a very large number, but why did our boys die? They died so that Artsakh would exist today," he added.