Gegham Nazaryan on the Drone Show and Beyond

We were peaceful like our mountains, yet Nikol brought war and catastrophe to our country, and now he speaks of an era of peace, wrote Gegham Nazaryan, a member of the National Assembly from the "Armenia" faction, in his article.

“Any political force, any government on this planet would understand that organizing a grand event after a major disaster is inappropriate. Be assured, the ruling team in Armenia indeed possesses that awareness. It was impossible for their sponsors and consultants not to realize that this is not the time for shows. In short, they understood the truth but did exactly the opposite. They intentionally inflicted pain on the healthy portion of society, starting with the parents of our heroic boys.”

“Do you think the drone show was coincidental? Nothing happens by chance. The drone show was merely a means to intensify the pain. To hold a drone show when the overwhelming majority of our boys have been killed by those very drone strikes is at least cynicism and insolence. Beyond cynicism and insolence, convincing the audience to participate in this show, somehow dragging along a few mothers of slain boys, is problematic.”

“We often disregard symbols and their meanings and even laugh at talks about them, we scoff when they say that all this is a mass hypnotic session, but our opponents are doing the opposite. They sent a message to the world with this show, a message that Armenians are celebrating their defeat, that they have reconciled with the existing realities. This show equated or attempted to equate Independence with zero, while the head of the ruling team stated during this mass hypnotic session that we are not obligated to win, and that we are entering an era of peace.”

“We were peaceful like our mountains, yet Nikol brought war and catastrophe to our country, and now he speaks of an era of peace. In reality, when they refer to an era of peace, they mean a period of great humiliation that our enemy seeks to impose on us through its puppets. What the enemy dreams of does not necessarily have to become reality. Unfortunately, as a result of the ruling team’s actions, today Armenia's future is determined not via negotiations with the Armenian authorities but through communications and dialogues between foreign countries.”

“We must forever understand and acknowledge that our defeats will continue, the war will persist as long as Armenia presents itself with the face of defeat. We must also recognize that moral degradation will continue as long as the leadership of Armenia is represented by a person who embodies defeat. We cannot oppose the divine, natural, political, and economic laws, leaving the country's leadership to a person who has suffered such catastrophe. This is not how things work.”

“What is currently happening is unnatural and illogical. The sooner we realize and accept this fact, the better it will be for all of us.”

“The current government not only lacks the moral right to organize a celebration on September 21 but also lacks the moral right to govern the country. Thousands of casualties, humiliation, massive territorial losses, the fall of Shushi and Hadrut, the handover of the main road leading to Syunik and Iran to the enemy; is this not sufficient to understand that in order to move forward, we must first change the face of our country?”

“Once, in a private conversation, I asked a member of the German Parliament how many months it would take for the Germans to take to the streets if a government like that of today’s Armenia were in charge. He smiled and said it wouldn’t take months, protests wouldn’t be needed. They would realize within a day and a half that they cannot be ruled and would leave.”

“It is harsh but true. Following narrow personal interests, musicians played, danced, and sang. Did they not understand what they were doing? Did they not ask themselves where the Catholicos was, where the opposition members were, where even the mayor of Yerevan was? Did they not question why they were not present at the show?”

“Narrow personal interests, animal fear, and look where we are now. Unfortunately, many figures opposing the ruling party also do not pay attention to symbols and meanings.”

“It was stated aloud that on Independence Day, one should not walk to Yerablur; that it is not a good idea. It was said that especially the parents of the fallen boys should not be paraded to Yerablur on Independence Day. Do you not know that Yerablur is primarily a sanctuary? Yes, as in any respectable country, on Independence Day, the leaders of the state, party leaders, and church leaders should pay their respects to those who gave their lives for independence, but this should be done modestly and with dignity, without noise.”

“And what did we do? We did not even show respect to our martyrs. Do you think they appreciated what happened on September 21, both in Republic Square and in Yerablur? On September 21, we collectively, I say we so that no one is offended, organized or attempted to organize the burial of Independence, but know this will not succeed; the healthy portion of our nation, the victorious spirit of our boys will not allow it.”

“We need to try to become serious; without this seriousness, there will be no victories, no progress. When we cannot set aside personal whims, our ego's need to be pushed forward, we cannot undertake serious and important matters.”

“We even feel ashamed to publish the names of those musicians who, against the call of the grieving parents of the fallen boys and their family members, chose to sing and dance for their own wellbeing and position. After the war, the Dutch spent several years identifying and publicly shaming those who had collaborated with the fascists. And what are we doing? We compete to see who can first lead the parents of the fallen boys to Yerablur or who can bring them into clashes with the police.”

“Let’s set aside the concert-goers or spectators; they are not to blame; they truly do not understand what they are doing. Many are at such a level that they are happy to have been taken to Yerevan for free and taken back home. These are the very people who even envy the parents of the fallen boys for receiving financial compensation.”

“These are the kinds of individuals who think that the parents of martyrs should never smile, walk, attend to their appearances, or think of their other children but should smear dirt on their faces, wear rags, and mourn and weep incessantly. What can you say to them or demand from them?”

“And their intellectuals must have a different attitude towards this show and those who support this regime in some way or another. Let me just say now—you are complicit in the murder of our boys, in the handover of the roads and positions in Syunik to the enemy, in the destruction of Shushi. You will pay for this, one by one, and do not think that society will listen to your justifications of having to feed a child...”

“And today, just hours after the concert, we note that the atmosphere of immorality in the country has increased, the enemy has begun to laugh at us more, the world has started to respect us less—which brings all its consequences.”

“And despite all this, political processes have an interesting regularity; they do not conform to anyone's plans and wishes, they come and, like a powerful wave, clean the field of dirt and immorality.”