Arush Arushanyan Addresses the People from Prison

Arush Arushanyan has reached out to his fellow citizens through a letter from prison. "My dear Goris residents, on October 17, the results of the elections held in the Goris community reaffirmed our sincere intentions and determination to shape our tomorrow, to create a safe and secure future for our children on our sacred land together. The resounding victory of our alliance in the elections is not only mine; it is not only the alliance's; first and foremost, it belongs to each of you, to our nation, and to all compatriots carrying the spirit of the Nzhdehian ideology within them, even those who have not wanted or dared to stand beside our political team.

Unfortunately, I do not yet have the opportunity to directly communicate with you and celebrate our victory together. I say ‘not yet’ because I am confident that justice will prevail very soon, and I will be in freedom, and we will unite our efforts to improve our beloved community and homeland.

Dear sisters and brothers, with your choice, you have doubled and tripled the potential and energy which I am ready to invest in community programs to be implemented in the coming years, in the responsible and honorable work assigned to me as the mayor.

Every period brings new challenges and gives rise to new realities that require urgent solutions. These seem like test stones directed against our nation. However, we are not afraid; we do not retreat before all these problems and obstacles, and we have enough strength and determination to break these test stones, turn them into grains of sand, and then completely remove them from our path with a clear plan of action.

Since October 17, we have entered a new phase of our community’s development, which we will once again go through together, hand in hand, united with greater dedication and vigor. Our future depends on each of us, and I know that we, the residents of Goris, are united and indomitable, stubborn and ready to confront the serious challenges ahead of us and honorably overcome any trial.

Weakness, feebleness, and cowardice are not characteristic of us. We will also walk our victorious path with those who, for personal, political, or other reasons, did not vote for us, with those who fell victim to the provocations during the campaign under unequal competitive conditions, which the ruling power employed by unscrupulously using political, administrative, financial, and even friendly resources, and what is most tragic is that they also did not remain unaffected by the obsession of dividing society, propaganda that separates Goris residents into blacks and whites, past and present leaders.

We will also walk the road of victory with those who, taking advantage of my imprisonment, flooded the internet with cheap posts to discredit my personality, with false and slanderous information, as well as those who, driven by despair, disappointment, and helplessness, did not participate in the elections.

Dear Goris residents, malice, falsehood, deceit, and hatred have no place in our approach. They must be uprooted from the minds and souls of all our Goris residents, as well as from the entire Armenian nation. There have never been and cannot be ‘us’ and ‘them,’ there cannot be privileged and non-privileged individuals; we will continue the work we have started, remaining loyal to the comprehensive activities aimed at the development of our birthplace, Syunik region, and our homeland, unyielding state-building since 2017.

I want to express my special gratitude to all the Goris residents who voted for our alliance, those who believed in our commitment to build and prosper the Goris community together, those who never betrayed the noble spirit and genetic memory of the Syunik and Goris peoples accumulated over millennia.

You have already witnessed that my teammates and I are ready to unwaveringly and unequivocally overcome any obstacle with our noble aspiration to build something new every day. I would also like to thank all the compatriots who, while not being from Goris, followed the electoral processes closely, whether inside Armenia or outside.

For us, every Armenian in any corner of the world, every Syunik resident, every Goris resident who carries the Armenian gene, is absolutely valuable; those who are loyal to our kind and ready to fight with us for a bright future, for Armenian preservation, and to leave a stronger and more protected homeland for future generations in our just cause.

Today many speak of homeland and patriotism, but few act for the sake and benefit of the homeland. The feeling of obligation towards the homeland and patriotism begins with self-recognition, sincere faith in God, and the spontaneous urge to have a roof and family on one’s own land. Let us come together as one fist and build and enrich our large family—the Goris community of our dreams. God bless us all!"

Yerevan, October 18, 2021

P.S. Dear compatriots, Arush Arushanyan wrote his letter of gratitude on October 17, but for understandable reasons, we present it to you with a slight delay.