There is No Retreat, Time is Short, We Have No Land to Surrender: Ishkhan Saghatelyan

Today, Armenia faces a significant systemic crisis, and the authorities' claims that the crisis has been overcome after the elections are a deception. The crisis is deepening, approaching a point of no return. This was stated by Ishkhan Saghatelyan, the representative of the ARF Central Committee and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, during the conference of the Armenian Cause offices.

“Comprehensive approaches are necessary. First, we must restore constitutional order in the country, organize the defense of the country's borders, develop a concept based on new realities, and implement systemic reforms in the security and economic sectors, as well as profound reforms in the education and cultural sectors. And the foundation of these reforms should be patriotic national education,” elaborated Saghatelyan.

According to Ishkhan Saghatelyan, we must not reconcile ourselves with the loss of sovereignty, overcome humiliation, manage losses and risks, restore dignity, and overcome the mindset of being a small state. We need to have a national dream and pursue it.

“At this moment, we need to form resistance—resistance against the enemy, who we cannot surrender our homeland to, resistance against the current authorities leading the nation to concessions, and resistance to all the illegalities occurring in public life. When we reach a national and popular resistance, the enemy will be driven away from our home, and the current authorities from their chairs. Time is short; we must either use it to our advantage or lose it irretrievably,” emphasized Ishkhan Saghatelyan.

In the opinion of the Deputy Speaker, the Armenian people have the potential to resist and fight. “We have the strength to rise, that’s 10 million Armenians. The revival of Armenia is impossible without the Diaspora, which is deep and multifaceted. New approaches and a new united agenda are necessary. To achieve this, it is first essential to define national objectives, create an environment for living in and being proud of our homeland, promote repatriation strategies, and ensure the inevitable participation of the Diaspora in state-building,” he said.

Ishkhan Saghatelyan emphasized that the promotion of opportunism and adaptability in Armenia has no future. “The fate of Artsakh and Syunik is not dependent on one official's decision; the fate of Artsakh and the Armenian people is in our hands. Let us not forget that Artsakh is our heritage, our security, and our natural right to live and let live. Artsakh is our land and water, our blood, our identity. There is no retreat; there is no stepping back; the struggle must continue,” concluded the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.