The Rally Held Yesterday Had No Connection to the Concert, Says Artsakh State Minister Artak Beglaryan

Artsakh State Minister Artak Beglaryan wrote on his Facebook page: The concert in Stepanakert dedicated to the Day of the First Republic of Armenia was held successfully, and thousands of Artsakh residents truly enjoyed the patriotic songs performed by Nersik, Arabo, and Aghasi Ispiryan, as well as some local performers.

We thank the team of the "Genesis Armenia" foundation, led by Abraham Gasparyan and Samvel Vardanyan, as well as the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of Artsakh, led by Anahit Hakobyan and Lernik Hovhannisyan, for making this concert a reality.

It is perplexing to me how my previous post about the concert has been subjected to petty politicization, accompanied by attempts at manipulation and accusations of conspiracy. Perhaps everyone measures my post with their own yardstick, while some simply fall prey to manipulation.

First, around 21:30, I posted a video from the concert, noting, "A grand concert of patriotic songs is currently taking place at Renaissance Square in Stepanakert" (note I specifically emphasized "currently"). This in no way meant to deny or overshadow the rally that had ended earlier (around 20:00); rather, it was just intended to present the fact of the concert, taking into account that the Artsakh government was one of the co-organizers of the concert and that I personally had taken charge of the organizational work.

Second, the truth is that, yes, a rally took place in the same location prior to the concert. However, it had no connection to the concert, as the rally's organizers announced from the stage. Considering that both events were scheduled to take place in the same location (the rally at 19:00, the concert at 20:00), the organizers of both agreed on the sequential use of the stage to avoid interfering with each other. Clearly, thousands participated in both the rally and the concert, though there were many who only attended one of the events.

Third, if both the rally and the concert have been covered by numerous media outlets and social media pages (including live broadcasts), why do some try to use my post about the concert as a basis for denying the fact of the rally's occurrence, while others aim to present it as a deliberate disregard for the fact of the rally? In that case, why don’t you accuse the authors of all posts about the concert of the same issue, or why don’t you demand that those who posted about the rally also write about the concert?

Fourth, let me remind you that all government bodies have duly performed their duties to ensure citizens' political rights and freedoms, namely, to guarantee the smooth course of the rally, despite the existing difficulties. Moreover, I find it entirely natural and commendable that thousands of citizens of Artsakh seek to express their opinions regarding the current and future state of Artsakh and participate in decision-making processes affecting our fate through democratic and legal means. As for the rest, I expect clarifications from the rally's organizers to clarify the reality for the misled.

Fifth, it's curious why some do not focus on the successful conduct of both the concert and the rally, why don’t they consider the significant efforts put into their organization, yet instead try to find a nonexistent blemish in them. Are you doing this deliberately, or are you simply naively falling prey to manipulations?

Sixth, it is offensive and strange when some (especially those who only love Artsakh on Facebook) try to teach me a lesson in patriotism and accuse me of nonexistent crimes. I apologize, but I must immodestly remind that there are very few people in this life who would have the moral right to teach me a lesson in patriotism. Before assuming the role of a self-proclaimed judge, one should at least properly fulfill their own part of the duty and be prepared to distinguish objective facts from falsehoods and subjective interpretations.

P.S. Comments containing insults and/or made by obviously fake users will be deleted.

Photos from the concert and the rally are included.