Menouan Seems to Call for Artsakh, It's a Strange Thing: Karin Tonoyan

Karin Tonoyan has announced that she will visit Artsakh for the first time since the 44-day war, intending to deliver gifts. She planned her visit for December 29, hoping that Artsakh would be unblocked.

In an interview with Aravot.am, Ms. Tonoyan shared that the children of the "Hay Aspet" school organized an exhibition-sale and raised 1.2 million drams.

“Today we went to Jermuk and brought assistance to the military units there, provided by the children. Now we are doing everything we can to try and get this assistance to Artsakh. As soon as the corridor opens, we will go. I have avoided going for two years, saying I couldn't bear to see it, as I had a kind of fear. Now, when Artsakh is under blockade, I suddenly realized that my personal suffering should not take precedence. I have received hundreds of letters from there saying, ‘We are waiting for you,’ and if I can give these people a little strength with my presence, then I must go—regardless of the suffering I will go through. The day the road opens, the next day I will go. Menouan seems to call for Artsakh, it’s a strange thing, it feels like Artsakh is now my homeland. Artsakh is my painful wound, like Menouan. The price of my life is Artsakh for me, and not just for him, believe me, mothers think like this. Artsakh has become our stronghold of dignity,” she stated.

Karin Tonoyan emphasized that today, Artsakh is the lifeline that can pull us out of this situation. “We all know that in reality, the price is Syunik. It is clear that Artsakh has been turned into a tool to pressure us, after which they will say that the price of opening the road to Artsakh was this. Everyone already knows this will soon be said. This will also make us hostile towards Artsakh once again, as if they are saying that because of you we gave up Syunik, we opened the road, and so on. This is the reality. But people with consciousness will never lose their love for Artsakh, nor will they lose the goal and hope of returning Artsakh, even if it is recognized as part of Azerbaijan right now. If we lose Artsakh, I will definitively lose my Menouan and many parents will lose their children. The liberation of Artsakh, the victory of Artsakh will be the only solace for our inconsolable grief; beyond that, nothing else matters to us. It’s the New Year; are they doing well? Ultimately, we understand that our boys have given their lives so that the Armenian can live, but we have just one request—everything should be in moderation. We are not saying, ‘Don’t celebrate the New Year,’ because our children are gone. We are saying, ‘If there is such danger in Artsakh, let’s be restrained,’” she concluded.