Video: 'We had 11,000 deserters during the 44-day war' - Anna Hakobyan

During the 44-day war, we had 11,000 deserters. Military, volunteers, officers. This was stated by Anna Hakobyan, the wife of the Prime Minister, in the village of Ajarkut, Tavush.

She participated in the event marking the 23rd anniversary of the death of David Shahnazaryan, who fell during the 44-day war.

“Dear residents of Ajarkut, I am one of you. I consider each of you a member of my family. I see myself as the daughter of the elders here, the granddaughter of grandfathers, and a guest among the men and women. I love you all as a compatriot, as an Ajarkut resident, and as a compatriot of David. All of Armenia to me is one blood; we are all one figure.

But I love David and all the other boys who fell and gave their lives for us the most. I will not allow myself to desecrate their memory or tarnish it. The young man who spoke here said that they fell, and we do not know why they fell. They preserved our being here and holding a memorial service with their lives. If you were referring to Artsakh, Artsakh exists too. We often get lost in reality with our words.

The reality is that during the 44-day war, we had 11,000 deserters. Military, volunteers, officers. We lost David and 4,000 other boys because many did not go. When the Supreme Commander-in-Chief called for volunteering to defend the homeland during the war, it did not resonate sufficiently. When I, as a woman, decided to form a brigade and show that the need is so great that women participate and, seeing this, men would carry out their duties, there was still not a good response.

We have an enemy and a question of defending our homeland. Who should do that? You, dear men of Ajarkut. Honoring the memory of Davids first means looking straight at reality,” said Anna Hakobyan.