You are the Inciters of War, You are Unable to Manage It, You are the Ones Negotiating: Bishop Bagrat

If they come together, set a goal, and act towards that goal, they cannot change anything in their lives. This was announced by Bishop Bagrat, the leader of the Tavush Diocese, at a rally held today in Republic Square.

“We have recorded our first victory. They wanted to place boundary stones without obstacles. We received news yesterday that the last three stones have not been placed, and this process has been halted, thanks to the people's struggle. This is how it will be at every turn.

We came with a demand to hold the leaders of the Armenian government accountable, who have continuously visited our communities, unfortunately lied, deceived, misled, and subsequently threatened and intimidated the people. We came to demand answers to those threats and the tears of our little Hokarik. We demand answers and to give time to halt this unilateral, illegal, unconstitutional, inhumane, and immoral process.

We have not been against peace or delimitation, but what is happening through this is unacceptable for us, unilateral, kneeling concessions. I want to be very clear that we should abandon all kinds of manipulations. For us, this process has two sides: legal and moral. There is no precedent in the world for yielding under the threat of force without guarantees that there will be no war. They constantly threaten that there will be war. We are not the instigators of war; you are the ones who provoke war, you are the ones unable to manage it, and you are the ones negotiating,” declared the Bishop, adding that they want peace with dignity.

He noted that in 2021, the ruling power made promises to the people in its programs, where there was no mention regarding such delimitation: “There was even a promise to cut off hands but not to bring people to this state. To come two months ago and say that if you do not agree, there will be war, to intimidate the people from whom you sought and received votes, you have become a terrorist. This is also the moral side. We have qualified our movement as a ‘struggle for expectations’; there is no material expectation in this movement, there is only one idea: homeland and honor. Those two values have been stolen from us by our own government. Secondly, we are convinced of the victory of the truth. The lies in our country must be eradicated, the truth must prevail through you. Thirdly, we have come with a notion of broad social reconciliation; animosity, hatred, chaos... people do not trust each other, division is everywhere. This enmity, together with lies, has destroyed our home. Hatred has turned into a general culture; people have lost the image of being human and present themselves as profiles, as false phenomena.

Yes, we have a peace agenda and must make it a reality. We will grow, multiply, and become abundant by loving and forgiving each other,” announced Bishop Bagrat.

According to him, today they look at the graves of the fallen and feel ashamed: “Our calling is to return those boys to the homeland, to the dream and homeland that they had in their minds. Our aspirations and visions are greater than the days of our lives; we must follow our dreams and aspirations. We were told the people are indifferent, dead, have no homeland, are powerless, weak, and cowardly. They told you this, dear people. Behold, you are proving how you are. We must also renounce pride, the sin of pride,” he emphasized.