‘We are obliged to stop the bloodshed’ – Armenia’s Defense Ministry, Armed Forces address message

Armenia’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces have addressed a message over the stop of military operations in the Republic of Artsakh.

“Dear compatriots,

On September 27 a war has been unleashed against Artsakh which was unprecedented in terms of forces, means involved, number and types of armament. It was also unprecedented from the viewpoint that our Army, in fact, was fighting not only against the armed forces of Azerbaijan having a 10 million population, but also against Turkey’s direct military participation and its full, unconditional political, military and diplomatic support to Azerbaijan, as well as against several thousands of mercenary-terrorists.

Under these conditions our Army did everything possible to resist the adversary. Every soldier, officer and general of the Armenian Army did the utmost for the protection of the Homeland, unconditionally dedicating themselves to that fight and creating many heroic stories. This war took from us our best sons, whose memory will forever stay in the hearts of all of us as real heroes of our time.

Each of you should be sure, no one should have any doubt that our Army has done everything possible and impossible. We have once again proved that we have very courageous soldiers, officers and generals who are ready to sacrifice their life for the protection of the Homeland.

But it’s time to stop the bloodshed. The political leaderships of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan reached an agreement, and you already got acquainted with its content. The war is not fully over, and the military operations still continue in Artsakh. Nevertheless, we support and are obliged to fulfill the decisions of our country’s military-political leadership which were made based on the comprehensive analysis and evaluation of the situation. We are obliged to stop the bloodshed. We are obliged to find the bodies of all our heroes. We are obliged to soothe the pain of mothers of our heroes and heal the wounds of the injured. We are obliged to restore our Army’s potential and further strengthen it, turning it into a super-capable one. There is too much to do. The war is ending. The Army has done what it should do and will continue to do that unconditionally.

We call on to refrain from actions which can undermine the foundations of the statehood, and learning lessons from all possible mistakes made, create incomparably strong and combat army, which our heroic people deserve”, the message said.