The President of the Republic of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, wrote on his Facebook page:
“Commanders, officers, sergeants, and soldiers of an army worthy of the glory and pride of the Armenian people,
Fellow comrades-in-arms,
Devoted volunteers,
Heavy battles are underway with varying intensity along the entire line of contact between Artsakh and Azerbaijan.
Civilian settlements, including the capital Stepanakert, have been subjected to shelling.
The nation and the Homeland are in danger; the right to live and create freely, independently, and with dignity on our own land, liberated at the cost of the blood of our brave Armenian sons, is in danger. Therefore, together with the special units, I am now leaving for the front line to fight my share of the battle, for I am already more valuable at the front line than in the rear.
I call upon all of you to rise to your feet immediately and, with total devotion, defend our inalienable right to live in our own homeland without existential danger.
This is a sacred patriotic war that we must win with the maximum participation and devotion of each and every one.
I believe in the courage of your spirit and the strength of your arm.
Let us be worthy of our great ancestors, of all those who, centuries ago, at Sardarapat, in the Great Patriotic War, in the Artsakh liberation struggle, in the April War of 2016, and in the July battles of 2020, sacrificed their lives so that every morning of our mothers, sisters, and children would dawn in peace, so that their every smile would be filled with dignity and pride.
Let us be responsible before our present and future generations, so that we do not allow the age-old enemy to again commit genocide against us and swing the yataghan over our existence and dignity, so that we may grant the opportunity and the right to our future generations to exist and create forever on their own land and with their own values.
We have won many victories and have created an organized and battle-ready army, strong and victorious in the region. The Armenian army today is the living embodiment and axis of national unity and consolidation.
Now again is the time to become, as a nation, one solid and mighty army, one spirited patriotic wall, against which all foreign storms will crash and be hurled back headlong.
I am confident that you too share my concerns and convictions, that you too profess those national and universal values in whose name we must stand unbroken and unwavering.
This is our final battle, which we must surely win together.
I am with you until VICTORY.
To arms!
We are honored.”
