Memorial to Karabakh residents killed in battles opened in Yerevan

Relatives of the fallen participants in the Karabakh wars and civilian victims of the war have lost the opportunity to visit the graves of their loved ones in Karabakh, but the memorial dedicated to the Karabakh people on the territory of the Yerablur military pantheon in Yerevan gives some consolation to the families of the victims, the participants of the ceremony said.

As "Caucasian Knot" wrote, on September 2, 2024, the last president of the unrecognized republic, Samvel Shahramanyan, called the signing of the decree on the dissolution of Nagorno-Karabakh a forced measure for the sake of the safety of movement of residents. On this day, people from Karabakh celebrated the Day of the Proclamation of the Republic by visiting the Yerablur military pantheon in Yerevan, where they laid flowers and wreaths at the graves of those killed in the Karabakh wars.

The opening ceremony of the Call of Artsakh memorial complex, dedicated to the Day of the Proclamation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, took place today on the territory of the Yerablur military pantheon in Yerevan. The complex is dedicated to the memory of those killed in the Karabakh wars - both military and civilians, including the victims of the explosion at the fuel depot near Stepanakert on September 25, 2023, the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" reported.

The ceremony was attended by members of the parliaments of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, members of the government of Nagorno-Karabakh, relatives of those killed in the Karabakh wars and activists. Representatives of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church consecrated the complex: it consists of two cross stones, a memorial plate and a column made by Karabakh sculptor Robert Askaryan. The ceremony ended with the laying of flowers and wreaths.

A representative of the Nagorno-Karabakh government reported that in honor of the anniversary of the proclamation of the republic, today there is an ascent of Mount Aragats and the raising of the Nagorno-Karabakh flag on its summit. Also at noon, an international conference "Artsakh: Unresolved Conflict, Right of Return" was held, organized by the Supreme Body of the ARF "Dashnaktsutyun", and a large rally of unity is planned for the evening at Freedom Square in Yerevan.

He added that “the construction of the Call of Artsakh memorial complex was financed by the chairman of the Rodina party, former director of the National Security Service of Armenia Artur Vanetsyan, and the territory in the Yerablur pantheon in Yerevan was provided for its organization by the Armenian government.”

“Despite all the difficult circumstances, today, on Republic Day, we once again announced that we will fight for our right to return,” public figure, former ombudsman of Nagorno-Karabakh Artak Beglaryan told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

The daughter of a person killed in the Karabakh war, public figure Liana Petrosyan noted that 34 years ago on this day, the Karabakh people “declared to the world their inalienable right to freedom and a dignified life, their desire and choice to live safely in their homeland.”

“For decades, we have been going through wars and losses, but never gave up and did not lose faith, because our goal is fair. Artsakh must become Armenian again, and the people must return to their homeland with the right of ownership," Petrosyan said.

The mother of the fallen soldier, Adelina Avetisyan, noted that the memorial complex was necessary for the displaced people from Karabakh.

"There are thousands of families who do not have the opportunity to visit the graves of their children and relatives, since these graves are inaccessible. But the memorial complex will partially compensate for this loss, because there is a place where you can lay flowers and honor the memory of the fallen and victims of wars," Avetisyan said.

During the last two wars in Nagorno-Karabakh, Gayane Aghayan's son and son-in-law were killed. She noted that her family is haunted by the “abandoned graves.”

“I and thousands of parents like me cannot find peace because we left our sons in Stepanakert. We needed a symbol where we could come to find relative peace. It will not replace the graves of our children, but at least people will be able to come and know where they are coming to honor the memory of their children,” the woman said.

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