Three years have passed since the "handover"; not only are we not living in peace, but we are also facing threats that once seemed inconceivable—Turkologist.
Today, few remember that prior to 2020 and 2023, a terrible, anti-national narrative was consistently propagated within our society: "Let’s give up Karabakh, be done with it, and live in peace." Unfortunately, many believed this—including the thinking segment of society.
Three years ago on this day—September 19—Armenia’s de facto authorities, the Armenian army, and a significant portion of that thinking segment turned this destructive narrative into reality by effectively acquiescing to the full occupation of Artsakh by Azerbaijan. They literally sat back and silently watched it happen.
Three years have passed since that "give it up and be done with it" mindset took hold; not only are we *not* "living in peace," but we are also facing threats that seemed inconceivable even three years ago. Overt Azerbaijani aggression against Syunik and other regions of the Republic of Armenia—resulting in the occupation of over 300 square kilometers of Armenia's sovereign territory,
The ongoing blockade of Armenia,
The creation of new Azerbaijani enclaves within Armenia (in the Tavush and Ararat regions),
A Turkic corridor passing through Armenia (packaged under the name TRIPP),
The risk of establishing Azerbaijani communities within Armenia, and so on.
These are not merely signs of impending new losses, but also indicators of crumbling statehood, the erosion of social solidarity, and the demise of national values.
These are the price and the consequence of abandoning Artsakh. We will live in peace here—in our homeland—only when we are once again able to define pan-national goals, just as we did with Artsakh. No matter how irrational what I have written may seem, this is the only rational course of action," he noted.
