“We can get out of this situation if we are all together: I am with you, you are with me․” In Gyumri, President Armen Sarkissian met with a group of conscripts and volunteers from Shirak who took part in the war

Today, within the framework of his visit to Gyumri, at the Social-Educational Centre of the Shirak Diocese, President Armen Sarkissian met with a group of conscripts and volunteers from Shirak who took part in the war.

His Grace Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan, the Primate of the Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, was present at the meeting.

Expressing gratitude for the selfless service to defend their homeland, President Sarkissian said that our soldiers and our people did not lose the war. “I know you have passed a hard way; there are people who pass ten years in ten days. Each of you has gone through a great tragedy, hardships, and misfortunes,” said the President, “Yes, we lost this war, but let none of you ever feel defeated. There are never final victories or final defeats in this life. We won 26 years ago; we woke up every day thinking we were a victorious people; we went to bed with the psychology of a victorious person. Then, it turned out that we lost somewhere and heavily. But we lost not through your fault; you did not lose, you won.”

We won in 1994 because our volunteers soon became an army. Our spirit was the same, but we were a few years ahead of the enemy in our organization and training. People like Monte who had some experience came from other countries. Soviet army generals, colonels, and majors came and formed an army of powerful forces of volunteers.

Over the past years, we should have prepared for the war. For some reason, we believed that there would be no more war, though the enemy was preparing for that war on the other side of our border, and they did not conceal that.

My advice to you is the following: your life is ahead, maybe there will be another war where you will win. I say again, there is no final defeat, and you are not defeated people, your spirit is the same, there are hundreds and thousands like you; the people did not lose.”

The President noted that it is the duty of the state and all of us to take care of the families of the fallen heroes, as well as the injured and disabled servicemen and volunteers. Armen Sarkissian stressed that the President's Office is ready to assist in solving their problems. “Your life is still ahead; there is no final defeat. It is hard, but you have to fight. You each have a family. Your families are, in a sense, lucky that you returned home, ” he said, at the same time as he paid tribute to the heroes killed in the war, “Take care of your families, from grandparents to children. That is very important. Secondly, find yourselves in life; each of you has a profession or is still studying. We have guys from the previous April war who work in the President's Office. You have not lost: your life and victories are ahead.”

The President of the Republic said that we would face the aftermath of the war for many years, and we still have to understand and deeply analyze the lessons learned from the defeat, soberly and accurately assess the situation and our opportunities, accept the existing realities and think of effective ways-out of the current crisis.

Referring to the situation in the country, the President noted that now it is not time to divide into blacks and whites, “if we have to choose a colour, that colour must be the tricolour.”

“We can get out of this situation if we are all together: I am with you, you are with me. It is difficult, but it is not the first time we have seen difficulties,” he said, referring to the 1988 earthquake. “Thus, be strong, I wish you all good health.”