Updates
Statements and messages of the President of RA
25
10, 2009
Statement of the President of Armenia, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the All-Armenian Hayastan Fund Serzh Sargsyan at the Telemarathon 2009 during the charity fundraising dinner in Moscow
Dear Compatriots:
As you know, the annual fund-raising of the All-Armenian Hayastan Fund, which is often called the “national pledge”, has commenced. This fund-raising is conducted for the Shushi development programs – for the Shushi that was one of the educational and cultural centers of Eastern Armenia, the Shushi, which has always made us proud, today needs our support.
Almost certainly, there are not many cities in the world that have a destiny as thorny as Shushi’s. Our beautiful castle-town was ravished during each war that had taken place in our region. It would suffice to say that only during the last two hundred years Shushi had changed hands fifteen times. And because of that, it is ten times more precious to us. The time has come to ask ourselves – what has been done and what is being done for Shushi?
This year’s fundraising holds special significance. Not only Armenians all over the world but also the international community are still reckoning on the process of signing of the Armenian-Turkish protocols. It is no secret, that this reckoning is controversial. Today, both Armenia and Spyurq have found themselves in the center of attention. Nowadays, our each step is being assessed not only by our brothers and sisters in Diaspora, but also by our friends and foes. We have things to prove to ourselves, as well as to the world.
1. We must prove that there is no rift in the Armenia-Spyurq relations, that in this historic and critical moment we stand shoulder to shoulder and have engaged with the utmost dedication in the mission of moving our country forward;
2. We must prove that the Armenian nation will spare nothing to build a new and flourishing Shushi, that we are worthy of our victories and worthy of great honor to be the masters of the ancient capital of Artsakh. Gardener takes care of his garden. The gardener of a neglected garden is contemptible.
3. By this fundraising we also have to prove once again that Artsakh is our land today and will be forever. We have to disappoint all those who think otherwise.
4. This is an excellent opportunity to manifest the ability of the Armenian nation to unite around our national goals, its power, and its being a serious factor in our region.
Dear Compatriots:
Today’s fundraising bears significance and personifies the entire Armenian nation, our dreams and our resolve. It is a symbol of the Armenians who are ready everywhere and at all times to become the defenders of the Armenian identity and warriors of the Armenian dreams, who are ready to participate, serve, support and impel with their abilities, their experience, and their knowledge. We are many and we are strong with our sons and daughters,
who are cutting through the rocks, who are renovating the Arpa-Sevan tunnel to get waters to flow into Sevan as soon as possible;
who in distant Argentine teach Armenian children to dance Armenian dances because they trust in vardapet Komitas’s words that “the most powerful tool of national education is the Armenian dance”;
who at this moment in Artsakh are safeguarding peace and security of our people;
who make the screams of the Genocide to be heard through foreign languages and rock music because it is impossible to cry louder than that;
who publish in Turkey newspapers in Armenian and Turkish to make their souls heard, which very often is no less than martyrdom;
who never tire and never despair to explain to different people and especially to the officials in different countries that we are thirsty for justice;
who after military actions in Lebanon go and renovate Armenian schools.
We are strong with the young boys and girls, who make numerous calls and request pledges for Artsakh.
We are strong by all those sons and daughters of the Armenian nation – construction workers, mecenats, architects, who at this time are building a new wing for the Matenadaran, or a hospital in Artsakh.
We are strong by those, who every Sunday praise our God in our churches from America to India and Australia.
We are also strong by those who do not accept Armenia’s political course today and by those who do.
We are strong by those who are not with us at this moment but are forever present in our spiritual, cultural, scientific, and political life. Those are the greatest sons and daughters of our nation, who had bestowed the present generations with a magnificent civilization but also with a great pride and responsibility of being Armenian.
We are strong with all our sons and daughters, with the entire Armenian nation.
During my Pan-Armenian tour, I once said that the time works for those who know how to make that time work for them. If we are able to heal the war-time wounds of Shushi, breath in new life, provide it with a modern look and spirit, if in the foreseeable future Shushi becomes a comfortable and nice place to live, it means the time works for us.
I urge you to participate generously in this fundraising as our benefactors and mecenats have been doing for hundreds of years. Whatever we give will never be more than the blood that had been given by those who liberated Shushi. Let’s rise up to their sacred deed.
As you know, the annual fund-raising of the All-Armenian Hayastan Fund, which is often called the “national pledge”, has commenced. This fund-raising is conducted for the Shushi development programs – for the Shushi that was one of the educational and cultural centers of Eastern Armenia, the Shushi, which has always made us proud, today needs our support.
Almost certainly, there are not many cities in the world that have a destiny as thorny as Shushi’s. Our beautiful castle-town was ravished during each war that had taken place in our region. It would suffice to say that only during the last two hundred years Shushi had changed hands fifteen times. And because of that, it is ten times more precious to us. The time has come to ask ourselves – what has been done and what is being done for Shushi?
This year’s fundraising holds special significance. Not only Armenians all over the world but also the international community are still reckoning on the process of signing of the Armenian-Turkish protocols. It is no secret, that this reckoning is controversial. Today, both Armenia and Spyurq have found themselves in the center of attention. Nowadays, our each step is being assessed not only by our brothers and sisters in Diaspora, but also by our friends and foes. We have things to prove to ourselves, as well as to the world.
1. We must prove that there is no rift in the Armenia-Spyurq relations, that in this historic and critical moment we stand shoulder to shoulder and have engaged with the utmost dedication in the mission of moving our country forward;
2. We must prove that the Armenian nation will spare nothing to build a new and flourishing Shushi, that we are worthy of our victories and worthy of great honor to be the masters of the ancient capital of Artsakh. Gardener takes care of his garden. The gardener of a neglected garden is contemptible.
3. By this fundraising we also have to prove once again that Artsakh is our land today and will be forever. We have to disappoint all those who think otherwise.
4. This is an excellent opportunity to manifest the ability of the Armenian nation to unite around our national goals, its power, and its being a serious factor in our region.
Dear Compatriots:
Today’s fundraising bears significance and personifies the entire Armenian nation, our dreams and our resolve. It is a symbol of the Armenians who are ready everywhere and at all times to become the defenders of the Armenian identity and warriors of the Armenian dreams, who are ready to participate, serve, support and impel with their abilities, their experience, and their knowledge. We are many and we are strong with our sons and daughters,
who are cutting through the rocks, who are renovating the Arpa-Sevan tunnel to get waters to flow into Sevan as soon as possible;
who in distant Argentine teach Armenian children to dance Armenian dances because they trust in vardapet Komitas’s words that “the most powerful tool of national education is the Armenian dance”;
who at this moment in Artsakh are safeguarding peace and security of our people;
who make the screams of the Genocide to be heard through foreign languages and rock music because it is impossible to cry louder than that;
who publish in Turkey newspapers in Armenian and Turkish to make their souls heard, which very often is no less than martyrdom;
who never tire and never despair to explain to different people and especially to the officials in different countries that we are thirsty for justice;
who after military actions in Lebanon go and renovate Armenian schools.
We are strong with the young boys and girls, who make numerous calls and request pledges for Artsakh.
We are strong by all those sons and daughters of the Armenian nation – construction workers, mecenats, architects, who at this time are building a new wing for the Matenadaran, or a hospital in Artsakh.
We are strong by those, who every Sunday praise our God in our churches from America to India and Australia.
We are also strong by those who do not accept Armenia’s political course today and by those who do.
We are strong by those who are not with us at this moment but are forever present in our spiritual, cultural, scientific, and political life. Those are the greatest sons and daughters of our nation, who had bestowed the present generations with a magnificent civilization but also with a great pride and responsibility of being Armenian.
We are strong with all our sons and daughters, with the entire Armenian nation.
During my Pan-Armenian tour, I once said that the time works for those who know how to make that time work for them. If we are able to heal the war-time wounds of Shushi, breath in new life, provide it with a modern look and spirit, if in the foreseeable future Shushi becomes a comfortable and nice place to live, it means the time works for us.
I urge you to participate generously in this fundraising as our benefactors and mecenats have been doing for hundreds of years. Whatever we give will never be more than the blood that had been given by those who liberated Shushi. Let’s rise up to their sacred deed.