YEREVAN, DECEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. As Armenia began a three-day national mourning period in honor of the Artsakh war victims, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed the nation Saturday morning.

Below is the transcript of the address provided by the Prime Minister’s Office:  

“Dear people,
Dear compatriots in Armenia, Artsakh and in the Diaspora,

Today marks 40 days since the cessation of large-scale hostilities in the Second Artsakh War. The war had serious consequences for us: many of our compatriots were killed on the battlefield. Three days of nationwide mourning have been declared in Armenia on this occasion.

The past 84 days have undoubtedly been challenging for our people. We have been going through and are now experiencing a nightmare as a nation. Sometimes it seems that our dreams have crumbled away; sometimes it seems that our optimism has gone down, the effectiveness of our state institutions is being questioned. As a result, a big question mark was formulated: What is our objective? Which way should we go and what should we do next? Why were things arranged this way, why did it happen?

I bear full responsibility for what happened ex-officio; I have declared that I would humbly accept any verdict of our people. Nevertheless, I cannot help mentioning that if the idea of finding a a scapegoat is good for shepherding the heart, for getting out of anger, it is useless if we are to fully understand what happened, which is necessary in terms of building the future and not repeating our past failures.

This, of course, does not mean that the circumstances of the war should not be examined, that we should not identify and prosecute those responsible for specific episodes. But we need a deeper analysis of reality, because what happened could not be the result of one man or a group of individuals, one or more years of mistakes. We must face the reality and admit that we have made mistakes over the past several years; our mistakes were systemic and conceptual. And all this has led to such consequences as may even threaten the state institutions.

Did I realize this during and after assuming the office of prime minister? Of course yes. Did I try to change the situation? Of course yes. But now I am more than convinced that there was simply no time to stop the spinning wheel of history. Our drive for resistance was desperate, but not pointless. I have a strong conviction in making this statement because my message is not meant to sow institutional despair in the country. On the contrary, it seeks to instill optimism and hope, even for those who believe that what happened may halt the wheel of history. It is obvious that we are turning a chapter of our history. But the real tragedy will come if we continue to live with the logic of “end.” My biggest fear is that we will not be able to overcome that very logic of “end” and will continue to hurt ourselves.

Any collapse implies a zero point, no matter how cruel it may sound; it brings about an opportunity to create something new; today and right now, I want us not to forget about it. I do not mean at all starting a new life from a new day. It is still too early to talk about it. But the tragedy should not kill us; instead it should save us first of all for the sake of our martyrs, their parents - their bereaved mothers and grey-haired fathers, for the sake of their children who are still waiting to see them again.

We need to thoroughly understand every failure of ours. Of course, this is a matter of foreseeable future. And in this context, I would like to touch on some urgent issues.

Perhaps the most burning issue is what is going on in and around Syunik. As I have already said, the state borders are being adjusted in the Syunik sector, or otherwise, Armenia’s Armed Forces and border guards are being stationed on the internationally recognized borders of Armenia. This will bring some changes in the environment we are familiar with; this may lead to some complications, inconveniences and a well-pronounced emotional stress. There are even allegations that this means surrendering Syunik or threatens the loss of Syunik. However, the reality is the opposite. All this is done to ensure the security of Syunik and strengthen the security guarantees.

The problem is that in recent days there was a high probability of resumption of hostilities in some sections outside the internationally recognized borders of Armenia. The escalation could be transferred to Syunik region - the territory of the Republic of Armenia - with all ensuing consequences.

By deploying our border guards to Armenia’s internationally recognized borders, we are creating a new security guarantee for Syunik, since today’s border configuration stems from the security system of which we are part and where completely different security rules are being applied.

Today Russian border troops and other forces are engaged in Syunik, which means a completely new security situation. Of course, all this nay lead to transport and logistics-related problems, the smooth operation of some of our roads may be hampered, but all these problems are solvable, and we are making efforts to address them, including through a trilateral document.

I am going to travel to Syunik region in order to get acquainted with the situation on the ground and quell the fears of Syunik residents. I am convinced that I can do it, especially during discussions held in a cryptic format. But now I wish to reiterate that not a single millimeter of land has so far been surrendered in Syunik region, just as not a single millimeter of land has been surrendered from the entire territory of the Republic of Armenia. You can rest assured, and any claims to the contrary are simply not true.

Dear people,
Dear compatriots in Armenia, Artsakh and in the Diaspora,

The repatriation of our captives, the search for the missing and the stabilization of the situation around Armenia and Artsakh are among the most challenging issues, and this is what our daily efforts are focused on.

Unfortunately, there are still hotbeds of tension in both Armenia and Artsakh. Regretfully, the repatriation of POWs and the search for missing persons have not yet been fully resolved. Unfortunately, we had new war prisoners in Khtsaberd, which should have been incompatible with the logic of the truce. No matter how difficult it may be, all this should not drive us to despair, because our martyrs fell for the sake of Armenia’s survival, Artsakh’s survival, so that the Armenian people could live in peace.

Today at 13:00, we will hold a memorial procession from Republic Square to Yerablur to pay tribute to our martyrs. This is a promise to our brothers, to their children and families that their self-sacrifice was not in vain. It will be a procession of reflection where each of us and all of us as a nation should reflect on our past and future path.

Today’s march, of course, has no political context, but it takes place in a specific political situation, and my position remains the same and has not changed.

Our people, only the people and not the elite circles must make a decision on the power in Armenia, and in this regard, our greatest task is to stabilize the situation as soon as possible and give our people the opportunity to express their will. In the meantime, the government must work to effectively implement the provisions of the roadmap I published on November 18, which will deal with many post-war problems and stabilize the internal political situation in general.

In the run-up to today’s procession, I bow to the memory of our martyrs, their mothers, fathers, wives and children. It is a procession of the promise that we will do everything possible and impossible to find our missing brothers, bring back our captives, reinstate our hope, restore our optimism, to live, create and build Armenia and Artsakh in a new way.

“Let us build Armenia in a new way” - I chose this slogan before the war to outline the strategy of transforming Armenia. This formula is also useful in terms of eyeing the future through the prism of the current situation.

We must perceive the world in a new way; we must see what we should do next; we must rethink our role; we must reevaluate our capabilities in a new way, primarily in the fields of education, science and technological development; we must build our dreams in a new way and we must dream in a new way. Our dreams should bring a smile to the hearts of our brothers-martyrs and their children. And the realization of these dreams will generate a smile in all of us.

Glory to our fallen heroes! Glory to our living heroes! Glory to those who will boast heroic deeds on the way to implementing our people’s dreams and forging creative victories!

We will meet at the Republic Square at 13:00 today to hold a procession of tribute to Yerablur. It will be a procession of revival. It will evidence that we are here, that we will live and make life thrive in our homeland. Thank you."