The second day of the patriarchal visit of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians to the Artsakh Republic (Nagorno-Karabakh) began with a visit to N military unit of Artsakh Defense Army.
Arriving at the military unit accompanied by the clergy delegation and the President of the Republic of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan, His Holiness brought his blessings and paternal wishes to the commanding officers, officers and soldiers gathered on this occasion.
The Catholicos of All Armenians paid tribute to the independence of Artsakh, and to the brave soldiers who fought for the protection of the rights of our people in Artsakh, to the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the Homeland. He emphasized that this high price should never be forgotten, but rather should become a new covenant for the protection and strengthening of statehood of Artsakh.
“All Armenians are living in difficult times. The 44-day war against Artsakh unleashed by Azerbaijan, with the support of Turkey and international terrorist groups, with its consequences, damages and huge losses, will keep us in pain and sorrow for a long time until we can overcome the current difficult situation and dispel the feeling of uncertainty about the future. The existing problems and challenges must be solved in our lives when we all indiscriminately make conclusions over the causes of this tragic situation,” said the Armenian Patriarch.
“The Armenian Army and the Armenian soldier today is the only guarantor of the native statehood, the free and independent life of our people, the security and happiness of your families and loved ones, the survival of every national,” the Catholicos of All Armenians said in his speech.
In the end, the Catholicos of All Armenians blessed the commanders of the Defense Army and the entire military with a prayer for ‘Protection’.
