1487 - The contribution of Artsakh

N. Lygeros

At first sight, it may appear somewhat paradoxical, but for the victim families of the Armenian genocide and for the defenders of human rights who are struggling for the recognition of the genocide, the combatants of Artsakh constitute an example because they have shown that the impossible is only temporary. These combatants have shown that the victims do have the ability to resist, to claim their rights and to win their case. Based on voluntary rather than compulsory commitment, as well as on the organization of local structures in a global network, the Armenian resistance of Artsakh showed the way. Because before setting up a coherent formation in military terms, it is necessary to go through a mental reformation. The Armenian people are not defined only by the genocide that they have suffered. They were not born a victim-nation. They are a diachronic nation because their culture, their language, their traditions have lived through the centuries. And that’s why the enemy sought to exterminate them, but in vain. For, the Armenian people go beyond that. And the combatants of Artsakh have proved it. They have shown that a lost fatherland is not lost unless its people regard it as such. The enemy cannot do it. All is ours as long as we do not abandon it. Even the pogroms of Kirovabad and Bakou did not manage to efface the Armenian will. The attacks of Stepanakert and Chahoumian only confirmed the need for freedom. And the sacrifices which followed to fight the aggressions against it, only revealed the grandeur of soul which urged the Armenian combatants to fight, even one against ten. If there is a cause behind the strength of these combatants, it is without any doubt the fact that the families of the genocidees are not only dead souls. The genocide forced the Armenian thought to grow; because from now on, all its victims form part of what we could name “armenity”. In spite of and perhaps because of the genocide, the victims became fighters as if their Hôki had found the power of Vishap. Therefore, in the resistance of the Armenian fighters, one should not see a simple example of courage vis-à-vis the adversity. It is also necessary to see the leading pathway. These people who suffered this atrocious genocide did not bend. They are still standing upright. They are not content with being victims who we should feel sorry for. They have taken their future into their hands because they know that the enemy has always wanted to deprive them of their past. The Armenian people are not different because of the genocide. The genocide itself constitutes an evolution. If they have lived through this crime against humanity it is because of their ontology which, of course, is not a result of this crime. On the contrary, after the genocide, the Armenian people acquired teleology. From now on, they set an example for the other nations to follow via their struggle for the recognition of the genocide. And within this framework, the contribution of the combatants of Artsakh is fundamental, as it clarifies the idea that all is possible even for causes that everyone regards as lost.