Today marks the 40th day of the cessation of large-scale hostilities in the Second Artsakh War.
RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said this in his message today, on 19December.
“That war had severe consequences. Many of our compatriots died on the battlefield, in this connection three days of mourning have been declared in Armenia. The last 84 days are among the hardest days of our people. Without a doubt. We, as a nation, are going through a nightmare. Sometimes it seems that our dreams have been shattered, sometimes it seems that our optimism has collapsed, the efficiency of our institutions has been questioned. As a result of all this, a big question mark was formed. And what are we going to do next, how are we going to live after this, and what will be our goal?
Of course, I have taken full responsibility for what happened, which I bear officially, I have said that I will humbly accept any verdict that our people will make. But I cannot say that if the institution of the scapegoat is good for shepherding the heart, to vent anger and rage, not everything is useful for understanding what has happened in its depth and completeness: something that is necessary to build in the future, not to repeat the way of the past.
Of course, this does not mean that the study of the circumstances of the war should not be carried out. The culprits in specific episodes should not be found and held accountable, but we owe a deeper analysis of the reality, because what happened could not be the result of one or several people, one or several years of mistakes. We have to face the reality and admit that we have made mistakes for many years, the mistakes we have made have been systemic, conceptual, and substantive in nature – all this has led to consequences that pose a threat even to our state institutions.
Did I understand all this when I assumed the post of Prime Minister? After that, of course, yes. Did I try to change the situation, of course, yes? “But now I am more convinced that there was simply no time to stop the spinning wheel of history,” Prime Minister Pashinyan said.
