Anniversary of Karabakh movement reminds Yerevan residents about national idea

Thirty years ago, the Karabakh liberation movement united Armenians in their struggle for independence and aroused the sense of national identity, the participants the action held in Yerevan have stated. They regretted that the movement failed to achieve the proclaimed goals, while the Armenian authorities have suppressed the "rebellious spirit of the nation" and betrayed people's hopes.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the start of the national liberation movement. The participants of the rally in Yerevan have stated that it is necessary to achieve the full international recognition of the NKR, and then join Armenia.

According to organizers, the above rally attracted about 300 people; it was organized by the oppositional "Armenian National Congress" (ANC).

"The Karabakh movement is a released spring that the Soviet Union had tried to constrain for 70 years," said Ashot Sargsyan, the author of the book "History of Karabakh Movement in 1988-1989".

He attributed the main success of the movement to the fact that both residents and authorities of Armenia had highly assessed the likelihood of the NKR's joining Armenia.

Aram Manukyan, a former MP and now the ANC's deputy chairman, believes that the Karabakh movement had deprived Armenians of complexes. He explained the poor attendance of the rally by the absence of support from the state.

Ashot Gazazyan, a writer and a participant of the 1988 rally, has treated the Karabakh movement as "the yardstick of Armenian identity, which any nation could only dream of."

Mano Minasyan, a student, believes that the Karabakh movement laid the foundation for the future independence of Armenia, but now Armenia is only partially independent state.

Thanks to the Karabakh movement, the NKR's Armenians could defend their national identity, Ashkhen Musaelyan, another student, has stated.