Artsakh Diocese calls to avoid irresponsible statements

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church has responded to statements made by Alen Simonyan, Speaker of the National Assembly, and his team, stating that it is painful to hear such irresponsible remarks about Artsakh and the Artsakh Armenians from a high-ranking official.

Simonyan, when asked by an Artsakh journalist when displaced residents could return home, replied: "You left Artsakh because it was unsafe. Although you could have stayed and fought, you left."

The Diocese emphasized that "those who officially refused to help Artsakh are once again distorting reality."

"Such short-sighted and arrogant words not only fail to contribute to solving the pressing issues of our homeland and ensuring the national unity we so desperately need, but instead deepen the divisions that have been artificially imposed on our people," the statement reads.

It notes that similar attitudes have always existed throughout history, but overcoming them is only possible through Christian principles, which teach personal responsibility.

"Furthermore, for those with spiritual insight and perception, the real reasons behind such behavior are clear. The greatest sin of the first people in Eden was not eating the forbidden fruit but shifting blame onto others instead of repenting," the statement adds.

The Diocese points out that since the 44-day war, the nine-month blockade of Artsakh, and the mass displacement in 2023, many have adopted a dangerous mindset of avoiding accountability—a tendency reinforced by high-level divisive statements. According to the Diocese, Simonyan's latest comments are merely a continuation of this trend.

"But the greatest pain is that those who know the truth best—who officially refused to help Artsakh in 2023—do not hesitate to distort reality again and again, reopening the wounds of displaced Artsakh Armenians while ignoring the heroism of the hundreds of young men who died in 2023," the clergy stressed.

The Artsakh Diocese calls for avoiding artificial tension and intolerance, emphasizing that national unity should be a fundamental value of the Armenian people.

President of the Republic of Artsakh, Samvel Shahramanyan, has demanded that National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan publicly apologize to forcibly displaced Artsakh Armenians and refrain from making statements that undermine their struggle and defense of their homeland.