The Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Minister of Defense and Defense Army Commander, Mikayel Arzumanyan, has delivered a yearend message, which reads as follows in particular:

Our people are turning one of the most difficult pages in their history. The war unleashed by Azerbaijan on September 27, 2020 has left deep wounds in the soul of each of us. Thousands of children of our people were martyred while stopping the enemy aggression, thwarting with their sacrifice the monstrous plan to completely dispossessing Artsakh of Armenians.

During this war, the Armenian fighter fought against the joint forces of Azerbaijan, Turkey and international terrorism. Yes, the war did not end as we would have liked, but the Armenian soldier (…) did not lose his honor. In the conditions of absolute supremacy of the enemy alliance, what the Armenian fighters did (…) made possible a reality which the whole world takes into account: Artsakh is wounded, but Artsakh exists and Artsakh will exist.

The grief of loss is all of ours, and the duty to continue our work is also ours.

Yes, we have what we have today, but that should not be a cause for disappointment. Let 2021 be the starting point from which we must move forward, full of determination and faith (…).