The people of Artsakh are 100 percent ready to defend their homeland to the end; this is encouraging. Ruben Vardanyan, coordinator of the Artsakh Security and Development Front movement and former Minister of State of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), said this at a press conference on Thursday.

"I feel accountable for the faith that people have in me; I feel it every day. It is not a matter of a savior or an office, but a matter of deciding the future of the homeland," he said.

Vardanyan believes that his leaving Artsakh will lead to major disappointment.

According to him, the task is to get the Armenian people out of lethargic sleep.

"We have to go through a difficult road, but we have to go through that road together. A serious lack of trust is observed in Artsakh. It is necessary to restore the will, the spirit, the belief in the dream. There was no specific plan in 1998 either, but there was an idea and enthusiasm that were uniting people. At the same time, despite the [ongoing Azerbaijani] blockade [of Artsakh], I see the will to fight among ordinary Artsakh residents," said the former state minister of Artsakh.