(In Russian — https://miaban.ru/info/armenia/aram_18-7-2018/)
When the first person of the state speaks, it is not only his personal words and they are by no means subjective, they do not depend only on the first person, but also on the social and political atmosphere, on the people themselves.
This is how one should perceive the first words of Nikol Pashinyan, told by him in Sardarapat on May 28, 2018 — «proud citizens of the Republic of Armenia». These words in the greeting stood in the first place — before the greetings of the presidents of the two Armenian states. The Prime Minister ended his speech with the words about “the triumphant citizen s” . All this is not accidental — it is a symbol of time, a symbol of developing national self-consciousness.
Then, on May 28, Pashinyan in his speech named Aram Manukyan’s name the fourth among the great names in Armenian history — after Mesrob Mashtots, King Artashes, Vardan Mamikonyan : » The Armenian people won, because there was a devout leader like Aram Manukyan, who was ready to sacrifice and enjoy the power of the government, but to suffer deprivations and die for the sake of his own people, who was ready to fight for his people until the last seconds of his life. » http://www.primeminister.am/en/statements-and-messages/item/2018/05/28/Prime-Minister-Nikol-Pashinyans-address/
There is no completely independent power in the state, it depends on the people and meets its aspirations. The monument to Nzhdeh was established by the previous authorities. The decision for the installation of the monument to Aram was also made by the former authorities.
July 17 was the opening of the monument to Aram Manukyan — one of the founding fathers of the Armenian statehood, reborn after 543 years. After the end of the event, almost all participants with hundreds of flags dispersed. But near the monument were left until the late evening a few people with one flag of Western Armenia.
July 18 solemnity was continued with a small action.
On photos and videos by Mushegh Gasparyan: preparation to the action.
Five proud (as Pashinyan said) citizens of the Republic of Armenia brought the long (tens of meters) flag of Armenia and girded it, surrounded the monument to Aram. Each of them said a few words to publicly testify his position. This short action was not from any party, not by the order of the authorities and not by a grant from foreign conductors like Soros. It was a small, but symbolic, voice of elderly Armenians with roots from Karin, Kars, Mush, Syunik and other places of Metz Hayk (Great Armenia).
Video 1 (4 minutes)
Video 2 (12 minutes)
The multi-meter flag was made by Mushegh Gasparyan in the days of the April war (2016) and has already been a decoration of many patriotic public actions in Armenia.
Participants of the action on July 18 were:
— a participant of Artsakh war, photo and film documentary, historian, writer Mushegh Gasparyan,
— a long-term officer of city Goris Police Armen Gevorgyan (“Rudy” Armen)
— an organizer of the first rallies in Sisian in 1988 of the Karabakh liberation movement, Artsakh war participant, writer, artist Vladimir Hakobyan.
— a school teacher, accordionist Mushegh Gasparyan (namesake),
— an activist of the Armenian community of Saint Petersburg, the deputy of the parliament of Western Armenia Vahan Babakhanyan.
The meaning of the action on July 18 was to repeat the words spoken at the opening of the monument: in each of us is and should be — Aram.
It is, indeed, a very significant figure in modern Armenian history, although, formally, he was one of the ministers in the First Republic for only 203 days, a little over half year until his untimely death from typhus (just 2 months before his 40th birthday).
The meaning of the action is not only in paying honor to Aram Manukyan, but in realizing his mission, mission and practical missionary work of each of the us, Armenians right now, wherever we live on the planet Earth.
Nikol Pashinyan said at the opening of the monument to Aram Manukyan:
“Perhaps I won’t be wrong to say that in person of Aram Manukyan we are dealing with the greatest apostle of our modern history. He was born to realize a great mission, and he succeeded. It truly is a greatest mission, to find victories within storms of defeats, to find hope in a flood of despair, to find strength when it seems your arms are weakened and knees bent. Aram Manukyan fully implemented his mission, he never lived for himself, his family or relatives, he lived for his people, he struggled and won for his people… We have our mission. The mission of state and public officials and citizens of Armenia is to be worthy to Aram Manukyan, his virtue and to live in a way to be entitled to look right into his eyes when walking next to his statue and say that we are the masters of his mission, his work is not incomplete. His victory is alive.”
https://news.am/eng/news/462241.html
Pro-aсtive practical patriotic missionary work is the genetic duty of every Armenian in order that (paraphrasing the words from Aram’s telegram from the heroic Van to the Russian tsar Nicholas II on May 6 (19), 1915): «in the luxurious and diverse bouquet of flowers [of civilized countries] a small [but proud] fragrant violet to be an independent Armenia.» https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%83%D0%BA%D1%8F%D0%BD,_%D0%90%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BC_(%D0%90%D0%A0%D0%A4%D0%94)
P.S. The monument to Aram is only the first step. We are still indebted to his memory…
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