VAZGEN SARGSYAN WAS GREAT MAN, SAYS YERKRAPAH LEADER
14:03 * 28.02.14
Photo by Mediamax
March 5 marks the birth anniversary of Vazgen Sargsyan, a late minister
of defense and prime minister of Armenia, and a great national hero
of the 1990's who was famed posthumously as Sparapet (commander)
The great military leader would turn 55 today if alive.
On this occasion, Tert.am has interviewed General Manvel Grigoryan,
the leader of the volunteer's union Yerkrapah (Defender of Land).
Mr Grigoryan, what day is March 5 for you?
The birthday of Sparapet Vazgen is a holiday for every Yerkrapah member
and every single Armenian. Vazgen is a great man; he has proven that
with his life, his deeds and the heritage left behind. Vazgen Sargsyan
managed to unite volunteer detachments, becoming the life and spirit
of the [Nagorno-Karabakh] liberation struggle. An attentive look
will reveal that the most accomplished institutions in Armenia today
are the ones founded by the Sparapet - the Yerkrapah Volunteer Union
and the army. So, no wonder that the Sparapet has been declared the
organization's everlasting president. March 5 is a holiday. So I
congratulate the people in Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh),
the Armenians around the world, our martyred friends and our mothers
who gave birth to heroes.
How is the Yerkrapah going to celebrate March 5?
As it does traditionally. We'll lay flowers at the Sparapet's bust
erected in front of the Yerkrapah administrative building. The
Yerkrapah delegations in all the regions will visit the monuments
dedicated to the Sparapet and bow to their graves of all the guys
who perished. We'll then head to Ararat [Vazgen Sargsyan's birthplace].
We'll mark the Sparapet's birthday in his house, with his parents and
family members. We'll also be in the Sparapet's home museum and later
go to the [military pantheon] Yerablur to congratulate our martyred
friends who are always alive in our hearts. We have declared the
Sparapet's birthday as an oath-taking day of the young Yerkrapahs.
And what specifically does the Yerkrapah do to protect Vazgen
Sargsyan's heritage?
What about our young and junior Yerkrapahs? Aren't they the successors
of Vazgen? We educate a generation, bringing them up as real Armenians
and giving the army prepared human resources who can become exemplary
soldiers. In addition, the Yerkrapah always keeps the issues of
the killed, missing and disabled freedom fighters under permanent
spotlight.
Today is the 28th of February, the day of commemorating the Sumgait
victims. So what would you say in that connection?
The Sumgait [pogroms] must be given an evaluation. That was a genocide,
the direct continuation of the uncondemned Genocide of 1915.
And by the way, 2015 marks the Armenian Genocide centennial. So the
Armenians have to unite their efforts in this direction to force
Turkey and its younger brother, Azerbaijan, to admit the fact that
they committed a crime of genocide against the Armenians. As for the
dates, February 28 and April 24 [the the Genocide Remembrance day]
should be days of revenge - not loud cries - for the Armenian people.
The most necessary thing for our nation today is consolidation. So
the Yerkrapah, as united organism, preaches consolidation today;
it lives and will live with the idea of consolidation."
Armenian News - Tert.am
14:03 * 28.02.14
Photo by Mediamax
March 5 marks the birth anniversary of Vazgen Sargsyan, a late minister
of defense and prime minister of Armenia, and a great national hero
of the 1990's who was famed posthumously as Sparapet (commander)
The great military leader would turn 55 today if alive.
On this occasion, Tert.am has interviewed General Manvel Grigoryan,
the leader of the volunteer's union Yerkrapah (Defender of Land).
Mr Grigoryan, what day is March 5 for you?
The birthday of Sparapet Vazgen is a holiday for every Yerkrapah member
and every single Armenian. Vazgen is a great man; he has proven that
with his life, his deeds and the heritage left behind. Vazgen Sargsyan
managed to unite volunteer detachments, becoming the life and spirit
of the [Nagorno-Karabakh] liberation struggle. An attentive look
will reveal that the most accomplished institutions in Armenia today
are the ones founded by the Sparapet - the Yerkrapah Volunteer Union
and the army. So, no wonder that the Sparapet has been declared the
organization's everlasting president. March 5 is a holiday. So I
congratulate the people in Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh),
the Armenians around the world, our martyred friends and our mothers
who gave birth to heroes.
How is the Yerkrapah going to celebrate March 5?
As it does traditionally. We'll lay flowers at the Sparapet's bust
erected in front of the Yerkrapah administrative building. The
Yerkrapah delegations in all the regions will visit the monuments
dedicated to the Sparapet and bow to their graves of all the guys
who perished. We'll then head to Ararat [Vazgen Sargsyan's birthplace].
We'll mark the Sparapet's birthday in his house, with his parents and
family members. We'll also be in the Sparapet's home museum and later
go to the [military pantheon] Yerablur to congratulate our martyred
friends who are always alive in our hearts. We have declared the
Sparapet's birthday as an oath-taking day of the young Yerkrapahs.
And what specifically does the Yerkrapah do to protect Vazgen
Sargsyan's heritage?
What about our young and junior Yerkrapahs? Aren't they the successors
of Vazgen? We educate a generation, bringing them up as real Armenians
and giving the army prepared human resources who can become exemplary
soldiers. In addition, the Yerkrapah always keeps the issues of
the killed, missing and disabled freedom fighters under permanent
spotlight.
Today is the 28th of February, the day of commemorating the Sumgait
victims. So what would you say in that connection?
The Sumgait [pogroms] must be given an evaluation. That was a genocide,
the direct continuation of the uncondemned Genocide of 1915.
And by the way, 2015 marks the Armenian Genocide centennial. So the
Armenians have to unite their efforts in this direction to force
Turkey and its younger brother, Azerbaijan, to admit the fact that
they committed a crime of genocide against the Armenians. As for the
dates, February 28 and April 24 [the the Genocide Remembrance day]
should be days of revenge - not loud cries - for the Armenian people.
The most necessary thing for our nation today is consolidation. So
the Yerkrapah, as united organism, preaches consolidation today;
it lives and will live with the idea of consolidation."
Armenian News - Tert.am