Not Buying It: Karabakh War Veterans Say They are Being Courted by Political Parties, Demand Changes

There was a single issue on the agenda of the recent closed meeting of representatives from more than a dozen NGOs that unite Nagorno-Karabakh war veterans — analyzing the current political situation in the country and clarifying the next steps in these conditions of early election campaigning as a result. So reads a statement issued by head of the Glolorious Fighters Patriotic Union Grisha Sargsyan and head of the Karabakh War Veterans Union Yuri Mikaelyan.

“Recent developments in the country fit only within the scope of the logic of electoral processes. Ahead of the impending elections, different political parties’ meetings and discussions with Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh] War veterans’ NGOs have become more frequent, the aim of which is to get war veterans’ votes and their active support in the upcoming elections.

“Every day we again hear meaningless, saying-nothing, wordplay-reminiscent politicians’ speeches and addresses. On television, we constantly see the same faces who have long bored the public and haven’t gotten off the airwaves for years. As before, so too today: political parties have only one goal — to regain power at all costs through elections, which has become their priority task and all processes serve this purpose.

“The picture of our reality today is the population’s day-by-day worsening social condition, the unhealthy ideological and moral, psychological atmosphere, the widespread irresponsibility and impunity. The war veteran, to solve the problem of daily bread for his family… is leaving the homeland, choosing to surrender as a volunteer prisoner to the social services of other countries.

“Usually people are forced to be prisoners during war, but surrendering as a prisoner during peacetime is incomprehensible.

“All are already aware that we need new ideas, systemic and qualitative changes,” reads the statement.

The authors of the statement also note that they “won’t become a toy in the hands of this or that political force, won’t be tempted by various empty promises, will determinedly continue to implement their professed ideas and will stand in favor of holding free and fair elections in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

“We are concerned for our liberated homeland, our statehood, our victorious army and today, we are more united and resolute in our actions,” they conclude.