Shushi, Armenia’s historic capital perched high on the hills of Artsakh, played host to a celebration on Tuesday evening marking the 130th anniversary of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.
A capacity crowd that included Artsakh government officials, the Primate of the Artsakh Diocese Archbishop Parkev Martirosyan, ARF Bureau members and leaders, gathered at the Shushi Cultural House to celebrate the founding the ARF.
ARF Bureau Chairman Hagop Der Khachadourian, Archbishop Martirosyan and ARF Artsakh Central Committee chairman and the party’s candidate for the upcoming presidential election Davit Ishkhanyan spoke during the event. Each speaker touched upon the ARF’s role in advancing the Armenian Cause and serving the people, as well as the party’s decisive actions in the establishment of Armenia’s Independence and the Artsakh Liberation Movement.
A cultural program included performances by the “We are Our Mountains” song and dance ensemble and other local performers. A video chronicling the ARF’s 130-year history was also screened at the celebration.
The celebration coincided with the convention of an international ARF Hai-Tahd conference, which kicked off in Yerevan in Monday and continued in Stepanakert on Tuesday, with the organization’s central Hai-Tahd committee being awarded the Artsakh Medal of Gratitude by President Bako Sahakian.
I have fed on your speech with your notion of working in the service of the PEUPLE, which has led to crucial victories in our Party, both yesterday and today. Mr. Hagop Der Khachadourian your task, your responsibilities are heavy, you are the heritier of the founders of our Popular Party, but this stain has increased with the implosion of the Soviet system, a brutal, unexpected independence for Armenia, which has so far been unable to engage in perverse behaviors of the Soviet past. Our Party has appointed in the political precipitation people with the mission of serving as an example to bring out the people and their leaders from the demortizing methods. These executives from the old system could not and still cannot assume their responsibilities. I will use a metaphor e. that today have can produce vegetables, tomatoes, cucumbers … HORS SOL, these executives are 97% above ground, far from the people they dare and dare to call it ignorant. So, for me with these 97% of ignorant they sent them back to their wives, definitively, unfortunately with our Party. I wish you good luck in Artsakh with fears because the people of Artsakh are no less “ignorant” than in Armenia.