The 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide offers us a good chance to mobilize our national potential, an activist of the Preparliament group has said, introducing their new initiative aimed at fostering ties between the army and the society.
“We need to understand that Armenia has to conduct pro-Armenian policies, instead pursuing anti-Western or anti-Islamic trends. So the Genocide centennial is the best occasion to mobilize our national potential. We must pin our hopes only on ourselves,” Garegin Chugaszyan told a news conference on Thursday, considering the current geopolitical arrangements favorable enough for developing a dialogue with Iran.
Varuzhan Avetisyan, another activist of the group also attending the news conference, stressed the importance of national consolidation, warning otherwise of possible splits which he said may have a devastating effect. “Considering the situation in our defenses sector, we have but to agree that its needs a thorough reconsideration. By saying nation-army, we do not mean distributing weapons to all; this system requires a comprehensive involvement,” he noted.
Addressing the topic, a veteran of the Nagorno-Karabakh war, Zhirayr Sefilyan, said he sees that the Armenian nation has a god potential to develop an efficient army. “We have a feeling for the breadth of time,” he added.
Highlighting the need for arming the population, Sefilyan said he finds that weapons can also serve as tools for self-defense (not just as means of committing a murder). “The people must not be disarmed. A disarmed nation suits only an imperialistic regime,” he added.
To build and strengthen ties between the military and the society, the group proposes a creating a corresponding commission, an initiative which Sefilyan said requires consolidated efforts.
“We have always been open [to the society], so we are able to consolidate people with different mentalities,” said the activist, adding that the group will embark on the initiative in just the coming couple of days.
source: tert.am