On May 28, 2021, Armenia marks the 103rd anniversary of its first independence, which finds our homeland wounded and in mourning after the 44-day war in Artsakh, at a time when the foundations of the Armenian statehood appear compromised. Healing will take time and can only be achieved with a collective effort.
Much ink has been spilled over what we Armenians need to do or refrain from doing to finally attain peace in our own homeland. This is not the time or space to do it. The web of political interests and alliances that are determining the course of events in that part of the world exceeds by far the scope of this column. But we must learn to rely on ourselves as individuals and as a nation.
Now is the moment to rebuild, pained as we are as we grieve over our most recent martyrs, who died defending Armenia from a second Genocide. As a nation, we have been here before, in even more desperate circumstances. Yet we must not despair, for that will truly be the hour of capitulation.
“Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)
We must not give in to our fears and anguish. Resistance is not futile. We shall overcome.