VIDEO. We Have Already Made Our Decision: Ruben Vardanyan

The independence of Artsakh comes primarily not just from international organizations, but from our own desire. This was stated today, February 24, during the conference titled 'The Imperative of International Recognition of Artsakh,' held in Yerevan, by former Minister of State of Artsakh, Ruben Vardanyan, via videoconference.

'I have been in Artsakh for the past six months and I can assure you that the majority of Artsakh residents think the same way; they see no alternative except for independence. At the same time, we have the problem that people have lost faith in themselves, faith in justice, in leadership, and in the future. If you lack faith, it is very difficult to fight,' Vardanyan emphasized.

According to him, Artsakh is facing very serious changes. 'Just as in 1998, when the movement began in Artsakh, we were not only discussing the question of Artsakh's independence, but we were discussing our values, our principles, what we are ready for and what we are not. Thus, we have independent Armenia, a diaspora, and we have 120,000 Armenians living in Artsakh who wish to join Armenia, but at the same time we face the challenge that the very first step we must take in this situation is to recognize Artsakh's independence and finalize the path of self-determination. I am confident that we can overcome these difficulties only if we do this every day and that becomes our most important task. Those people who believe that this is one of the most important issues for Armenians. I see the illnesses that we have within us, and the first enemy is ourselves — we, who do not understand that by living our daily lives, we cannot change what needs to be changed.'