Veterans of Karabakh movement state society's disunity before election

The traditional action in Stepanakert on the 32nd anniversary of the Karabakh liberation movement brought together about 40 veterans. The election campaign creates tensions and distracts local residents from republic's major problems, the veterans have stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the gathering of activists of the Karabakh movement on February 13 became an annual tradition. At such an action in 2019, activists noted that the new Armenian authorities had taken a tough stance on the Karabakh issue and clearly indicated the need for the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) to participate in the negotiations.

As noted by Arkady Karapetyan, the first commander of the NKR's Defence Army, the issue of reunification with Armenia remains unresolved.

Sergey Shakhverdyan, an activist of the ARF "Dashnaktsutyun" Party and director of Artsakh Tourism & Culture Development Agency, has treated the modern society as split into groups. According to his story, the disunity of the population will end after the election.

Grisha Airapetyan, an activist of the Karabakh movement, believes that the main goal of the Karabakh movement – the liberation – has been achieved.

Ruslan Israelyan, the presidential candidate from the "Generation of Independence" Party, has treated the multiplicity of political forces as a negative factor.

NKR residents have never imagined that someday "in a small republic there will be up to 27 parties, and more than 10 persons will run for the presidency," Vladimir Petrosyan, a Karabakh war veteran, has noted.

"It is enough to have no more than three political forces and 2-3 presidential candidates, so that people could make their choice," he believes.