Parents of Armenian soldiers killed or missing in the 2020 war held a protest outside the Presidential Residence, demanding that President Vahagn Khachaturyan issue a public apology for thanking Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during remarks made in Davos.
The protesters declared that the apology must take place at Yerablur Military Pantheon, without the presence of security forces, as reported by Pastinfo.
They said the President’s statement was offensive not only to those forcibly displaced from Artsakh but also to the families of the fallen, captured, or missing servicemen.
"The head of a parasitic structure stood in Davos and thanked Aliyev repeatedly in a single breath. I ask him: how many times have you received the mothers, sisters, or children of the hundreds of missing persons in your lavish residence? How many homes of the fallen have you visited to ask if they are still living or surviving at all? How many of the 120,000 displaced from Artsakh have you hosted here, while enjoying this luxury funded by our taxes, and yet you go to Davos to thank Aliyev?" said Ruzan Stepanyan, a member of the Union for Justice for the Missing, speaking to reporters.
She emphasized that the protest was not motivated by hatred but aimed to voice the pain and sense of dignity violation felt by many.
"With his words, Khachaturyan has insulted 120,000 forcibly displaced Artsakh citizens, the mothers, sisters, and children of thousands of fallen soldiers, the families of our captives, and those of the missing. We are here on behalf of all of them to demand a public apology for that statement of gratitude. I invite Vahagn Khachaturyan to Yerablur—no snipers, no parades, no masquerades, no security detail from Pashinyan. Come stand like a man, look the parents in the eyes, and explain why you thanked Aliyev," she added.
During the Davos forum, President Khachaturyan stated: “I thank the leadership of Azerbaijan, personally President Ilham Aliyev, as well as Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for remaining committed to peace.”
