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Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, Primate of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, addressed thousands of people gathered in central Stepanakert to protest the ongoing Azerbaijan blockade of the only land link to Armenia. His full speech is provided below.

"Dear compatriots, sisters and brothers,

Today, we once again gathered at the Renaissance Square of the capital Stepanakert to show our unity and determination to ourselves first and then to the outside world, and we can record that we have succeeded in this matter. But along with this, we are also united today by the common concern of solving many problems and restoring confidence in the future. "How should the salvation of our nation be?"

Yes, troubles often help us to sober up, unite and look for ways of salvation, but all this should not be an end in itself and fruitless, but should give an opportunity for practical and tangible steps.

In spiritual reality and human experience, there are two parallel and interconnected, formulaic truths that are quite relevant for us as well. The first says: "Save yourself, and many around you will be saved" and the second: "Conquer yourself, and everyone will bow before you . "

Surely we all think that if we had won the last Artsakh war, we would not be facing such difficulties today. But I want you to be able to examine the realities more deeply and to understand that the most dangerous enemies than external enemies are inside, among us. Unfortunately, our nation too often falls from one extreme to another. When the country was on the brink of destruction 30 years ago, we united, nationalized the world and achieved great victories.

But the real test comes after victory, when prudence and prudence are needed to maintain mental balance, to have the same sense of justice and equality of men that we had in times of danger.

As history has shown many times, often after the victory, our internal enemies, ego, materialism, personal interest and the 8th deadly sin, indifference to the other person and the nation, rise up and spoil our image, God and the Church are forgotten, and regarding the present as a final and permanent state, all begin to prefer the treasures of the world to the treasures of heaven.

Getting out of this deadly cycle should be the main task of our national life, and if we have been able to defeat the above-mentioned internal enemies, then no external enemy will dare to deal with us.

And how to fight against them? The leader of our faith, Jesus Christ, has been calling all individuals and nations with open arms for 2000 years, giving them the key to true victory and salvation. "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life . "

Dear compatriots, today, when Artsakh is under physical blockade by the enemy, and when all the roads around us are closed, let us look up and see that the roads leading to heaven are always open. These days of being isolated from the world are an opportunity for our self-purification and restoration of unity, so let's start loving, forgiving and appreciating each other more, because we are all in the same boat, and we all have the same thoughts and worries.

Today, the future of Artsakh has once again become another examination of the dignity of the Armenians, and in order for this examination to receive an honorable assessment, we as a nation must sober up and come to our senses.

Artsakh and each of you will become the Awakener of the Spirit and Conscience of our nation .

Taking advantage of the opportunity provided by our gathering today and feeling the inner thoughts of each of you, as the leader of the Diocese of Artsakh, I would like to appeal to the people of Artsakh scattered in Mother Armenia and in different parts of the world. Yes, Artsakh is the property of every Armenian, but first of all it needs children born from its bosom. Today , Artsakh needs the physical presence of its indigenous children more than praying for itself and being proud of being an Artsakh citizen , so dear Artsakh citizens, look inside your soul, try to understand what you will gain from this life before God, if you lose the treasure entrusted to you, the pillar of your identity.

Please and urge, return to Artsakh and take ownership of this Sacred Relic entrusted to you. In Artsakh, if we had at least half a million Armenians before the war, we would have a completely different picture during the war in 2020, and maybe there would be no war.

Along with all this, we send our bow and prayer to God for the memory of our heroic martyrs. We bring our gratitude and blessing to all those Artsakh citizens who, after so many difficulties, remain attached to their roots and native land. You are a heroic people, and our future victories will be built on your foundation.

In this course of struggle for the survival of the Artsakh statehood, we highly appreciate the dedicated service of the statesmen of the Republic of Artsakh, as well as the mission of the peacekeeping troops of the Russian Federation.

Dear compatriots, on the occasion of this gathering of Artsakh citizens, we convey to you the paternal blessing of His Holiness Karekin II Catholicos of All Armenians and the support of our entire Church for the righteous struggle of Artsakh.

Today, the Armenian Church is doing the possible and the impossible in order to gird our people with its prayers and unite in the issue of Artsakh, and to make the voice of the people of Artsakh heard on various international platforms.

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates Christmas, so on this occasion we also address our call to the entire Christian world to rise above political motives and driven by Christian love to address the issue of protecting the basic human rights of their brothers and sisters living in Artsakh, so that we too have the opportunity to fully and to celebrate the wonderful holiday of Christmas in matchless conditions.

Believe us, our way is blessed because God is with us and whatever trials there are, they are powerless to destroy us, if we serve one another with love according to the word of God (cf. Gal. 5:13). May God bless the world of Artsakh, may God bless our righteous struggle."