Lusine Gharakhanyan: I did not bring soil from Artsakh because I will go back

I did not bring soil from Artsakh because I will go back; I brought my house keys with me, Lusine Gharakhanyan, the former minister of Artsakh Ministry of Education and Science, said in an interview with Alpha News.

Gharakhanyan believes that keeping Artsakh Armenians in Armenia and making Artsakh Armenian again should be one of the priorities of the Armenian government.

“A pan-Armenian agenda should be formed, where making Artsakh Armenian again and keeping the people of Artsakh in Armenia will be considered a priority. The people of Artsakh, whether in cities or villages, should be provided with refuge. By the way, some of our influential Armenians in Russia are ready to do everything to prevent Artsakh Armenians from leaving Armenia.

I myself contact the Armenians of Artsakh and urge them to stay here, strengthen the Armenian world, and then I add that they will receive financial support so that they continue to do what they used to do. Now I intend to reprint Artsakh’s ‘Lusarar’ newspaper, to keep Artsakh’s public TV station, our dialect, our values and our traditions. In the form of testimonies, the people of Artsakh should tell what happened to them. There are many stories that can shock the world. Unfortunately, there is no such leader who will say to people that we will go back to Artsakh. Now we are engaged in other activities, but our main goal is to go back. And we will. Who said that we will leave our country in the enemy’s hands?” Gharakhanyan said.

The former minister of the Ministry of Education and Science also believes that the status of Artsakh State University should be preserved.

“After the 44-day war, when I held the post of minister, I opened Hadrut secondary school, Hadrut kindergarten, and Hadrut art school to preserve Hadrut’s dialectal subculture. Artsakh State University has great symbolic and intellectual potential in itself. By the way, it was this university that started the Artsakh movement in 1988. So, I believe it is possible to preserve the university if it does not require large financial resources, but there is still caution in this matter. Artsakh will remain in Armenia; everything must be done so that the people of Artsakh remain in Armenia,” Gharakhanyan said.