Artsakh leaders mark fifth anniversary of 44-day war

The Yerablur Military Pantheon in Yerevan has been crowded since the early morning of September 27 marking the fifth anniversary of the 44-day Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war, which claimed thousands of lives and left many more missing or displaced.

Many families from Artsakh can no longer visit the graves of their loved ones left behind in Azerbaijani-held Artsakh. For many, it remains uncertain whether those burial sites have been preserved or desecrated.

Today, Artsakh Armenians gathered at Yerablur to lay flowers at the recently inaugurated Call of Artsakh memorial and to pay respects at the graves of their fathers, sons, brothers and relatives buried there.

Artsakh President Samvel Shahramanyan, the Artsakh Diocese leader and other officials visited Yerablur to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan marked the day with a brief message on social media, writing: “Glory to the martyrs and long live the Republic of Armenia!” He also shared a photo of himself kneeling during a recent Civil Contract party congress.