In the middle of pride and pain
Families of dead freedom fighters of the "Arabo" detachment visited Yerablur today to mourn not only for the loss of their relatives, but their sons and husbands as well and they do that almost every day.
January 28-Army Day-is one of those random days when they have the chance to meet with the country's leadership, particularly Serzh Sargsyan.
A group of parents were waiting for Sargsyan in one of the corners of Yerablur with the hope that they would have a chance to express their concerns. Before the President would visit and pass by the tombs of the victims in Yerablur, the relatives of the dead soldiers expressed their concerns to "A1+".
First, they said that they were proud to have a stable, firm and strong army thanks to their sons.
"Today marks the army's 18th anniversary. We created an army at the price of our sons' blood. We weren't expecting our sons to die for the speculation of this issue. We take pride because our sons were proud by defending the Homeland," said chairperson of the "Soldier" NGO coordinating council Margarita Khachatryan.
Many of the parents weren't able to hold back the tears and talked about their issues, saying that they were living in hard social conditions. "We barely live on pension and take care of communal expenses. Doesn't Serzh Sargsyan know how the people are living? They remember the people come election time, but the next day they don't recognize them," Aleta Zakaryan, widow of freedom fighter Samson Kyureghyan, told "A1+".
When Serzh Sargsyan approached them, very few parents were able to approach him. Maintenance was rather strict. Only leader of the "Arabo" detachment was able to approach the president and ask him to award the freedom fighters of the detachment with medals. Serzh Sargsyan promised to help.
