On May 9 President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan, together with retired Presidents Bako Sahakyan and Arkady Ghukasyan, as well as a group of high-ranking officials, visited the Stepanakert Memorial to pay tribute to the memory of the perished freedom fighters of the Homeland.
President Harutyunyan also sent a congratulatory message on the Victory Day, on the establishment of the Defence Army and the liberation of Shushi, which, in particular, reads:
''Dear compatriots,
Today is the day of glorious victories of the Armenian people. We remember and bow our heads in memory of all our holy martyrs, the heroes who created the victories of the Great Patriotic War and the Artsakh Liberation War, opening a new page in the centuries-old history of Armenia. A story full of ups and downs, severe trials and losses, attainments and achievements.
Today, our people again are living through difficult times, living fighting with the pain of losing their children and the Homeland. It is this pain that gives us the strength to live, to create, to continue our struggle in a stronger and more determined way, to build a Homeland worthy of the memory of our heroic grandfathers and fathers, our immortal sons, the Homeland we all dream of.
Yes, we welcome the May triple holiday with a heavy heart, because the recent Azeri-Turkish aggression has caused a big rupture with the holiday council. Nevertheless, we are determined to continue our fair struggle for the safe, full and dignified survival of the Armenian people in their homeland, for the return of Shushi and for the sacred memory of our martyrs.

Eternal glory to our heroes!

Glory to the Armenian people. "

2021-05-09