February 20, 1988, one of those days in modern Armenian history  became symbol of national unity - Mesrop Arakelyan

ArmInfo.February 20, 1988, is one of those days in modern Armenian history that became not just an event, but a symbol of national unity. Mesrop Arakelyan, co- founder of the "Country for Life" party, wrote about this on his Facebook page.

According to him, the Karabakh movement that began that day,  regardless of the subsequent changes in content and the various  political contexts it acquired over time, remains in history as the  moment when the entire Armenian people, in Armenia, Artsakh, and the  diaspora, felt united.

"In those days, the streets of Armenia and Artsakh were filled not  only with thousands of people, but also with great faith. Faith that  unity can become strength, that a united people can raise and defend  its voice with dignity. Today, the situation is different. Artsakh is  no longer under our control. However, this does not mean that we can  allow the issue of Artsakh to be forgotten or abandon historical  memory and the homeland. History has repeatedly shown that the return  of territories is possible if the people build a strong, influential  and organized state. The most important thing is to maintain the  relevance of this issue at the level of national memory, dignity and  state thinking, because when a state develops, when it becomes  influential and competitive, its voice becomes heard on international  platforms. Today, remembering February 20, we must ask ourselves: can  we look to the future of our state and our generations with the same  strength, the same responsibility and the same solidarity? Our nation  has already proven this once:  when the people unite, they become a  decisive force whose will cannot be broken. Defeats, "Disappointment  and decline are not the end. The end comes where the will to fight  ends," wrote the co- founder of the Country for Life party.