Capture of patriotic elite of Artsakh result of treacherous agreement  - Miklael Minasyan 

ArmInfo.The capture of the patriotic elite of Artsakh is the result of a treacherous agreement.  This was written in a post dedicated to the birthday of the third president of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan, who is currently in Azerbaijani captivity, by the son-in-law of the third president of Armenia,  former Armenian ambassador to the Vatican Mikael Minasyan, who is currently in exile. 

"Every day, thinking about Bako (Sahakyan), Ruben (Vardanyan), Lev  (Mnatsakanyan), about our other prisoners, I choke with  helplessness," emphasized Minasyan, asking himself whether he (Bako)  admits that the authorities are silent about him and about prisoners  in general? - That Armenian ambassadors do not work for their  release, that international humanitarian NGOs do not write demands  for the release of our prisoners, that the Ministry of Foreign  Affairs does not mention them in its statements, that the top  officials of the state do not want (or even dare) to talk about them  - it is as if they do not exist. They never existed.  Does he know  that in the diaspora - from Bourj Hammoud to Los Angeles - no  significant events are organized in defense of the prisoners?

According to Minasyan, what does the former president of Artsakh  feel, realizing that on his path - the path of a warrior and guardian  of Artsakh - there was a milestone where he had to sacrifice his  freedom for the sake of the safe exit of the Artsakh Armenians? Does  he know that the capture of the patriotic elite of Artsakh is the  result of a treacherous agreement? Does he realize that the Armenian  authorities are treating the mayors of Artsakh cities the same way  the Azerbaijani authorities are treating him? Could he (Bako) imagine  that Armenian policemen would break down the gates of the Artsakh  representative office - the last symbol of Artsakh statehood - in  Armenia, with the same zeal with which the Yashma special forces  desecrated the shrines of Artsakh? Does he admit that the loss of  Artsakh has become commonplace, and talking about it in decent  society is considered bad form? I am sure that Bako has his own  answers to these questions. I am sure that he does not agree with the  harsh formulations that I voiced. And the root of his disagreement is  that he is a romantic. He always believed in a happy ending. I would  not be surprised if he is still sure of this, " Minasyan writes.

"In our imaginary conversation, I would tell him that there is not  even a shabby internet petition for his freedom, and he would answer  that his nation lives in the real world, not in the virtual, Facebook  one. To my sarcastic question about what Arayik (Harutyunyan) is  thinking and talking about now, he would return the grin and answer  that after everything that happened, it does not matter at all what  he thinks, much less says:>, - Minasyan noted. He emphasized that the  enemy prison holds people who fought for their people and homeland,  who served them and explained to us, with their actions, the meaning  of the word self- sacrifice. <And it hurts me that my people - I  really hope that not all of them - have consigned them to oblivion>.  - Minasyan wrote.

The highest military-political leadership of Artsakh, including Bako  Sahakyan, have been in Azerbaijani captivity since the end of  September 2023. They were captured after Azerbaijan committed an act  of aggression during a ten-month blockade of the 120,000-strong  population of Artsakh and forcibly occupied the NKR on September  19-20. The condition for the peaceful exodus of the Armenian  population from their historical land was the lives of 8 former and  current leaders of the NKR. These are former presidents of Artsakh  Arkady Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Arayik Harutyunyan, former Foreign  Minister David Babayan, as well as Speaker of the Parliament David  Ishkhanyan, former Commander of the Artsakh Defense Army, General  Levon Mnatsakanyan, General David Manukyan and former State Minister,  world- famous entrepreneur and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan