Speech
Dear compatriots, dear friends,
There are moments in history when we are called to be more than mere witnesses but to become the architects of our own destiny. Today, that moment has come.
Armenia stands at a turning point. Within us lies the strength, intelligence, and courage to transform our nation. We can unite to build a democracy that is powerful, respected, and just.
Yet, our nation is in peril. Our country is in danger. We are weakened and divided. We lost Artsakh and we all share responsibility for that. Our land is now partly occupied by Azerbaijan and Turkey. We live under constant threat of invasion and the collapse of our sovereignty.
They will claim this is warmongering, but is it? Did we not see this with our own eyes and feel it on our skin for the past several years? Is it warmongering to speak the truth, look long-term at the broader picture and understand the real situation?
Instead of facing this reality, our so-called elite works daily to erase our memory, our identity, and our culture. They want us to believe, through daily propaganda, that submission is peace and that betrayal is salvation. But this illusion only leads us deeper into defeatism and authoritarianism.
Are we, then, condemned to vanish under the brutality of pan-Turkism , or be the collateral damage of imperialism ? Is our defeat irreversible? No! So, what must we do?
Will we keep commenting on social media, complaining in our homes, while doing nothing as our country fades away? No! We cannot, and we must not.
First, we must break free from the regime of fear, dare to speak the truth and share our vision. If we do not act now, it will soon be too late.
The current political landscape is far from meeting our nation’s challenges: on one side, the oligarchs and their puppets who have looted and destroyed the homeland; on the other, a populist regime leading us toward vassalization and national dissolution.
Regardless of how polarized our society has become, we are all Armenians and should all love each other’s as brothers and sisters. The true enemy is fear and indifference. As many nations around the world have triumphed over these enemies, so to must we.
We must therefore unite and present a credible democratic alternative for the upcoming elections in June 2026. Our duty is to rise again, to come together, to reignite hope, and to set our nation back on its path. This is a unique, perhaps final, chance to give Armenia a new direction.
That is why, on September 21, we launched a new political movement: Azg Araj — Nation Forward. A third way: democratic, national, and competent. A force capable of leading the country and rebuilding our nation. A new offer to reconnect the potential of Armenians worldwide with the real needs of the Republic of Armenia. A national movement to strengthen our state, improve our demography, economy, and security, without abandoning our identity or our ideals of justice.
This means a meritocracy of experts and technocrats who are competent enough to define and protect real national interests while implementing more than a superficial democracy. Because yes, democracy is not only limited to not rigged elections. It is much more than that.
I am Vicken Ohannessian, a public health physician and founder of Azg Araj. I am 34 years old. I was born in France, grew up in a patriotic middle-class family. I decided to move to Armenia to dedicate myself to the country and today I live in Yerevan.
I solemnly call upon all the living forces of our nation to rise and rebuild our homeland together.
I call upon those who dream of a strong, sovereign, prosperous, and just Armenia.
I call upon the youth who long for a future free from poverty and corruption.
I call upon Armenian women, who seek true progress in their lives as women, wives, mothers, and grandmothers.
I call upon teachers, doctors, scholars, and entrepreneurs to build a nation founded on science, innovation, and progress.
I call upon those who have lost faith in the current political system and yearn for renewal.
I call upon those who refuse to vote for the existing parties and have been desperately seeking an alternative option, to join us.
I call upon those unafraid to speak the words Genocide, Ararat, Artsakh, and Western Armenia.
I call upon those who carried the revolution of 2018 and now feel betrayed by its outcome.
I call upon all Armenians, from Armenia, from Artsakh, from the Diaspora, in exile, oppressed or hidden in their ancestral lands, to unite and rebuild our nation.
I call upon the heirs of Davit Bek, Shahamir Shahamirian, Nalbandian, Raffi, Khrimian Hayrig, Serop, Gevorg Chaush, Soghomon Tehlirian, Avetik Isahakyan, Aram, Dro, Andranik, Njdeh, Simon Vratsian, Nigol Aghbalian, Ara Sargsyan, Lusik Aguletsi, Monte Melkonian, Leonid Azgaldyan, Hayrik Mouradian, and Gagik Ginosyan.
Dear friends, the true dividing line among our people is not between pro-Western and pro-Russian — as they want you to believe. It is between pro-national and anti-national.
Between those who fight for the survival and greatness of Armenia, and those who cause its downfall.
It is time for us to choose. History shows us that “resistance” is not futile.
We are the Armenia that resists, that lives, and that will triumph.
We are Azg Araj.
Since our launch, hundreds of you have already joined and supported us.
Follow us, join us, and share this voice with as many as you can.
See you soon.
