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During the Autumn Meeting of the OSCE PA being held in Yerevan the member of the RA NA delegation Lilit Minasyan gave a speech.

“Dear colleagues,

Welcome to Armenia. Hope you will enjoy the hospitality of our country.

We have all gathered here to discuss the role of the OSCE PA in conflict regions. Having repeatedly spoken about the threats of wars, their consequences, the growing alarming phenomena prevailing in the world, we as parliamentarians have emphasized the importance of peaceful solutions and dialogue, referring to the Helsinki Act. But the reality is becoming more and more cruel.

Sometimes, there is an impression that the speech of politicians in the world, the diplomatic language, and the existing systems have lost their power. The future is becoming more and more uncertain, new crisis points are born and gaining momentum, and the number of victims of war is increasing day by day.

I will try to talk about the other side of the war with a few examples. It seems governments of the countries do not see and do not listen to that side closely. War is about human lives.

I want to tell you the story of Kamo, a 30-year-old man who loves his country and his compatriots more than his life. Kamo went to fight in 2020 in Nagorno Karabakh. Kamo didn't die, but he didn't come back from the fight. In his nightdreams, Kamo is on the battlefield, collecting in a bag the body relics of his friend who died in a shell explosion. Kamo lived on top of the mountain for 12 days without water or bread because the mountain was surrounded by the enemy.

Let me tell you the story of Grandma Elmira. Elmira is a 62-year-old woman. She has 5 children and many grandchildren. On September 19, the grandchildren managed to escape from the village, which was attacked by the Azerbaijanis. Grandmother Elmira did not make it, they took her prisoner. They kept her in the basement for 6 days, torturing, scaring and beating the old woman. The Red Cross was able to save her. We met Elmira in Goris. She was looking for the children with wet eyes, and the children knew that the grandmother was no longer alive.

Let me tell you about 13-year-old Gor. On September 19, when the people were running away from Nagorno-Karabakh, Gor decided to take his family out by car. The 13-year-old boy drove his 8-member family to Armenia for 55 hours. During 55 hours, they neither slept nor ate. Gor has seen the war in all its colors.

I am telling you the stories of living people to understand that the ceasefire is not the end of the war. Thousands of people who see the consequences of the bombs cannot live anymore as before. I told you the stories of Kamo, Elmira, Gor... Their names could be Ivan, Taras, Suliman, Kamel, Zaida, Abdul, John, Emily...

War is about human lives. It is the duty of all of us, politicians, to see the suffering of these people, to hear the cry of their souls. All humanity is crying out for peace today. We should not continue to talk about the right or wrong sides of the conflicts. WE must force the world to stop the cannons, the violence, the hatred. Delayed weddings are made and the children that will be born are few, but they believe that oil and gas is ultimately not more expensive than their lives. Today peace is mandatory!

Thank you! ” the MP noted.