The war in April showed once again the unity and will of the Armenian people and their infinite willingness to support each other. Diaspora Armenians stood with the Homeland financially, spiritually and physically, came together and simply realized that We are Artsakh.

The “Hayartun” Educational, Cultural and Youth Center of the Armenian Diocese of Georgia has stood with the Armenians of Artsakh since the very first day of the military operations unleashed in Artsakh, trying to lend a helping hand to the Armenians of Artsakh with various initiatives.

One of the regular charity events was the exhibition-sale that showcased the works of Georgian-Armenian painters and the proceeds of which were geared towards the solution to the key issues facing Artsakh.

During the event held in late April, guest Karen Nanumyan made a statement that stirred the attendees’ emotions and filled their eyes with tears.

Director of the “Hayartun” Center Levon Chidilyan provided details about this unique and interesting story in an interview with Hayern Aysor. “After purchasing some paintings, Karen asked to give a speech. He expressed gratitude for having the opportunity to help the Armenians of Artsakh devastated by Azerbaijan’s aggression and recalled an episode from Khachik Dashtents’s book “Ranchparneri Kanche” (Call of the Ploughmen). In that episode, when there is no more gold left, Warrior Andranik doesn’t find any more gold in his pockets to save the life of the child and orders to bring gold, but in vain. That is when Aladin Misak Haiduk, the best performer of Kurdish songs, comes to the rescue and saves the child’s life by singing songs, meaning gold to another Armenian…

Afterwards, Karen apologized to his wife, removed his golden wedding ring from his finger and announced that he would be sending it to Artsakh. We were all in awe. It was a stalemate. Silence…and then his Russian wife spoke. She said she shared her husband’s idea and, without thinking twice, removed her ring from her finger and announced that she would also be sending the ring to Artsakh.

But that was not all. Their son, who was in the room, felt patriotic, took off his silver necklace with the image of Saint Gevorg and gave it to us. We were trying to convince them not to do that, but it was in vain. Their decision was final.

So, we took the rings to Karabakh and gave them to spiritual servant of the army of Artsakh, Deacon Samvel Mkrtchyan under the condition that the rings would be given during a wedding ceremony and to the first soldier who decided to get married upon his return from the military positions.

We planned to donate the silver necklace to one of the soldiers on the border. We took a commander’s advice and gave it to Samvel Navoyan, who had stood out with the endeavors that he made during the four-day war. Whether it was by providence or coincidence, an interesting thing happened. During our conversation with the soldier, we found out that he was from Georgia and that he had spent his childhood in Tbilisi. We also found out that Samvel Navoyan’s grandparents were Karen Nanumyan’s neighbors…”

This is the best example that shows the real values of a family that an Armenian man and a Russian woman started. It is when one can give up something that symbolizes love and 22 years of a life together and a holy relic for the sake of the homeland and donate it to the soldier leading a struggle for the protection of the Homeland’s borders.

Let us wait for our heroic soldier’s wedding. Let us hope that that important day in his life is marked with an enigmatic story that will live on in our hearts as a great memory for many years.

Gevorg Chichyan