ARMENIA’S PRESIDENT TO BE IN MOSCOW ON DAY OF VICTORY

YEREVAN, April 10. /ARKA/. Armenia’s president said in his interview
to Mir TV he will be in Moscow on the Day of Victory.

“I believe Armenia’s president should be and will be present at the
major celebrations, the ones held in Moscow, so I will be in Moscow,
we have already received an invitation, and I will participate in the
key events. In fact, it is a bright holiday, and we should celebrate
it wholeheartedly,” the president said.

The president stressed Armenians had their active contribution to
the defense of the Soviet Union, and said Armenians’ approach to war
“is probably a bit different from that of other nations”.

In the beginning of this war, there were 2.8 million ethnic Armenians
living in the Soviet Union, of them 1 million 800,000 in Soviet
Armenia. Some 600,000 Armenians joined the Soviet army as conscripts
or volunteers during the way, of them 314,000 have never returned,
Sargsyan said.

“It is every ninth Armenian; almost 12% of the overall number of
Armenians in the Soviet Union was killed during the Great Patriotic
War. It is a large number, bearing in mind that no military operations
took place on the territory of Armenia, which means no civilians were
affected,” Sargsyan said.

During the war, over 600,000 Armenians were drafted to the Soviet Army,
over 300,000 of them were killed in the battles. A hundred and six
Armenians were awarded Hero of the Soviet Union, including legendary
pilot Nelson Stepanyan and Marshall of the Soviet Union Hovhannes
Baghramyan who received the award twice. Twenty-seven Armenian became
full cavaliers of the Order of Glory.

Armenians’ contribution to the victory included major army commanders,
such as twice Hero of the Soviet Union Marshall Hovhannes Baghramyan,
Hero of the Soviet Union and marshall of armored troops Hamazasp
Babajanyan, aviation marshall Sergey Khudiakov (Armenak Khanferyants),
Hero of the Soviet Union fleet admiral Ivan Isakov (Hovhannes
Isahakyan).

Armenia sent six motor-rifle divisions to the frontline, including
the 39th Tamanyan division that reached Berlin. About 100,000 ethnic
Armenians were involved in the resistance movement in WWII and fought
as part of the allies’ armies.

From: A. Papazian