If 35 years ago independence was our people’s historic decision, today our task is to give that decision substance every day – Vahagn Khachaturyan
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President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan has issued a congratulatory message on Independence Day.
The message released by the Office of the President reads:
“Dear compatriots,
I congratulate all of us on the Independence Day of the Republic of Armenia and the 35th anniversary of the restoration of our statehood.
Thirty-five years is both a long and a very short period in the history of statehood. Long enough to assess the path we have travelled, and short enough to understand that an independent state is never a completed achievement.
Independence Day, therefore, is not merely a symbol of a historic event. For us, it is a day to reflect on responsibility and duty.
Independence, freedom, sovereignty and statehood are fundamental and indispensable values for any people. Throughout its millennia-long history, the Armenian people have experienced the loss and restoration of statehood, periods of progress and the most severe trials.
Today, we have what generations have fought for – the Republic of Armenia.
The Republic of Armenia is not simply the state organisation of our present. It is the present-day reality of the historical continuity of the Armenian people and the embodiment of the centuries-old aspiration of Armenians around the world to have a state of their own. Therefore, the state is not only a right for each of us, but also an obligation.
Independence is the ability to determine one’s own destiny and bear responsibility for its consequences.
Freedom is the opportunity to make one’s own decisions and assume responsibility for them.
Sovereignty is the political capacity to formulate and defend one’s own interests.
Therefore, statehood is not a value that is acquired once and secured forever. It is a reality that is created and strengthened every day.
Today, we have the right to speak openly and honestly about our state – to recognise its achievements, acknowledge its shortcomings and the work that remains undone. There are many. But it is precisely our responsibility towards our state that obliges us to address them not by distancing ourselves from one another, but by working through differing opinions, debate and political competition.
The National Assembly elections held in June this year were an important milestone in Armenia’s political life. The democratic process continues, and the election results create new political responsibilities.
We may have different visions of Armenia’s future and hold different political views and solutions, but one common value must remain at the foundation of those differences – the Republic of Armenia.
Today, the world is changing, our region is changing, and the conditions of security, the economy and development are changing. To confront these realities, Armenia needs to be flexible without losing its principles, and strong without losing its capacity to change. We can and must change policies, reform institutions and find new solutions. But independence, freedom, sovereignty and statehood cannot be situational values.
The state and public interests of the Republic of Armenia must be the criterion for all our decisions.
The 35th anniversary of independence obliges us never to forget where we have come from and, with spirit, faith and courage, to affirm what kind of state we want to leave to future generations.
It is our responsibility to pass on to them not only the fact of having an independent state, but also a sovereign, free, democratic and capable state with the potential to shape its own future.
If 35 years ago independence was our people’s historic decision, today our task is to give that decision substance every day. This is the meaning of independence. This is our duty to the state.
I congratulate the Republic of Armenia and Armenians around the world on Independence Day.
Peace and strength to our state, freedom and dignity to our citizens.
Glory to the fallen, and long live the Republic of Armenia.”