YEREVAN, MAY 21, ARMENPRESS. New President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan says it’s the time to put and achieve new dreams which will be bigger and incredible from one another, he said at the special session of the Artsakh Parliament, dedicated to his inauguration ceremony.

He considered symbolic the fact that today’s ceremony is taking place in historic Shushi, in this victorious month of May. Touching upon the liberation operations of Shushi, he said relying on own potential, with the support of all Armenians they managed to achieve the dream of having a united and free homeland, and develop, maintain it for 28 years. “Now it’s the time to put and achieve new dreams, bigger and incredible from one another. It’s now the time to dream and act on building a powerful homeland in military, economic and civilian terms, it’s now the time to dream and act for creating favorable and dignified living conditions for the people, it’s now the time to dream and act on implementing a great repatriation”, he said.

He said he will do the utmost to properly fulfill his functions and contribute to the fulfillment of these dreams.

“Dear compatriots, Artsakh is Armenia and that’s it”, he said.

He also touched upon the Armenian Genocide in his remarks, stating that after this tragedy the Armenian people found a strength to move forward and again build a national statehood in this victorious month of May. “Even during that time the road for Armenians was not so easy, including in Artsakh where especially the Armenians of Shushi faced genocidal acts. Artsakh was drowned and divided also in the next 70 years under the violent pressures of Soviet Azerbaijan. The Artsakh-Armenians stood up for preventing the new genocide, having the unconditional support of all Armenians. The Artsakh movement was a national awakening, it was an application to refuse from the image of a victim and create their own fate with their own hands”, he said.

Addressing the 3^rd President of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan, Harutyunyan expressed his deepest gratitude to him for the great services and consistent work provided to the homeland.

Arayik Harutyunyan was elected President of Artsakh based on the results of the voting in the second round of the presidential election on April 14. Today he was officially sworn in as President of Artsakh during the special session of the Parliament.

Reporting by Anna Grigoryan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan