Address by President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on occasion of the Republic day

Your Holiness!
Generals, officers and soldiers!
Dear brothers and sisters!

I cordially congratulate you on the occasion of the Republic Day!

95 years ago at Gharakilisa, Bash-Aparan and particularly here, in Sardarapat, we were put to a fatal test. It was a nationwide test for old and young, clergy and military, Dashnaks and Communists, officials and peasantry. All of us. In the last patch of historic Armenia, the last handful of Armenians living in their Fatherland were combating.

Here we stopped and forced back the enemy; and the world had neither illusions nor doubts about the adversary’s racist and anti-Armenian intentions. Here the Armenians of Eastern Armenia averted the impending calamity. The Genocide that originated in the Ottoman Turkey and was consistently perpetrated and proliferated was stopped here owing to our spirit of unity.

For many nations the declaration of independence was a political act and even a grand ceremony whereas for us it was an ordeal. We did not even know that one or two days after the courageous May battles we would declare independence. We created Armenia’s statehood right in the battle field at the expense of enormous casualties and losses, thanks to blood and faith, standing behind each other, looking forward. United!

May 28, 1918 heralded our physical deliverance and political rebirth; consequently, our people’s valor and vigor were superbly manifested during the Great Patriotic War and in the battle of Artsakh. Today, here at Sardarapat, the Armenian soldier’s firm tread and victorious spirit testify in the best possible way that we know the formula of survival and victory.

Dear compatriots!

Why did we erect this monument and regularly come here? As the poet Paruyr Sevak said: “You, generations, get to know yourself through Sardarapat.” We need to remember and remind and convey to the younger generations the important message left by the ones who prepared and made May 28 a reality.

Be united!
Be consolidated by statehood!
Rely on your own strength!

Thus we are capable not only to restore our statehood and independence disrupted for centuries but make considerable achievements. Their foundations were laid here and today we are standing here proudly as citizens of a free and independent country, the heirs of heroic grandfathers.

Dear compatriots!

Once again, I congratulate all of us on the occasion of this magnificent holiday. I wish happiness and success to our people, and peace and progress to our nation.

Glory to the Armenian people who fought the heroic May 28 battle!
Glory to the Republic of Armenia!
Glory to the armed forces of the Republic Armenia!

Hurrah!