Updates
Congratulatory telegrams
14
09, 2011
Congratulatory remarks by President Serzh Sargsyan at the reception on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of independence with the representatives of the RA Justice system, law enforcement bodies and diplomats
Your Holiness,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I congratulate us all on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of independence of the Republic of Armenia.
It’s a magnificent holiday. It is also a solemn occasion to reckon over our twenty-year long journey, tasks before us and our vision of the future. The gist of the day is our ability to pass on to the generations values and legacy which were left to us by those who had created, defended and nurtured a free and independent Armenia with their sweat and blood.
This is a home to over three millions Armenian citizens.
This is a home to the millions of Armenians spread all over the world.
This is a home where our children will live and enjoy their share of happiness.
This is a land which will prosper, thrive and advance toward eternity through their hard work.
An independence, which we got not by a whim of fortune but first of all by rekindling the undying fire of our forefathers’ dream of a free and independent Armenia.
We got it through our confidence that justice would prevail.
We got it through the irresistible call of endurance and self-sacrifice of our grandfathers and fathers, which reached us through the everlasting witnesses of heroism and dream – every bit of our land and every drop of our water, every piece of our sky and every beam of light which warms us.
We earned our independence and proved to us and to the world that we have the right to live on our own land as we deem right, with our values.
We proved it first of all by the victories of our army.
The army which was born on the battlefield and passing through the crucible of war has become a sturdy shield and steadfast pillar of our statehood.
Becoming even more powerful and more potent, the Armenian Army today has not only become a safeguard of the safe and creative life for the citizens of Armenia, but also a watchful guarantor of the regional peace and security.
The Army is ready to rise against any external threat to our independence – on our borders, on the agressor’s territory, or anywhere else.
That’s our Army today.
Armenian Soldiers and Commanders!
Officers!
Inquisitive mind of men and civilization today provide greater opportunities for creative work than ever.
Unfortunately, gruesome challenges menacing peace and security of the people who toil and create have multiplied. In order to withstand them, we need move forward unceasingly, boost morale and combat readiness of our Army.
This is an army whose soldier on the battlefield not only defends but also becomes a citizen of the country. “Soldier is a soldier only when he thinks in terms of state,” – that’s the lesson of the knight of the late last century, the National Hero of Armenia and Artsakh Monte, who preferred the title of a soldier to all others.
A soldier, who thinks in terms of state, who is well-educated and disciplined and his high morale is the earnest of the combat readiness of our Army.
We will boost combat readiness of our armed forces by providing it with the contemporary arsenal and military hardware.
But above all, we should arm mothers who send their sons and soldiers off to military service with trust in our Army and its commanders.
“Destiny of the nations is to be found in the mother’s palm”. The twenty-year old Republic of Armenia should once and for all reexamine the meaning of the great Nezhdeh’s maxim. I am confident that our mothers will be bearing lions; their sons’ courage will overshadow the importance of the man-made fortifications which guard Armenia now.
We should assess and amplify our combat readiness not only in comparison with the current state of other regional armies but also in comparison with our own Army’s past; we will be working tirelessly.
Every day, step by step we will strengthen the bond which ties the army to civil society. Soldiers will be citizens, citizens – soldiers.
We will, however, at the same time ruthlessly severe all those malicious threads which weaken rather than strengthen the Army, which engulf soldiers and officers in the whirlpool of everyday economic problems.
Only this way, by strengthening our Army we can be sure that we will be able to avert every blow of the wicked foe threatening the freedom and independence of our country.
Now, we are stronger than ever. And I am saying this in the most unambiguous manner:
We are ready to win; however we want to win by intellect and labor.
We are ready for achievements; however we want to achieve the heights of creativity.
We will not hesitate to defend with blood all that is ours; however we prefer the blood of grapes and the crimson of the berries.
The Armenian soldier is rightfully the safeguard of our freedom and our independence.
However, the life and safety of our troops greatly depend also on the efficient work of our diplomats.
We are ready to pay for the regional peace and stability with the efforts of our diplomats, preserving life and health of each and every of our border troops.
Thousands of troops have returned safe and sound to their families thanks to many sleepless nights and hard work of our diplomats abroad.
We value diplomatic victories as much as we value victories on the battlefield.
We also highly value the work of the National security bodies in conquering challenges that face our country. The people, who are seemingly far from the front lines, nevertheless are doing a difficult and singular work. Their services are an important and dependable component of the safety of the people, security of the state and normal life of our society.
Dear Fellow Citizens:
We are leaving behind two difficult, perilous but also glorious decades of our independence.
We have been honored with weathering those hardships. Those are hardships which many nations, who have to live by the others’ rules, are ready to endure, nations which are much more numerous than we are and are not less daring.
Decades later we will miss this rapture. It’s a rapture of a man who laid the foundation of his own state. Not every generation is blessed with it.
A bliss which will make envious even our own future generations. These generations will live in a much more carefree and safe country.
They will live in a home which we built. We have built it all together, the entire nation; old and young, strong and feeble; building a state has been difficult and blissful.
We will leave to the coming generations a statehood which rests on a powerful basis and pillars of democracy. We will leave them with the guardian – the Armenian Army and viable sprouts of the mature civil society. We will also leave them under the roof of the rule of law.
On this momentous day in the Armenian history, I would like to highlight the significance of the formation of the rule of law.
Our people lived for decades and centuries by the rules formulated by foreigners and often imposed on us against our will.
For centuries the law belonged to the aliens; when the law itself was alien, or when the alien himself was the law.
Then the first feat of the daredevil from the Armenian epos was the crushing of a tax collector and protection of his kin from the alien law.
Then through the words of the bemoaning old man depicted by the great Tumanian, the Armenians were cursing the laws and orders of the aliens. And their reckoning didn’t help to find the culprit. And not finding the culprit they very often were turning into the law-breakers and offenders.
And now when in the spring of its life, our state celebrates its 20th independent fall, I would like to put on record an achievement which is unprecedented and not of human making.
That achievement is the citizen of the Republic of Armenia.
The citizen of Armenia does not only enjoy the right to live by his own law but he himself creates and adopts these laws, he himself defines the borders of his rights.
And, certainly, when needed, by the right of a sovereign nation he enforces his will and his law on those for whom the laws of our country are yet alien.
He enforcses them through the guardians of the law who were created by him and are directed by him; these guardians, who are authorized to act and impose law, are chosen at his own discretion. These guardians are the first to be law-abiding and precise in the execution of their official duties.
I am confident that we are not far from the day when seeing the flame of law-obedience and rights in the eyes of our descendants, Tumanian’s moaning old man will smile from the depth of time.
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Today, in the Motherland of all Armenians we tell each and every one of our compatriots, “Armenia – it is also you”. You have earned that right not only by your blood, but also by your love for Armenia, your dedication and sense of responsibility.
You are Armenia itself when you voice Mesrop’s alphabet in Syria, when you take to rally on the streets in France, when you come from America to defend Artsakh, when in a remote Russian town you open an Armenian Sunday school.
You are Armenia itself when you repatriate and take pride that your children are playing in the backyards of Yerevan not as guests but as masters and from now on and forever they are citizens of Armenia.
Many in the world shape or complete their perception of Armenians and Armenia looking at you, knowing you – it means Armenia – it is you. Without Spyurk Armenia’s standing in the modern world would have been quite different, thus you’re an indispensable part of your Motherland’s political weight.
Dear Fellow Citizens:
This is the twentieth time that we nationwide celebrate this most important event – the anniversary of independence of the Republic of Armenia.
Each anniversary brings new achievements and new victories, new tasks and new concerns. It will always be that way – from year to year, from decade to decade.
I wish we could lift, if for a moment, the impenetrable veil of time and have a glimpse of the hero of the glorious centenary – the future citizen of Armenia.
Your and my descendant - proudly standing on their land.
And, as Alexander Dumas once said, as long as God keeps the curtains of the future drawn, in the unfaltering anticipation of the millennia to come we say,
Long live the Republic of Armenia!
Long live a free citizen of the independent state!
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I congratulate us all on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of independence of the Republic of Armenia.
It’s a magnificent holiday. It is also a solemn occasion to reckon over our twenty-year long journey, tasks before us and our vision of the future. The gist of the day is our ability to pass on to the generations values and legacy which were left to us by those who had created, defended and nurtured a free and independent Armenia with their sweat and blood.
This is a home to over three millions Armenian citizens.
This is a home to the millions of Armenians spread all over the world.
This is a home where our children will live and enjoy their share of happiness.
This is a land which will prosper, thrive and advance toward eternity through their hard work.
An independence, which we got not by a whim of fortune but first of all by rekindling the undying fire of our forefathers’ dream of a free and independent Armenia.
We got it through our confidence that justice would prevail.
We got it through the irresistible call of endurance and self-sacrifice of our grandfathers and fathers, which reached us through the everlasting witnesses of heroism and dream – every bit of our land and every drop of our water, every piece of our sky and every beam of light which warms us.
We earned our independence and proved to us and to the world that we have the right to live on our own land as we deem right, with our values.
We proved it first of all by the victories of our army.
The army which was born on the battlefield and passing through the crucible of war has become a sturdy shield and steadfast pillar of our statehood.
Becoming even more powerful and more potent, the Armenian Army today has not only become a safeguard of the safe and creative life for the citizens of Armenia, but also a watchful guarantor of the regional peace and security.
The Army is ready to rise against any external threat to our independence – on our borders, on the agressor’s territory, or anywhere else.
That’s our Army today.
Armenian Soldiers and Commanders!
Officers!
Inquisitive mind of men and civilization today provide greater opportunities for creative work than ever.
Unfortunately, gruesome challenges menacing peace and security of the people who toil and create have multiplied. In order to withstand them, we need move forward unceasingly, boost morale and combat readiness of our Army.
This is an army whose soldier on the battlefield not only defends but also becomes a citizen of the country. “Soldier is a soldier only when he thinks in terms of state,” – that’s the lesson of the knight of the late last century, the National Hero of Armenia and Artsakh Monte, who preferred the title of a soldier to all others.
A soldier, who thinks in terms of state, who is well-educated and disciplined and his high morale is the earnest of the combat readiness of our Army.
We will boost combat readiness of our armed forces by providing it with the contemporary arsenal and military hardware.
But above all, we should arm mothers who send their sons and soldiers off to military service with trust in our Army and its commanders.
“Destiny of the nations is to be found in the mother’s palm”. The twenty-year old Republic of Armenia should once and for all reexamine the meaning of the great Nezhdeh’s maxim. I am confident that our mothers will be bearing lions; their sons’ courage will overshadow the importance of the man-made fortifications which guard Armenia now.
We should assess and amplify our combat readiness not only in comparison with the current state of other regional armies but also in comparison with our own Army’s past; we will be working tirelessly.
Every day, step by step we will strengthen the bond which ties the army to civil society. Soldiers will be citizens, citizens – soldiers.
We will, however, at the same time ruthlessly severe all those malicious threads which weaken rather than strengthen the Army, which engulf soldiers and officers in the whirlpool of everyday economic problems.
Only this way, by strengthening our Army we can be sure that we will be able to avert every blow of the wicked foe threatening the freedom and independence of our country.
Now, we are stronger than ever. And I am saying this in the most unambiguous manner:
We are ready to win; however we want to win by intellect and labor.
We are ready for achievements; however we want to achieve the heights of creativity.
We will not hesitate to defend with blood all that is ours; however we prefer the blood of grapes and the crimson of the berries.
The Armenian soldier is rightfully the safeguard of our freedom and our independence.
However, the life and safety of our troops greatly depend also on the efficient work of our diplomats.
We are ready to pay for the regional peace and stability with the efforts of our diplomats, preserving life and health of each and every of our border troops.
Thousands of troops have returned safe and sound to their families thanks to many sleepless nights and hard work of our diplomats abroad.
We value diplomatic victories as much as we value victories on the battlefield.
We also highly value the work of the National security bodies in conquering challenges that face our country. The people, who are seemingly far from the front lines, nevertheless are doing a difficult and singular work. Their services are an important and dependable component of the safety of the people, security of the state and normal life of our society.
Dear Fellow Citizens:
We are leaving behind two difficult, perilous but also glorious decades of our independence.
We have been honored with weathering those hardships. Those are hardships which many nations, who have to live by the others’ rules, are ready to endure, nations which are much more numerous than we are and are not less daring.
Decades later we will miss this rapture. It’s a rapture of a man who laid the foundation of his own state. Not every generation is blessed with it.
A bliss which will make envious even our own future generations. These generations will live in a much more carefree and safe country.
They will live in a home which we built. We have built it all together, the entire nation; old and young, strong and feeble; building a state has been difficult and blissful.
We will leave to the coming generations a statehood which rests on a powerful basis and pillars of democracy. We will leave them with the guardian – the Armenian Army and viable sprouts of the mature civil society. We will also leave them under the roof of the rule of law.
On this momentous day in the Armenian history, I would like to highlight the significance of the formation of the rule of law.
Our people lived for decades and centuries by the rules formulated by foreigners and often imposed on us against our will.
For centuries the law belonged to the aliens; when the law itself was alien, or when the alien himself was the law.
Then the first feat of the daredevil from the Armenian epos was the crushing of a tax collector and protection of his kin from the alien law.
Then through the words of the bemoaning old man depicted by the great Tumanian, the Armenians were cursing the laws and orders of the aliens. And their reckoning didn’t help to find the culprit. And not finding the culprit they very often were turning into the law-breakers and offenders.
And now when in the spring of its life, our state celebrates its 20th independent fall, I would like to put on record an achievement which is unprecedented and not of human making.
That achievement is the citizen of the Republic of Armenia.
The citizen of Armenia does not only enjoy the right to live by his own law but he himself creates and adopts these laws, he himself defines the borders of his rights.
And, certainly, when needed, by the right of a sovereign nation he enforces his will and his law on those for whom the laws of our country are yet alien.
He enforcses them through the guardians of the law who were created by him and are directed by him; these guardians, who are authorized to act and impose law, are chosen at his own discretion. These guardians are the first to be law-abiding and precise in the execution of their official duties.
I am confident that we are not far from the day when seeing the flame of law-obedience and rights in the eyes of our descendants, Tumanian’s moaning old man will smile from the depth of time.
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Today, in the Motherland of all Armenians we tell each and every one of our compatriots, “Armenia – it is also you”. You have earned that right not only by your blood, but also by your love for Armenia, your dedication and sense of responsibility.
You are Armenia itself when you voice Mesrop’s alphabet in Syria, when you take to rally on the streets in France, when you come from America to defend Artsakh, when in a remote Russian town you open an Armenian Sunday school.
You are Armenia itself when you repatriate and take pride that your children are playing in the backyards of Yerevan not as guests but as masters and from now on and forever they are citizens of Armenia.
Many in the world shape or complete their perception of Armenians and Armenia looking at you, knowing you – it means Armenia – it is you. Without Spyurk Armenia’s standing in the modern world would have been quite different, thus you’re an indispensable part of your Motherland’s political weight.
Dear Fellow Citizens:
This is the twentieth time that we nationwide celebrate this most important event – the anniversary of independence of the Republic of Armenia.
Each anniversary brings new achievements and new victories, new tasks and new concerns. It will always be that way – from year to year, from decade to decade.
I wish we could lift, if for a moment, the impenetrable veil of time and have a glimpse of the hero of the glorious centenary – the future citizen of Armenia.
Your and my descendant - proudly standing on their land.
And, as Alexander Dumas once said, as long as God keeps the curtains of the future drawn, in the unfaltering anticipation of the millennia to come we say,
Long live the Republic of Armenia!
Long live a free citizen of the independent state!