A group of servicemen awarded on the occasion of the Republic Day

By the decree of the President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan, a group of servicemen were awarded with medals on the occasion of the Republic Day for their contribution to the defense and security of the country, for their bravery and dedication during military combat operations.

President Vahagn Khachaturyan presented the awards, congratulated the awardees and thanked them for their courage and dedication at the awarding ceremony held at Sardarapat Memorial, National Museum of Armenian Ethnography.

In his speech, the President of the Republic of Armenia noted: "I congratulate all of us on the occasion of the Republic Day. May 28 is the most symbolic holiday of our statehood and one of the brightest episodes in our history.

The declaration of the First Republic of Armenia on May 28, 1918, was the immediate outcome of our victory in the heroic battle of Sardarapat and the declaration of the rebirth of Armenian statehood after a hiatus of more than 500 years.

The First Republic was forged in the conditions of the war imposed upon us when our people, our statesmen, having neither friends, nor allies, managed to reveal the potential to unite and face powerful adversaries.

The same holds true for 1991 when another war was imposed upon us and we had to rebuild our independent state amid the war and through tireless resistance tasting both the bitterness of losses and the joy of victories.

Through our unity, our fight we were capable of showing the right of the Republic of Armenia to be on the world map.

Today, on May 28, 2023, when the First Republic is long a history, and the Republic of Armenia born on September 21, 1991, is our present, it is a good occasion to reconsider and value our history, the journey of independent statehood. In general, there are differing qualifications of the First Republic or Soviet Armenia, but the reality is that our independent statehood is the product of the unified will of our people.

We firmly believe that today also trusting in our power, having faith in our authority and the wisdom of our people, we can resist the severe challenges and build the country we dream of.

Congratulating all of us once again, I wish success, strength, vigor and resilience to our statehood."