President Serzh Sargsyan’s Congratulatory Message on Army Day

Dear Compatriots,

I cordially congratulate you on the occasion of Army Day.

The Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia are the shield of our country and our pride. Being the reliable guarantee of our people’s security, our army is also a very important component of regional peace.

We know very well what the lack of statehood and regular army means, and we know how expensive we have paid for it. The existence of a sovereign army for a nation that has experienced hard trials is of exceptional importance.

Our army is a people’s army that has felt the love and respect of our people since its inception, enjoying the trust and sustained support of our people. I am convinced that the Republic of Armenia and its people will continue to nurture and cherish their first-born child.

Dear Compatriots,

We are a happy generation as we saw the revival, strengthening and establishment of the Armenian army,. We are the generation that not only saw, but also became the participant of the army building and reforming process. Due to historical factors or, to be more precise, due to the imperative that we faced in the war unleashed by Azerbaijan and the fight for liberation of Artsakh, we started building our own sovereign statehood with self-defense. The armed forces became the axis of our newly independent Armenian statehood.

Our freedom-fighters, and then our soldiers and officers went through a glorious baptism of fire, laying the foundations of today’s army. On this festive day, we have the opportunity to express our appreciation to our soldiers and officers for full compliance with their high mission.

It is no secret that today we have a different army, strong with cutting-edge, state-of-the-art weaponry and equipment. But we continue and will continue to increase the fighting efficiency of our army consistently. To this end, a seven-year program of army modernization has been adopted, which will be enforced according to the established timetable. Personally, I will spare no effort to modernize our army and make it stronger.

Dear Compatriots,

Today, we have come to Yerablur. On this sacred holiday day, it is our duty to bow down to the memory of those hero martyrs who redeemed our life and freedom at the cost of their own lives. We offer our sympathy to their families and friends. We call on all generations to remember the meaning and significance of this important holiday of the people of Armenia.

Eternal blessing to our heroes! Long live the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia!