President Vahagn Khachaturyan’s Address on Independence Day

Dear Compatriots,

I congratulate us all on the Independence Day of the Republic of Armenia and the 35th anniversary of the restoration of our statehood.

Thirty-five years is both a long and a very short period in the history of statehood. It is long enough to assess the path we have traveled, yet short enough to understand that an independent state is never a finished achievement.

Therefore, Independence Day is not merely a symbol of a historic event. It is a day for us to reflect on responsibility and duty.

Independence, freedom, sovereignty and statehood are fundamental and indispensable values for any nation. Throughout its millennia-long history, the Armenian people have experienced the loss and restoration of statehood, periods of rise, and the most severe trials. Today, we have what generations have struggled for: the Republic of Armenia.

The Republic of Armenia is not merely the state structure of our present. It is the present-day reality of the historical continuity of the Armenian people and the embodiment of the centuries-old aspiration of Armenians around the world to have a state of their own. Therefore, the state is not only a right for each of us, but also an obligation.

Independence is the ability to determine one’s own destiny and assume responsibility for its consequences. Freedom is the opportunity to make one’s own decisions and take responsibility for them. Sovereignty is the political capacity to define and protect one’s own interests.

Therefore, statehood is not a value acquired once and secured forever. It is a reality created and strengthened every day.

Today, we have the right to speak openly and honestly about our state, to recognize our achievements, acknowledge our shortcomings and the work that remains unfinished. There is much of it. But it is precisely our responsibility toward our state that obliges us to address these issues not by moving apart, but by working together — with differing views, debate and political competition.

The National Assembly elections held in June this year were an important milestone in Armenia’s political life. The democratic process continues, and the outcome of the elections creates new political responsibilities. We may envision Armenia’s future differently, and have different political views and solutions, but one common value must remain at the foundation of these differences: the Republic of Armenia.

Today, the world is changing, our region is changing, and the conditions of security, the economy and development are changing. To face these realities, Armenia needs to be flexible without losing its principles, and strong without losing its ability to change.

We can and must change policies, reform institutions and find new solutions. But independence, freedom, sovereignty and statehood cannot be situational values.

The state and public interest of the Republic of Armenia must be the criterion for all our decisions.

The 35th anniversary of Independence obliges us never to forget where we have come from, and, with spirit, faith and courage, to reaffirm what kind of state we want to leave to future generations.

It is our responsibility to pass on to them not only the fact of having an independent state, but also a sovereign, free, democratic and capable state, with the potential to shape its future independently.

If 35 years ago independence was the historic decision of our people, then today our task is to give substance to that decision every day.

This is the meaning of independence.

This is our state duty.

I congratulate the Republic of Armenia and Armenians around the world on Independence Day.

Peace and strength to our state, freedom and dignity to our citizens.

Glory to the fallen, and

Long live the Republic of Armenia!