Catholicos of All Armenians and ex-presidents of Armenia congratulate  Armenian people on First Republic Day

ArmInfo.Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, and third President Serzh Sargsyan congratulated the Armenian people on the occasion of First Republic Day.

According to the press office of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin,  in his message, the Catholicos emphasized that on this day, the  Armenian people commemorate the heroic battles of Sardarapat,  Gharakilisa, and Bash-Aparan. "Catholicos of All Armenians Gevorg V  played a decisive role in these historic battles for survival. In a  life-and-death struggle, the brave sons of our people, including the  clergy of our Holy Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC), triumphed and  secured for generations the just right to live independently and  freely in their native land," noted Karekin II.

With the same fearless spirit, as the Catholicos of All Armenians  noted, the devoted sons of the Armenian people selflessly defended  their homeland in modern times, many giving their precious lives for  the inviolability of Armenian statehood and a secure and dignified  future. "Today, as a nation, we bow our heads before our heroes and  forever keep their bright memory in our hearts. In these difficult  times, in the face of external and internal challenges, we must unite  and strengthen our state together, making the lives of all Armenians  prosperous and beautiful," Karekin II emphasized.

Armenia's second president, Robert Kocharyan, also delivered a  message on the occasion of Republic Day. He recalled that in  Sardarapat, the Armenian people proved their ability to unite in  difficult times and save their statehood. He therefore called on  Armenian citizens to show courage and, by voting in the parliamentary  elections on June 7, once again demonstrate unity and remove the  country's current leadership from power. "In Sardarapat, this was  achieved through military heroism and courage. On June 7, following  the example of Sardarapat's unity, we must demonstrate civic courage.  With our vote, we must expel the enemy already in our country. The  best days of our state are ahead! Glory to the heroes of Sardarapat!"  Kocharyan emphasized.

In turn, the third President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, in his  address, recalled that more than a century ago, May 28th became not  only the day of the restoration of statehood for the Armenian people,  but also a day of values testing. "National self-awareness and the  will to live a free and dignified life prevented conformism, fear,  weakness, division, and all the ills that despair and defeat sow in a  nation from raising their heads. May 28 was, first and foremost, a  victory of the spirit, proving a simple truth: strength is measured  not only by the number of soldiers and weapons. Living in fear under  someone else's yoke is worse than death; living without a sense of  one's nation, without a homeland, is humiliation; but living freely  and with dignity in one's homeland is a vital necessity. This is the  profound meaning of the difficult but decisive victories of the  heroic battles at Sardarapat, Bash-Aparan, and Gharakilisa. Eternal  glory to those who restored independent Armenian statehood-from  soldiers to workers, intellectuals, and clergy!  Honor and glory to  the national and state leaders who selflessly built the First  Republic!" the third president of Armenia emphasized.

At the same time, Sargsyan condemned the Armenian authorities'  holding of a military parade on Republic Day, given that the country  currently faces numerous obstacles and threats. "Today, the Armenian  people once again face a difficult historical milestone, when the  capitulatory authorities, associated with defeat in the war and the  failure of state governance, squander enormous state resources,  cynically stage a military parade in Republic Square amid the  unresolved consequences of the war, thousands of casualties,  territorial losses, the occupation of some of Armenia's border  territories, many thousands of forcibly displaced Artsakh residents,  Armenian prisoners of war still suffering in Baku prisons, missing  persons, and vulnerable state borders," the third president of  Armenia recalled.

Sargsyan called this an immoral political move ahead of the country's  upcoming parliamentary elections, the purpose of which is to conceal  the catastrophic consequences of the war and the current dire state  of the army, to consign responsibility to oblivion, and to provide  spectacular self-promotion at the expense of state funds. "Given all  this, it's pointless to even discuss the content of this show. The  army is not an election sham, but the creation of our people, its  pride, a worthy child, but today, unfortunately, an abandoned child.  The upcoming elections are an opportunity to change this situation.  And I once again call on our citizens to unite around one goal: on  June 7, to say 'No!' to defeat, despair, and the force and its  satellites that have become a symbol of the humiliation of national  values, to begin the restoration of the army, to strengthen the  position of statehood and the Armenian National Church. Only in this  way will our people prove themselves worthy of a military parade of a  state with a victorious army," the third president of Armenia  concluded.

As a reminder, Armenia celebrates First Republic Day on May 28. On  this day, a parade is held in Republic Square, where the country's  authorities showcase their newly acquired weapons. It's worth noting  that the last large-scale military parade in Armenia took place on  September 21, 2016, in Republic Square in Yerevan, following the  four-day April 2016 War.