Armenia`s premier addresses congratulatory message on 33rd  anniversary of Declaration of Independence 

ArmInfo. Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has addressed a congratulatory message on the  occasion of the 33rd anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence of Armenia. 

The message reads: 

"Dear people, dear compatriots,

"On August 23, 1990, the Supreme Council of the Armenian SSR adopted  the Declaration on the Independence of Armenia, and today we  celebrate the 33rd anniversary of that event.

"The Declaration of Independence is a crucial document that laid the  foundation for our statehood. It was adopted at the peak of the  Karabakh movement, which had been unfolding since 1988, in the  conditions of the economic, political and ideological crisis  prevailing in the Soviet Union.

"Before the 2020 war and especially after the war, I read the text of  the Declaration many times. And I must admit that my post-war  readings are somewhat different from pre-war readings.

"The analysis of the text of the Declaration shows that we finally  chose such a narrative and content, which is based on the formula  that made us a part of the Soviet Union. it is about the  confrontational narrative with the regional environment that kept us  in constant conflicts with our neighbors.

"With the Declaration of Independence, we declared the path to leave  the Soviet Union, but we also closed all our ways to leave the Soviet  Union. With the Declaration of Independence adopted at the end of the  20th century, we adopted a formula that had already led us to the  loss of independence at the beginning of the 20th century.

"Now we don't know, we certainly can't say what the other paths would  be like and what they would lead to, but it is our historical duty to  analyze and understand the path that has already been taken. Before  assuming the position of the Prime Minister of Armenia in 2018 and  after that, I treated the Declaration of Independence of Armenia as a  "biblical message", while the Declaration, no matter how fundamental  a document it is, needed and needs a deep examination, because it is  a political document with all the consequences it entails.

"And now, on the 33rd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence,  I want to emphasize that the peace agenda adopted by our government  is the independence agenda, because if we have peace, we will have  independence. As long as we do not have peace, the ghost of the USSR  will hover in our sky, in the sky of our region.

"I choose independence, sovereignty, democracy. The citizen of the  Republic of Armenia chooses independence, sovereignty, democracy.

"Glory to the martyrs and long live the Republic of Armenia."

Armenia's President Vahagn Khachaturyan has addressed a  congratulatory message on the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of the  Declaration of Independence of Armenia. 

"The Declaration proved to be a fundamental document whereby our  people stated their determination to realize their lifelong dream of  independent, sovereign and free nationhood," the message reads. 

"Independence is not an abstract dream or an ultimate destination.  Rather, it is daily work, self-sacrifice, and creative process.  Independence is an idea not subject to discussions, and the  Declaration of Independence is a universal document and a symbol of  reviving statehood. The Declaration is the basis of all the  Constitutions of Armenia, the all-important arrangement plan for our  country's national and social life, our priority tasks are enshrined  in," President Khachaturyan's message reads.