Armenia`s premier congratulates nation on 34th anniversary of  Declaration of Independence 

ArmInfo. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory message on the occasion  of the 34th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia. In his congratulatory message, he recalled that on August 23, 1990, the Supreme Council of Soviet Armenia adopted the Declaration of Independence. "With this document, the people of Armenia declared to the world their desire to have an independent state and recorded their will.

Later, in 1995, a reference to the Declaration of Independence found  a place and is still present in the preamble of the Constitution of  the Republic of Armenia.

But, despite various interpretations, this does not mean that the  entire content of the Declaration of Independence is included in the  Constitution of the Republic of Armenia and the content of these two  documents is identical.

The most striking evidence of this is Article 5 of the Declaration,  which states: "In order to ensure its security and the integrity of  its borders, the Republic of Armenia creates its own armed forces,  internal troops, state and public security bodies under the Supreme  Council."

Despite the wording of the Declaration, according to the Constitution  of the Republic of Armenia, the Armed Forces of the Republic of  Armenia, the police forces, state and public security bodies are not  subordinate to the country's parliament. Thus, before the amendments  to the Constitution in 2015, they were subordinate to the President  of the country, and since April 2018, to the government.

This directly and unequivocally shows that the Constitution of the  Republic of Armenia expresses only those provisions of the  Declaration of Independence that are expressed directly, literally  and literally, and any other interpretation is simply inappropriate,"  Pashinyan said.

At the same time, he added that independence, sovereignty, and  statehood are indispensable institutions for preserving the Armenian  identity and independence. "And on August 23, 1990, after a long  pause, we made the first attempt to understand these institutions and  ideology. The ideas of all of us, citizens of the Republic of  Armenia, about independence and statehood have changed significantly  since then and, I dare say, have become deeper and more  comprehensive.

Independence, statehood, citizenship - these are completely different  formulas of thinking, completely different dimensions, and we are  stepping on these dimensions, accepting and developing these formulas  today, right now," he said. 

RA President Vahagn Khachatryan also sent his congratulations, noting  that 34 years ago on this day, the modern history of Armenia was  replenished with a reality that became the starting point for the  revival of Armenian statehood and the state after a centuries-long  hiatus: the Supreme Council of the Armenian SSR adopted the  Declaration of Independence.

"The Declaration of Independence marked the beginning of a new cycle,  the logical continuation and end point of which was the referendum on  independence, held on September 21, 1991.

However, the declaration is not a one-time document, but a much more  meaningful and symbolic basis, which was to become a milestone in the  implementation of the centuries-old desires and dreams of our people  to build an independent and sovereign state. This is precisely what  the spirit of the Declaration, not limited by its 12 principles, is  aimed at.  

The Declaration of Independence became the first step in the  implementation of the inalienable right of the Republic of Armenia to  exist on the political map of the world and, at the same time, a  confirmation of commitment to building a free, democratic, legal and  prosperous state.  

The Declaration of Independence is not only a symbol of the revival  of our statehood and an important document, but also the highest  responsibility for all of us. This is an important program for  organizing the state and public life of our country, defining our  priorities: the creation of state institutions, equality of all  before the law, increasing the combat readiness of the army, creating  a competitive education system and economy, ensuring the fundamental  freedoms and rights of man and citizen," Khachaturyan noted.