Dear people,
Dear compatriots,

Today is the 32nd anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia. The Declaration adopted by the Supreme Council on August 23, 1990 states that the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic is launching the process of establishing an independent state.

That process de jure culminated with the independence referendum on September 21, 1991 and the recognition of the Republic of Armenia by the international community.

De facto, that process has not ended until today, not because we don't have independence, but because independence is like health, which even if you have it, you have to take care of it every day.

The Government is fighting for the independence of the Republic of Armenia every day. Independence is security for us, the international structures that provide it are cracking in front of all of us, and one of the first cracks was unfortunately expressed in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Independence is regulated relations with neighbours. Although we have excellent relations with some of our neighbors, there is no significant progress in our relations with others, because they demand too much from us, or they think that we are demanding too much from them.

Independence is strong allied relations for us, but allies are not always allies of you, but of those who ally against you.

Independence is confrontation, and for the sake of our independence and statehood, we must have the will to confront ourselves, our history and worldview. Independence is a mindset, a state-centric mindset, and the absence of this squanders sovereignty, security, the future.

Independence is freedom, and in our opinion, the people created an independent state to feel free and safe there. Independence is education, and as long as every child living in the most remote village does not have the same access to education as it is in the center of the capital, we must yearn for our future.

Independence is legal system, rule of law. respecting the law and not circumventing it should be a sign of superiority.

Independence is work, the kind of work that should create and not waste and spoil.

Independence is similar to the biblical Parable of the Ten Minas, the meaning of which is the following: For whoever has will be given more. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.

And therefore, let’s have Independence, we will have Independence.

I congratulate everyone on the occasion of August 23.