The 1991 Referendum Took Place, but Has Not Ended: Nikol Pashinyan's Address

Dear people, dear compatriots,

Today marks the 31st anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Armenia. On September 21, 1991, the Independence referendum was held, in which 2 million 56 thousand 758 people participated, representing 95.5 percent of the total number of voters.

The following question was put to the referendum: “Do you agree that the Republic of Armenia should be an independent, democratic state outside the USSR?” 99 percent of those who participated in the referendum, that is, 2 million 42 thousand 627 people, answered Yes.

The day of the referendum was a true celebration in Armenia, a moment when we voiced all the truths repressed within us since 1988, articulated all the accusations familiar to us, and put forward all our dreams, needing to say Yes, and we said Yes.

It is clear and indisputable that on September 21, 1991, those who said Yes, if not all citizens, at least the majority understood that this was not merely a mark made with a pen on a ballot, but a boundary beyond which a subject becomes a Citizen, the Homeland becomes a State, and the slogan becomes Responsibility.

The generation that said Yes on September 21, 1991 fully and honorably bore that responsibility, shouldering the burden of war, economic difficulties, and social despair. And today, on the 31st anniversary of Armenia's independence, I wish to express my humble words of respect and admiration to that generation, and firstly to our martyrs, who have given their lives for Independence, for Statehood, the people who said Yes to Independence by sacrificing their lives and welfare for the call of a newly independent country.

It was on the shoulders of these people—volunteers, police officers, soldiers—that our newly independent state relied. But it was also supported by all of our compatriots who resisted and provided backing for our fledgling and forming army, not only on referendum day but every single day, saying Yes to Independence, sometimes with joy, sometimes with sorrow, sometimes in despair, sometimes with pride, sometimes in defeat. But therein lies the essence that the Yes of 1991 was not a sentiment but a decision, and that decision has not changed due to any social or political difficulties, any failures or setbacks.

Dear people, dear compatriots,

Today is September 21, and it is also the day of the Independence referendum. The 1991 referendum took place, but it has not ended, and the Independence referendum is happening today.

Our martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the Homeland said Yes to Independence, and it is crucial that we do not bend our knees from the bitterness of their loss. The soldier standing steadfast at the border says Yes to Independence, and it is vital that his Yes finds resonance not only in our hearts but also in our deeds.

Every day, every single day, whether officials or villagers, servicemen or entrepreneurs, teachers or workers, consciously or unconsciously, we are participants in the referendum, the Independence referendum.

And it is important that we say Yes to Independence, Yes to Sovereignty, Yes to Democracy, and that Yes, as necessary, be reaffirmed in the 29 thousand 800 square kilometer section of our State-Homeland, where that Yes is needed most. We must not hesitate, falter, or doubt, because every day, those within us attempt to sow new doubts, new fears, all in an effort for us to renounce our Independence, to forsake our state.

Dear people, dear compatriots,

I congratulate us all on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the Republic of Armenia's independence. Yes! To Independence, Yes! To Sovereignty, Yes! To the Republic of Armenia.