At Least Today I Must Have the Courage to Say...

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has sent a congratulatory message on the occasion of Citizens' Day.

“Dear people, proud citizens of the Republic of Armenia,
Today we celebrate Citizens' Day, and what does this mean? We emphasize the democratic essence of the Republic of Armenia, where the people, the collective of citizens, is the sole source of power, the sole bearer.

Since the 2018 People’s Movement, the non-violent, Velvet Revolution, no election at any level has been falsified in the Republic of Armenia, and citizens have had the opportunity to make decisions—electing council members, community leaders, National Assembly representatives, and the Prime Minister through free expression of will. It is the free expression of voters that has become the only formula for power formation.

This was one of the primary and key goals of the 2018 Revolution, which has been fully realized. There are no political prisoners in the Republic of Armenia, and there is no thought, idea, or information that cannot be conveyed to the public via television broadcasts or mass media; social networks, political, public, and economic activities are completely free.

Our opponents say—let us not have democracy, but let us not have the disastrous failures we experienced, particularly in the 44-day war and afterwards. But at least today, I must have the courage to say: these disasters came as a result of many years lacking democracy, legality, and civil freedoms, due to taboos, stereotypes, and 'truths' that were created under euphemistic titles, but not in the name of statehood. We failed to overcome those taboos and stereotypes in time, and that was perhaps our greatest failure.

Even today, efforts are being made to prevent the development of political, civil, and civic thought through the enforcement of those taboos, but the responsibility we have towards the future must compel us to say—our homeland is the state that must be concrete, love for the homeland is legality, citizenship is identity, and the guarantor of security is peace. Our future must be built on these pillars.

But is the citizen of the Republic of Armenia proud? He must and is obliged to be proud, because resisting colossal challenges while developing the country and the economy, without betraying the essence and values of democracy, is a true source of pride.

So then:
Long Live Freedom,
Long Live the Republic of Armenia,
Long Live our children who will live in a Free and Happy Armenia.
I love you all, I am proud of all of you, and I bow before all of you,” the message stated.