Messages of Congratulations from Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sargsyan on Independence Day

The second and third presidents of Armenia, Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sargsyan, have sent congratulatory messages on the occasion of the Republic of Armenia's Independence Day.

“The time has come when the future of our Independence depends on each of our determination and devotion to our homeland,” noted Kocharian.

Third president Serzh Sargsyan remarked that unfortunately, the Armenian people are celebrating their Independence Day amid serious threats on the anniversary of the historical day of statehood reconstruction. “Today is the time to unitedly and definitively say ‘No’ to the capitulating and nation-betraying government officials who have squandered the achievements of that independence, devalued the idea, and distorted it, endangering the future of our state and people,” he declared, adding that blood cannot become water, martyrdom cannot become statistics, and heroism cannot be a historical error.

It should be noted that on August 23, 1990, the Supreme Council adopted the Declaration of Independence of Armenia, replacing the Armenian SSR with the independent Republic of Armenia. During the referendum on September 21, 1991, 2,056,758 people, or 99 percent, voted in favor of Armenia's exit from the USSR, after which September 21 is celebrated as Armenia's Independence Day.