President: What Armenia will be like depends on us

PanARMENIAN.Net - On the 103rd anniversary of the proclamation of the First Republic, President Armen Sarkissian has celebrated the restoration of Armenia's independent statehood: "It showed that when we are united, we can win."

"The First Republic of Armenia was founded under such conditions when our identity and physical existence were endangered, a danger prevented in the heroic battles of Sardarapat, Bash-Aparan, and Gharakilisa, due to our unity and self-sacrifice," Sarkissian said in a statement on May 28.

"What our Homeland, Armenia and Artsakh will be like depends on us, every one of us. And the Homeland will be what we make it together.

"Today, we stand on the threshold of the Sardarapat of morality and dignity, a battle the victorious result of which can only guarantee a strong statehood and prospects of development. Today, we need sober judgment and sound thinking, and we need to learn a history lesson to realize anew that,"

The President said Armenians must not only be able to win but also understand in depth how to deal with that victory.

"We must be able to fill the victory with lasting content and turn it into success. We must be able to understand profoundly, to perceive what happened yesterday, what is happening today, and to react and act adequately. We must be able to predict and manage what may happen tomorrow. We must be able to soberly analyze the causes of our failures from the First Republic to the present, and work at correcting our own mistakes, develop a clear vision and development programs," he added.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan too issued a statement, maintaining that Armenia's sovereignty and independence are not up for discussion. He channeled the words of the founder of the First Republic of Armenia, Aram Manukyan, who urged people to work, "and we will be the victors."

"In difficult moments, the Armenian people have always been able to unite, to aim all their strength to the defense of sovereignty and statehood," Pashinyan said.

"Resolving the current situation is our priority today, after which, without a doubt, the Armenian people will walk the path of building the Armenia of our dreams."