ANC member defends Independence Declaration

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian National Congress parliamentary candidate Aram Manukyan said on Public Television that Armenia’s Declaration of Independence is “our birth certificate” and should not be subject to revisions or debate.

Manukyan stressed that the declaration contains no territorial claims against other countries, but rather reflects the principle of self-determination.

“Why did this declaration not obstruct anything over the past 35 years? The Minsk Group functioned, the co-chairmanship operated, and we became members of international organizations,” Aram Manukyan asked.

He added that the declaration is not a political action program, but simply a valid historical fact.

“It is merely a fact concerning the birth of our country — that through this program, this vote and this parliament, the birth of Armenia and the establishment of Armenian statehood were adopted. I have studied the declarations of at least 20 countries, which are similar and in no way hindered those countries’ future development,” he said.

During an election campaign event in Yerevan’s Arabkir district on May 18, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that he does not accept the Declaration of Independence.

“It is a declaration of conflict, and I do not accept it,” he said.