August 23, 2014 marks the 24th anniversary of Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia.

24 years ago, the Supreme Council adopted a declaration of Armenian independence, renaming Armenian Socialist Republic as the Republic of Armenia.

On September 21, 1991, Armenia held a referendum, with 94,99% of the population voting for independence.

The Declaration says in part that "with the purpose of guaranteeing the security of the Republic of Armenia and the inviolability of its borders, the Republic of Armenia creates its own armed forces, internal troops, bodies of state and public security under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Council."

It also says that "the Republic of Armenia determines the principles and regulation of its economic system, creates its own money, national bank, finance-loan system, tax and custom services, based on the system of multiple forms of property ownership."

The document also mentions that "the Republic of Armenia stands in support of the task of achieving international recognition of the 1915 Genocide in Ottoman Turkey and Western Armenia."