The Government of the Republic of Armenia

The declaration of Armenia's independence on August, 23, 1990, as a matter of fact, opened up a new era in our people's modern history by expressing its cumulative will and proclaiming the start-up of the process of independent statehood formation. A year after, in September, the independent Republic of Armenia became a reality based on the outcome of a nationwide referendum. The efforts that followed targeted the implementation of our national goals and basic principles of the Declaration of Independence. As a result, having overcome numerous difficulties, our 14-years old State is going forward with self-confidence, re-affirming its adherence to universal values and building up the groundwork of our statehood from year to year.

Since the recovery of independence, vast opportunities have opened up for our country to integrate with the civilized world, establish relationship of equality with other States and peoples, preserving at the same time our originality and implementing our cherished national dreams in order to hand over to our descendants a powerful and prosperous Armenia.

Today, looking back from the height of over ten years past, we can say with confidence that the Declaration of Independence was a consciously realized choice, which was based on the painful, but heroic struggle waged by the devotees of independence for the last decades and further back with a view to preserving in the future generations the freedom-loving Armenian spirit and the strong aspiration to the achievement of the long-cherished hour of independence. Let us congratulate each other on this crucial to all of us event and bow before the sacred memory of those fallen in struggle for independence.

I am confident that through common efforts we shall be able to safeguard and build on our past achievements, defy any further challenges and go on unswervingly along the path of independence.