Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hosted a festive event on the 27th anniversary of Armenia’s independence. The Premier delivered congratulatory remarks on the occasion of the Independence Day.

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Honorable President of the Republic of Armenia
Honorary President of the Republic of Artsakh,
Your Holiness,
Honorable Speaker of the National Assembly,
Dear Compatriots,
Dear Guests,

I congratulate all of us on the Independence Day. Today, we are celebrating the 27th anniversary of Armenia’s independence. The 1991 referendum as the direct and supreme form of expression of our people’s will clearly demonstrated what our people wanted: political independence in the external world and democracy in domestic life.

All the layers all the classes of our people unanimously chose a way that might be difficult, but it was the only true and only honorable way. Today, we are honoring all those who brought us closer to that long cherished day, and we are paying tribute to all those who fought for the precious gift of liberty and defended our independence.

The past 27 years were sometimes dramatic, sometimes tragic, sometimes heroic, and often marked by brilliant solutions given to complex issues. Unfortunately, there were mistakes, and sometimes even crimes. But one thing remained stubborn and unbreakable - the will of our people.

Our people’s aspiration to freedom, democracy, dignity, independence remained steadfast. During this time, our public institutions have been established and strengthened. We have achieved this through joint efforts exerted by the authorities, the opposition and the whole nation.

Our achievements in the field of State building are undeniable. The most striking example of this is that even during the recent revolutionary events in Armenia, the State machinery and its structures worked almost uninterruptedly.

Revolutions are a serious test for any State, and our State institutions have taken that test. Nevertheless, our governance system needs serious reforms, and these reforms should be both institutional and organizational. The further development of the country is impossible without having an efficient, professional, human-centered management system.

Dear Compatriots,

Our country has entered a new era, and we have the responsibility to tackle the problems accumulated over the past 27 years. The key bottleneck is that corruption schemes are intertwined with State structures. The entire State system has been damaged, which seriously impedes the development of the economy and our society, as a whole.

Our task is to eradicate all corruption schemes, to form an independent and legitimate judicial system in order to guarantee freedom of speech and political activity, as well as the protection of human rights.
Our task is to give new impetus to our economy, the pillar of which should be the free and creative citizen who believes in himself, believes that he can change the reality and the world, believes that even starting from scratch, he can create new Armenian brands with business talent that will conquer the world, and finally change the destiny of Armenia.

The new generation of business people should act as new players in the new Armenia. They should get enriched with their own work and sweat, and who, together with the government, should be responsible for building a new economic system and new economic relationships in the country.

And we will do our best to support these people. By the way, by saying a new generation of businessmen, I mean not only the startups, but also those who have been active or are ready to act under the logic of legitimacy, economic honesty, love and solidarity.

And by adhering to the spirit of dialogue and cooperation with all these people, we must change the economic structure of our country significantly so that from an agrarian, mining, and bidding country Armenia could grow into a highly technological, industrial, digital and technological country.

Dear Compatriots,

The most important issue on our foreign policy agenda is the peaceful settlement of the Artsakh issue. Our position has not changed. We stand for an exclusively peaceful settlement and will do everything possible to settle the conflict through negotiations.

War threats from Azerbaijan have no prospects. One should not suppose that we are afraid of these threats and will comply with Azerbaijan’s far-reaching ambitions.

Yes, we are building a peaceful, democratic and human-like State, but that does not mean we cannot defend ourselves, our homeland, our future.

In the foreign political sphere, we are endeavoring to ensure that all our international partners understand the essence of what is going on in Armenia. We have said and reiterate that there will be no turning point in Armenia’s foreign policy.

Our main strategic ally is the Russian Federation, with which we are connected by many centuries-old ties. We intend to further deepen our cooperation with Russia both in bilateral and multilateral formats. We will also develop our relations with the European Union, the United States, and our immediate neighbors - Georgia and Iran.

Dear Compatriots,

We are celebrating a truly great holiday in Armenia. Our country celebrates its 27th anniversary. And this feast is twice as valuable as we consider that people’s enthusiasm is now the same if not greater than at the time of the 1991 referendum of independence. I wish that this new popular enthusiasm and joy were not followed by disappointment. God gives us all strength and wisdom to solve this problem.

Dear friends, I want to summarize my remarks with a symbolic event. Today, on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of Armenia’s independence, the doors of the building at Baghramyan-26 will be opened to herald that the Armenian authorities will no longer be isolated from the people.

Armenian citizens can now freely enter the premises of the prime minister and then the president’s residence and use it as a mall, as a place of entertainment.

We hope that these doors will never be closed back, symbolizing that the government in Armenia is irreversibly belonging to the people - to the citizens of the Republic of Armenia.
And, therefore:
Long live independence!
Long live the Republic of Armenia,
Long live the Republic of Artsakh,
Long live our children who are living and will live in a free and happy Armenia!

Dear Compatriots,

In conclusion, I would like to convey my special congratulations to our soldiers standing on the State border, to all officers and rank-and-file servicemen of the Armenian Armed Forces, to all the martyrs of the Armenian people. I bow before them on this festive and sacred day, stating that we realize the burden of great responsibility before their memory.

Glory to the Armenian Army! Glory to Armenian Soldiers! Glory to Armenian martyrs!

Thank you.