Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the Festival dedicated to the 34th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Armenia in the city of Armavir.

The Prime Minister made a speech in which, in particular, he noted:

“Dear citizens of the Republic of Armenia, who have gathered in the central square of Armavir or are following us on television and the Internet. Today is September 21, and I congratulate all of us, all of you, on the occasion of the Independence Day of the Republic of Armenia.

On this day in 1991, the independence referendum was held, and more than 94% of the citizens of the Republic of Armenia answered “yes” to the question of whether they wanted Armenia to be an independent state outside the Soviet Union. Since that day, our country, our state, has gone through many trials. And as a result of these trials, the awareness of our people for independence and statehood has significantly strengthened. And it is thanks to that awareness that we have been able to overcome all the trials that have befallen us.

From this podium, on this festive day, I want to thank all of you, all the citizens of the Republic of Armenia, all our martyrs, for standing firmly in the positions of independence, freedom, and sovereignty of Armenia. I am grateful to all of you.

The process of gaining independence is like moving from a train carriage to a car. A state is like a car that can take its owner, the people, from point A to point B, from our current point to any of our next points. But there are several important conditions for this: like any car, we must take care of the condition of our state. Secondly, the documents of our state, like in the case of a car, must be relevant and propper. We must know the rules of the world traffic in order to be able to drive our state, our car, correctly and prudently to the point we dream of. And that point is freedom, prosperity, security, peace and happiness.

I want to assure you all that today, yes, our country feels very confident on that path. When we talk about all this, we are not just dreaming about the future, because we want the future to be today, and the future is today. This crowded square is a symbol of our freedom today, a symbol of our sovereignty today, a symbol of our independence today, and a symbol of our awareness that we must build the happiness and prosperity that our people deserve through work, education, and our own efforts. Our people deserve to live happily and prosperously. And we must build the happiness and prosperity of our country with our own hands. And that happiness and prosperity is the most impressive, most respectful, and most worthy monument to all our martyrs, to all our soldiers who gave their lives for the independence of our country, and to all our citizens. And I want all of us today to pay tribute to all our martyrs, who fell so that Armenia could live, who fell so that our children could live, who fell so that the Republic of Armenia could gain true freedom, true independence.

And in silence, in the presence and with your permission, honoring the memory of all our martyrs, on this festive day, in this festive square, I will kneel before them.

Glory to the martyrs and long live the Republic of Armenia''.