Armenia’s second president Robert Kocharyan, in a message marking September 21, expressed hope that “as a people, we will come to our senses and rediscover our true path — there is no time.”
He said that “under slogans of false peace, we continue to surrender our sovereignty.”
“Dear compatriots, I congratulate you on the anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Armenia. Thirty-five years ago, together we began building the state that many generations of our ancestors had dreamed of. We have traveled a long and difficult road, filled with victories and hardships.
For 10 of those years, I had the honor of leading the Republic of Armenia. Through the efforts of our hardworking and proud people, we were able to ensure a period of development and peace for Armenia and Artsakh, unite with the Armenian Diaspora, and build a dignified and secure national state.
Unfortunately, we are marking the 35th anniversary of our independence in a difficult situation. We have drastically deviated from the path we embarked upon years ago and are moving increasingly further away from our declared national goals. In essence, all the pillars upon which we laid the foundations of our statehood are being dismantled.
We have lost Artsakh. Under slogans of false peace, we continue to surrender our sovereignty. Forgetting dignity, our identity, and our national character, we continue to comply with the enemy’s humiliating demands.
Our society is divided and despondent. The national immune system has been eroded, giving rise only to bleak forecasts for the future of our state. Armenia, because of its authoritarian leader’s obsession with power, adventurism, and ignorance, has become a point of collision between the interests and conflicts of great powers.
Dear compatriots,
Today, as I congratulate all of us on the anniversary of independence, I want to express hope that we, as a people and as a society, will come to our senses, rediscover our true path and reclaim our sovereignty, our independence.
There is no time,” the message said.
