Armenia has not had any serious achievements since gaining independence in the early 1990s, say members of the Preparliament group.
Speaking to Tert.am, an activist of the initiative, Garegin Chugaszyan, pointed out to two major factors – the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) and Armenia’s status as a subject of international law – which he said have been the only essential developments that have marked serious progress for the country since the independence era.
“In all other respects, the country has been in a state of bankruptcy. That is, if we try to take a broader outlook, these two results are what have remained to date, but they are under threat today,” he said.
“The darkness is getting thicker, so the time of dawn is nearing. I think that dawning process should be very rapid in 2014.”
Zhirayr Sefilyan, another member of the group who was a special detachment commander during the Nagorno-Karabakh liberation war, considers 1991, the year of gaining independence, the most successful period. “That was a remarkable [event] in the Armenians’ life and also a long-waited day,” he told Tert.am.
The activist said the days of the war which brought victory to the Armenian side were the best ever for the country. “Those days were really quite remarkable,” he said. “Then, in the post-war period, we never, unfortunately, managed to record victories, establish law and order and ensure the corresponding level of growth,” he noted.
Asked about his expectations, Sefilyan replied, “We never depend on any illusion, so I think 2014 will be favorable in that respect. We will manage to finally create a center of gravity in the Armenians’ life in a national political-sense to determine the future success.”