Presidents of Artsakh and Armenia take part in Independence Day event in Stepanakert

September 3, 2018 By administrator

ARMENPRESS. President of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan participated today at the Independence Day celebrations.

Sahakyan’s office said that the President, together with Armenian counterpart Armen Sarkissian, visited the Stepanakert Memorial to honor fallen soldiers and first Speaker of Parliament Arthur Mkrtchyan.

Former President of Artsakh Arkadi Ghukasyan, Primate of the Diocese of Artsakh of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin Pargev Martirosyan, Speaker of Parliament Ashot Ghulyan, State Minister Grigory Martirosyan, other officials and foreign guests also attended the events.

Artsakh, Armenians around the globe celebrate 27th Independence Day

September 2, 2018 By administrator

Today, September 2, 2018, marks the 27th anniversary of the declaration of independence of Artsakh, formerly known as the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

On this day in 1991, a joint sitting of lawmakers from the Nagorno Karabakh provincial council and the Shahumyan regional council proclaimed the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) within the borders of the former NKAO and Shahumyan region. The move was in line with the then-active legislation, particularly the April 3, 1990 law which entitled national autonomies to determine their status on their own.

On December 10, 1991, a few days before the official collapse of the Soviet Union, Nagorno Karabakh held a referendum, where the overwhelming majority, 99,89%, of the population voted in favor of complete independence from Azerbaijan. After this, Azerbaijan totally blockaded NKR and launched military aggressions.

The Artsakh Liberation War began when for the first time in September of 1991 Azerbaijan bombarded Stepanakert with Alazan rockets from Shushi. In 1994, at the request of Azerbaijan a trilateral (Azerbaijan, NKR, Armenia) ceasefire agreement was signed on May 12.

15 years after independence, in 2006, the people of Artsakh adopted the country’s Constitution through a referendum, again on September 2.

Celebrations are held annually on this day in Artsakh.

This year, President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian has departed for Artsakh to attend the events.

Members of Congress and Administration Praise Armenia’s Progress at 26th Independence Day Celebration on Capitol Hill

October 26, 2017 By administrator

Armenian Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny, Co-Chair Anthony Barsamian, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Board Member Joyce Stein, Public Affairs Associate Danielle Saroyan, Co-Chair Van Krikorian, Board Member Oscar Tatosian, and Joe Stein

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Embassy of the Republic of Armenia, the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, and the Congressional Wine Caucus, in partnership with the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) and Armenian National Committee of America, hosted a reception on Capitol Hill celebrating Armenia’s 26th Independence Day and the Silver Jubilee of United States-Armenia diplomatic relations. The event was sponsored by the Armenian Assembly.

Special guests who attended the event are U.S. State Department Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Bridget Brink, U.S. Department of Commerce Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe Dale Tasharski, Adjutant General of Kansas Major General Lee E. Tafanelli, U.S. OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Ambassador Andrew Schofer, former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans (2004-2006), Armenian Ambassador to the U.S. Grigor Hovhannissian, Artsakh Permanent Representative to the U.S. Robert Avetisyan, Greek Ambassador to the U.S. Haris Lalacos, Georgian Ambassador to the U.S. David Bakradze, Kazakhstan Ambassador to the U.S. Erzhan Kazykhanov, including other Ambassadors and diplomats, St. Mary Armenian Church Reverend Father Hovsep Karapetyan, and Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) Executive Director Zaven Khanjian, as well as Armenian Assembly Co-Chairs Anthony Barsamian and Van Krikorian and Board Members Oscar Tatosian and Joyce Stein.

“As we celebrate diplomatic relations between the United States and Armenia, we are honored to have top diplomats who represent our country, both here in the United States to Armenia, and from Armenia to the United States,” Assembly Co-Chair Barsamian said.

Ambassador Hovhannissian welcomed guests, and stated: “We are celebrating our thriving relationship with the United States, a reliable friend and partner that helped Armenia face formidable odds as our country 26 years ago embarked on a nation building mission and embraced the family of freedom loving nations.” He continued: “We celebrate these milestones at the U.S. Congress, in recognition of the leadership role that Congress and its Congressional Caucus on Armenian issues played in fostering and cementing the reestablished relations between our nations. In this jubilee year, we were fortunate to host a large Congressional delegation to Armenia to see the fruits of our cooperation.”

State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Brink, expressing her appreciation for the strong partnership between the U.S. and Armenia, generously credited her longtime working relations with the leadership of the Armenian Assembly. “This year, Armenia celebrates twenty six years of independence. In this time, it is quite remarkable how much progress has been made. We all remember all too well the difficult years immediately after independence. But in a relatively short period of time, Armenia has modernized its economy and has become a tech hub in the region, created a vibrant political system that allows space for civil society, and has built a strong, enduring partnership with the United States, of which I am deeply proud,” she said.

Video: Yerevan Armenia 25th Independence Day: rehearsals for military parade

September 18, 2016 By administrator

By Wally Sarkeesian,

YEREVAN-Sunday, September 18 at 9 am, the soldiers and the Armenian army officers are trained on the Republic Square and nearby boulevards military parade Wednesday, September 21 for the 25th Independence Anniversary Armenia. Thousands of soldiers were in order on the Republic Square in a remarkable discipline. Military helicopters flew over the Armenian capital including the Republic Square. Thousands of citizens and tourists were present to follow this training military parade. Dozens of tanks, some equipped with missile launchers, military trucks carrying long-range missile batteries S300 and many other Armenian army units marched on the Republic Square and the boulevard Tigranes Medz resumed the way of their military bases. We realized many pictures of the units of the Armenian army carrying tanks and missiles.

A military parade will take place as part of celebrations of the 25^th anniversary of Armenia’s independence on September 21.

Rehearsals for the military parade are taking place in Yerevan.

Armenia and Karabakh Presidents visit Yerablur Military Pantheon

September 21, 2015 By administrator

YEREVAN. – On the Independence Day anniversary of Armenia, President Serzh Sargsyan and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) President Bako Sahakyan, accompanied by numerous other top officials, on Monday paid a visit to Yerablur Military Pantheon in capital city Yerevan.

At Yerablur, they paid tribute to the Armenians who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of their homeland

National Assembly Speaker Galust Sahakyan, Police Chief Vladimir Gasparyan, National Security Service Chief Gorik Hakobyan, Armenia and NKR Defense Ministers Seyran Ohanyan and Levon Mnatsakanyan, and several other senior officials also visited the pantheon.

The Republic of Armenia on Monday marks the 24th anniversary of its independence. A referendum on Armenia’s secession from the USSR and the establishment of an independent state was conducted on September 21, 1991. As a result, 94.99 percent of the country’s citizens voted “for” independence.

Queen Elizabeth II congratulates Armenians

September 22, 2014 By administrator

The Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain has congratulated Armenian people on Armenia’s Independence Day, Armenian News-NEWS.am reports.

According to the press service of the British Embassy in Armenia, in her letter to the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, Queen Elizabeth II stressed:

“It gives me great pleasure to congratulate Your Excellency on the national holiday. My best wishes to the people of Armenia, happiness and prosperity in the future.”

Ron Paul: Celebrate Independence Day by opposing government tyranny

June 30, 2014 By administrator

Ron Paul wants his fellow Americans to celebrate Independence Day this July 4 by taking on what he considers to be a tyrannical government.

In a recorded telephone message made available on Monday this week to supporters, the former congressional lawmaker and three-time presidential hopeful suggested that Americans consider a different course of action this Fourth of July.

“This week Americans will enjoy Independence Day with family cookouts and fireworks. Flags will be displayed in abundance. Sadly, however, what should be a celebration of the courage of those who risked so much to oppose tyranny will instead be turned into a celebration of government, not liberty. The mainstream media and opportunistic politicians have turned Independence Day into the opposite of what was intended,” Paul said.

“The idea of opposing — by force if necessary — a tyrannical government has been turned into a celebration of tyrannical government itself.”

The former Republican representative for Texas went on to say the signers of the American Declaration of Independence would be unnerved by the recent events unfolding in the country they helped establish more than 200 years ago, and that the current concentration of power in the executive branch, as Paul believes it to be, is on par with what inspired the forefathers to wage a revolution against the British.

Of particular concern, Paul added, are the contents of the recently published Obama administration memorandum in which it’s revealed how the White House justified the extrajudicial execution of Anwar Al-Awlaki, an American citizen accused of working with Al-Qaeda, in late 2011.

“The ‘drone memo,’ released after an ACLU freedom of information request, purports to establish the president alone as the arbiter of who is or is not a terrorist subject to execution by the US government. There is no due process involved, just the determination of the president,” Paul said.

“Coincidentally, in addition to the ‘drone memo’ released last week, a broader study of the US use of drones was also released by the Stimson Center. The study, co-chaired by Gen. John Abizaid, former US Central Command (CENTCOM) commander, concluded that contrary to claims that drones help prevent wider conflicts by targeting specific individuals, the use of drones ‘may create a slippery slope leading to continual or wider wars.”

“On Independence Day we should remember the spirit of rebellion against tyranny that inspired our Founding Fathers to set out our experiment in liberty,” Paul concluded the four-minute-long message. “We should ourselves celebrate and continue that struggle if we are to keep our republic.

The latest dispatch from the former congressman was published on Monday and is available by dialing a toll-free number that hosts weekly messages from Paul, who retired from the US Congress last January. His son, Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), has adamantly opposed the White House’s weaponized drone program as well.