Nvard Davtyan
“Radiolur”
Today we celebrate the 21st anniversary of Armenia’s Independence. With an overwhelming majority of the votes, the people of Armenia decided to withdraw from USSR and create an independent state.
The restoration of statehood and the 21 years of independence are an evidence of the fact that we have finally reached the psychology of living free, Director of the History Institute Ashot Melkonyan said in an interview with “Radiolur.”
The process of establishment of independent statehood started on August 23, 1990 by the adoption of the Declaration of Independence at the first sitting of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Armenia. The decision of the Supreme Council was further consolidated by the referendum held on September 21, 1991.
94.99% of the voters said they would like Armenia to be an independent and democratic state outside the USSR, which marked the start of the history of the third Republic of Armenia.
According to Ashot Mekonyan, during the 21 years of independence we’ve not managed to understand a very important thing: the independence has not been served on tray. “It was a hard path our people passed. Many consider we were not ready for that independence in 1991, but in reality there were forces, social layers, which managed to prepare that independence,” he said.
Ashot Melkonyan says the army has been the greatest achievement of the third republic. “The restoration of statehood and the 21 years of independence are an evidence of the fact that we have finally reached the psychology of living free.” According to him, there is a perception of the exceptional value of independence among us, especially the youth.
According to the historian, “the independence was God’s grace, a chance to restore our statehood long after we lost it.”
