Artsakh's 25th Anniversary of Independence

Friday, 02 September 2016

Today marks the 25th Anniversary of the Independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

The declaration of independence on the 2nd of September 1991 did not just end decades of Azerbaijani oppression. It ended the process of dispossession, subordination and genocide of the Armenian people that had been ongoing for centuries.

On this day 25 years ago, we as Armenians empowered ourselves. We took fate into our own hands and built a nation committed to human rights, democracy and rule of law; a nation whose economic growth outpaces the entire region, and whose society is freer than all its neighbours.

Today we celebrate 25 years of independence. We celebrate and honour those who perished to secure our right to live free from persecution and oppression. We celebrate and honour those who have come together despite immense hardship and suffering to revive a great bastion of Armenian nationhood. And we celebrate and honour those who continue to build this nation of which we are all so proud.