33 years ago these days not only Artsakh but the entire Armenian people was reborn. Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory message on the occasion of the Day of the Rebirth of Artsakh.
The message reads:
«33 years ago these days the Karabakh movement began. It rightly had a turning-point significance for the subsequent history of the Armenian people. The Karabakh movement heralded the beginning of the struggle for independence, awakening in our hearts the spirit of national unity and the breath of freedom. It constituted the first step in the process of restoring our statehood and of regaining our place in the family of the world’s nations.
In February 1988, in Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh, thousands of people rose to their feet to defend their rights and to speak out about the right to live a dignified life on their own land. That step of the people of Artsakh, which was an unprecedented act of courage for those days, immediately found an echo in Armenia, setting ablaze the Freedom Square of the capital, Yerevan.
33 years ago these days not only Artsakh was reborn, but also the entire Armenian people. The spark of the rebellious spirit of the people of Artsakh lit our hearts. We rediscovered within ourselves the determination to live free and independent, to shape our destiny and to govern our future.
Today we also remember and bow our heads before the memory of our heroes. We remember all our martyrs who fell in the first and second Karabakh wars, in the April and July battles, and during combat duty. Glory to all those who dedicated their lives for the sake of our people’s future. Their memory is immortal. Their cause is sacred and the fire of their glory is inextinguishable. Their feat was not in vain, and the legacy they left is eternal.
33 years ago, through the deed of the brave people of Artsakh, the Armenian people was reborn. 32 years later, today we again have need of rebirth. If the rebirth of those days led us to the reaffirmation of the right to live free, the rebirth of these days must lead us to the building of a strong state, competitive in the 21st century and keeping pace with the times.
Deep is our pain, incurable are our wounds. Yet the memory of our holy martyrs and their cause demand that we devote all our capacity to the building of our future, to ensuring the rebirth of Artsakh.
The death of our martyrs will not be in vain if we devote ourselves unreservedly to work, for the sake of a powerful homeland, for the sake of our children, for the sake of our future achievements.
The spirit of our people is unbreakable. The spirit of the man of Artsakh is all the more unbreakable. His striving to live and to create is unwavering. I am convinced that, like many nations that have faced severe challenges in the course of their history, the Armenian people too will soon heal the wounds of the past war and will advance toward the future with even more resolute and firm steps.
33 years ago, with the rebirth of Artsakh, a new page was opened in the history of our people. Today we are inspired by the ideals that nourished the rebirth of Artsakh, and we are ready to move forward along the path of the realisation of our national aspirations and dreams.
Long live the Republic of Artsakh,
Long live the Republic of Armenia,
Long live all the sons of the Armenian people who fell for our freedom:
