‘We Ourselves Defended Our Right To Life And Return To The Internati

‘WE OURSELVES DEFENDED OUR RIGHT TO LIFE AND RETURN TO THE INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ARENA’ – SERZH SARGSYAN

17:39 * 28.05.14

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, accompanied by Catholicos of All
Armenians Garegin II, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram
I, Catholicos Nerses Petros XIX, President of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic (NKR) Bako Sahakyan and Armenia’s top-ranking officials,
participated in events marking First Republic Day.

Armenia’s leader laid a wreath at the Memorial to Sardarapat battle
heroes.

President Serzh Sargsyan delivered a speech.

“Dear compatriots,

“I congratulate you on the First Republic holiday.

“On May 28, 1918, the Fate gave us a historic chance to regain
Armenia’s independence. The revolutionary shocks in Russia, events of
World War I and other unfavorable circumstances made us face numerous
challenges. The Armenian Genocide continued in the Ottoman Empire,
and the Russian- Turkish front turned into an Armenian-Turkish front.

“At that moment and under those circumstances a miracle occurred,
which is called a heroic deed. That deed was performed by Armenian
warriors, political figures, villagers, clergymen, intellectuals, a
whole generation of Armenians. They turned the unexpected, unplanned
and deeply tragic May 28 into a national revival. It was supposed
to turn Armenia – a vale of war and genocide, hunger and epidemics,
refugees and despair – into a free, independent, prosperous and
democratic country.

“We are present at the Sardarapat memorial and bow our heads to the
memory of the perished defenders of the last plot of the Armenian
land and saviors of the last remnants of the Armenians. If Armenians
had lost those heroic battles of May, Turkish troops would have
freely entered Echmiadzin and Yerevan. The reality was against us. We
ourselves defended our right to life and return to the international
political arena. And that was done by a generation of Armenians with
the most tragic, but most heroic fate, in all the times. Eternal glory
and homage to the blessed memory of all the known and unknown heroes!”

From: A. Papazian

http://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/05/28/sargsian12/