The Sardarabad Monument (Photo by Matthew Karanian)
On May 28, 1918 Armenia declared independence for the first time after living under imperial rule for centuries. It was the epitome of advancing our nation’s right to self-determination and self rule.
This historic event came as a result of a national call to arms, with volunteers signing up from around the world to fight for Armenia’s independence mere years after the beginning of the Armenian Genocide.
At the time, Armenia was struggling economically as the influx of refugees who had survived the Genocide was testing its limits, while the threat of an attack from the Ottoman Empire was imminent.
The heroic battles of Bash Abaran, Gharakiliseh and Sardarabad sealed the fate of the Armenian Nation, as volunteers defeated the enemy and declared independence.
The 106th anniversary of Armenian Independence comes on the eve of a crucial election in Armenia. During the past five years, the very ideal of independence has been skewed by the ruling regime, whose leader, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, has described Armenian sovereignty and independence as a reality for only those Armenians that inhabit its current border. History be damned.
The fact that Artsakh was a crucial part of the Republic of Armenia established in 1918 has been lost on those governing Armenia today. Similarly, the Artsakh Liberation Movement, which began in 1988, culminated in the reclaiming of Artsakh and advancing a crucial aspect of the national aspirations of all Armenians.
Pashinyan and his regime, however, having all but lost Artsakh during the 2020 war, have also opted to close that chapter of the fight for self-determination of all Armenians. They advocate that those who dare to dream of an Armenia that encompasses all or most of its historic parts are nothing but idealists who do not care for the future of Armenia. They also have altered the Armenian Genocide narrative, with Pashinyan overtly questioning the veracity of the tragedy that befell our nation and defined its resilience.
This mindset sends a dangerous signal not only to future generations of Armenians but also the world that Armenia is willing to sacrifice its own history—its own identity—at all costs, so that its current leaders can take a murky victory lap guised as having a seat at the proverbial table of power players.
What the current leaders are not understanding is that despite overtures from the United States, the European Union, Russia and others, the fundamental interests of Armenia and the Armenian people are not being advanced, but rather they are being used for those powers’ own interests and agenda.
Armenian independence was won by Armenians. Artsakh’s self-determination was won by Armenians. In both instances these victories came about because heroic men and women gave their lives for the cause of independence, self-determination and freedom. To subvert this fact is to dishonor these sacrifices that have elevated our nation.
Armenia’s independence is not only important for Armenians who live in Armenia proper, but rather it is an imperative for all Armenians—the Armenian Nation.
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