Address of H.E. Ambassador Armen Yeganian on the occasion of the 21st Anniversary of Armenia's Independence

21 September, 2012

Dear compatriots,

It is my honour to congratulate you on the occasion of the 21st Anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Armenia.

Armenia has a history that traces back thousands of years. During the millennia of its existence Armenian people lived and prospered in historical Armenian Highland surrounding Biblical Mountain Ararat, created kingdoms and empires that allied and warred with Assyrian, Persian Empires, Greece, Rome and Cartagena. Armenians are the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion and have an alphabet created in 405 by Saint Mesrop Mashtots.

Sadly, Armenian history does not comprise only victories and prosperity. Armenians lost their sovereignty in 1375 and regained it completely only in 1991 with a few years of independence in the first quarter of the 20th century and then becoming a part of the USSR. During the years of lost independence Armenians faced ethnic cleansings and genocide by the hand of Turkic and Mongol tribes that conquered historical Armenia and the whole Asia Minor. Despite the lack of statehood the creative people of Armenia were able to produce exquisite pieces of Renaissance era in canonical poems, drafted one of the first examples of modern constitutions – “Datastanagirk” by Mkhitar Gosh, had national awakening and struggle for independence since 17th century and faced cultural revolution during the Soviet rule – providing the world with Aram Khachaturyan’s musical, Martiros Saryan’s artistic and other geniuses.

The history of independent Armenian Republic brings the victories and achievements of Armenian people back into saddle. Despite the terrible situation Armenia was in during its first years of independence – devastating earthquake of 1988, that took more than 25.000 lives, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and blockade, the Republic was able to stand on its feet and is now a respected state – member of the Council of Europe, a trustworthy partner for the international community.

Independence of the Republic of Armenia, that is celebrated the 21st time today, made Armenians once again responsible for our own lives, for our present and future. With modest natural resources and dire economic realities of 1990s we were able to develop our economy in conformity with Western standards and produced 2-digit economic growth in the beginning of the new millennium. Today Armenian IT sector, mining industry, cognac, wine and other goods are well-known throughout Europe and beyond. After experiencing the powerful hit of world economic crisis just a few years ago Armenia regained its pace and today occupies the first place among the CIS states on industry growth (13.4 %) for the first seven months of 2012. Armenia also occupies the 35th place in the world in economic freedom index. Armenia is represented and has its prominent voice in international organisations like United Nations, OSCE, BSEC, CSTO, is a partner to NATO and European Union.

Independence of Armenia brought new possibilities for connections and relations with Armenian Diaspora. The huge Armenian Diaspora, mainly established due to the genocide carried out by the Young Turk government of the fading Ottoman Empire during the first decades of the 20th century, now has the possibility to be a part of the Fatherland. The adoption of the Dual Citizenship law in 2007 and the establishment of the Ministry of Diaspora in 2008 elevated those relations to a new level. I praise Canadian-Armenians for their incredible dedication to Armenian Cause. You are very enthusiastic and devoted Armenians and at the same time very good citizens of Canada.

The threat from the neighbouring Azerbaijan has made the Republic of Armenia military-conscious. Armenia has developed disciplined armed forces equipped with some of the most modern weaponry available. Despite the fact that it is not recognized, sister Republic of Artsakh has also seen political, economic, military and cultural rise. The unrecognized republic has been able to repair drastically after the horrors of war and has become a great tourist attraction.

The capital of Armenia, Yerevan, is a city founded in 782 B.C. by Urartian king Argishti. In fact, Yerevan is the 12th capital of Armenia. Symbolically, Yerevan was named the 12th World Book Capital by UNESCO in 2012. The same year Armenians worldwide were celebrating the 500th Anniversary of Armenian printing – the first Armenian printed book being religious “Urbatagirk” (The Book of Friday) printed by Hakob Meghapart in Venice.

Independent Armenia has also had great achievements in sports. In 2011 Armenian Chess Team won the World Team Chess Championship – becoming the sixth nation in the world to ever hold the title, and have championed 3 Chess Olympiads out of last four tournaments. Chess can even be named national sport in Armenia – it is mandatory in schools. Armenian athletes have participated in Olympic Games since 1994, Armenian National Football Team is on the rise.

Democratic and liberal values have spread their roots in Armenian mentality and have become an inseparable part of Armenian consciousness both in Armenia and Artsakh. With the assistance of our partners – Canada, USA, European Union, Russia and many others, Armenia continues to develop steadily and is ready for any challenge yet to come. With the deep devotion of both its citizens and compatriots spread across the globe, the state is walking towards an era of stability and prosperity, to a bright future of political, economic and cultural growth.

Armen Yeganian

MFA RA
official website

Dual citizenship

Electronic visa

Visa applications