Speaker: Armenia had been shackled by dependence

Armenia’s National Assembly Speaker Ruben Rubinyan has called on the public to embrace independence while remaining mindful of their responsibilities, in messages marking the country’s Independence Day.

Rubinyan said Armenia had previously been in “chains of dependence”, while being told that the national interest was more important than state dependence, Caliber.Az reports per Armenian media.

He said peace had now been established under conditions of independence, creating an opportunity to build and enjoy the passage of time.

President Vahagn Khachaturyan, meanwhile, called for vigilance. He said Armenia needed to remain flexible in responding to changing security conditions.

Khachaturyan also said an independent state could not regard independence as a once-and-for-all achievement, adding that work on it must continue.

He stressed that independence, freedom, sovereignty and statehood could not be treated as situational values.

By Aghakazim Guliyev