‘Armenia’s Authorities Consider Themselves a Serf to Foreigners’: Ter-Petrossian on Independence

In Yerevan’s central square this morning were people who not only had nothing to do with obtaining independence, but also many of whom fought with all they had against this independence, said Armenia’s first president and leader of the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK), Levon Ter-Petrossian, speaking at a HAK reception on Thursday on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independence.

“They say such speeches from the stage, from television, today that you’d think they built this independence. With this they once again simply desecrate this sacred concept. You are a lucky generation because very few generations in history have been able to restore statehood and achieve independence. If you like, there have been three, four instances in our history, not more. In the 9th century, the Bagratuni Dynasty was able to regain independence and in the 12th century, it was the Rubinyans. In 1918, the Araratian Armenian people succeeded in regaining independence, and the fourth [instance] is you, is us. A thousand years later they will say, independence was reclaimed a fourth time by this generation,” said Ter-Petrossian.

Continuing, the opposition leader said that 20 years after restoring independence, “we are almost standing before the same issue. Today we have to reclaim our independence because those people who are leading Armenia today deep in their hearts don’t feel independent — today they consider themselves a vassal to foreigners.”

“And until Armenia is free from these ruling authorities, we will not have full independence. So you will be made fortunate enough once again to reclaim our independence,” Ter-Petrossian concluded.