YEREVAN. – Armenia’s independence gave many things, and, first and foremost, it guaranteed the security of Karabakh (Artsakh) and its people, political analyst Stepan Grigoryan stated during a press conference on Thursday.

“It is true that the Karabakh issue is not resolved in the global sense, yet it is very important that Karabakh is protected today. If Armenia had not chosen the road to independence, not created its army, and if the people of Artsakh had not stood up, it is evident that Karabakh would have been devoid of its Armenian population. Armenia’s independence secured Artsakh’s existence. In addition, independence enabled the Armenian people to easily voice in international platforms the [Armenian] Genocide’s recognition and the Nagorno-Karabakh issues. And the third thing Independence gave was that the state-building process began, where it was specified that Armenia had to become a country of democracy, free speech, and multi-party [system],” the political analyst underlined.     

Also reflecting on the shortfalls of the 20 years of Armenia’s independence, Grigoryan noted: “Not everyone feels the advantage of independence. Majority of the public believes power is a good means for making money and advancing business. And the other issue is the separation of power. The parliament must be separate from the government. And third, are all Armenian citizens equal before the law? There is an incorrect view that people are emigrating because of bad social conditions. The real reason, however, is inequality before the law.”