Second President Robert Kocharyan on Tuesday issued a message on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Armenia's independence. The message runs as follows, in particular:

Today marks the thirty years of our independence, but there is not that joy we should have felt on this significant day. We are mark this holiday for the first time after the planned heavy defeat, territorial losses, partially losing our sovereignty, and the mutilation of thousands of fates.

The establishment of Armenia as an independent state was inextricably linked to our victory in Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] [in the early 1990s] (…).

However, today we [i.e., Armenia] have not only ceased to be the guarantor of Artsakh's security, but also are unable to defend our own sovereignty and our citizens.

States are built thanks to national ascent, and are based on national unity. Defeat and the [incumbent Armenian] authorities that symbolize it cannot be a source of inspiration and creation.

Today, congratulating the Independence Holiday, I want to express hope and confidence that the [Armenian] nation will find the strength in itself to get rid of the authorities that caused the national catastrophe. There is simply no other way to build a strong and flourishing Armenia.