YEREVAN.- Armenia's acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his spouse Anna Hakobyan have visited the Fatherland Defender’s Rehabilitation Center – a military clinic – to take part in the celebration of 2016 April War fallen soldier Robert Abajyan’s birthday.

Junior Sergeant Robert Abajyan was 19 years old when he was killed during the April Four Day War of Artsakh in 2016. After fierce and heavy battles during the April 1-2 combat, Abajyan sacrificed himself by detonating a hand grenade as enemy troops infiltrated his position and saved the lives of the backup forces.  He was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Artsakh, the highest state award of the country, and the Golden Eagle Order.

Abajyan’s parents and grandparents were also in attendance of the birthday event.

The war hero’s brothers-in-arms, as well as other patients of the clinic, prepared barbeque together outside in the clinic’s yard, and later celebrated their friend’s birthday around a dinner table with Nikol Pashinyan, Anna Hakobyan and the family and friends of the soldier.

“Today is the birthday of our beloved Robert Abajyan, a Hero of Artsakh. I propose to drink a toast in honor of Robert with this glass, a toast to his heroism and a toast to all our fallen and living heroes. Let’s drink that we, with our lives and actions, be worthy to their heroism, their sacrifices, that they have done for their fatherland, for the Armenian people, for all of us. I hope that we will be able and will manage to live worthily to this action, regardless what it is that we are doing,” Pashinyan said, thanking Abajyan’s parents for their son.

Patients of the clinic chatted with Pashinyan and spoke about their successes and activities after treatment.

The Armenian caretaker PM then toured the facility and viewed the new building of the clinic that is under development.