The time has come for us all to rebuild this magnificent city, Spitak, Vanadzor together, and bring life and joy back. Armenia’s President Armen Sarkissian said this today in Gyumri.

Referring to why it took 31 years to rebuild Gyumri after the devastating earthquake in 1988, President Sarkissian noted that one should not forget history as, along with the huge tragedy of 1988, there was the issue of the liberation of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), the process of establishing a newly independent state, and the national liberation movement.

He noted that now we should all see to it that life returns to Gyumri.

One of the most brutal tragedies in modern Armenian history took place on December 7, 1988. At 11:41am that day, the northern regions of the then Armenian SSR were shaken by a devastating earthquake. More than 25,000 people were killed, tens of thousands were injured, and hundreds of thousands were left homeless.