Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan today participated in a festive event dedicated to the 28th anniversary of the formation of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia in the city of Vardenis of Gegharkunik Province.

Prime Minister Pashinyan delivered a congratulatory message in which he greeted the Catholicos of All Armenians, government officials, foreign diplomats accredited to Armenia, officers, servicemen and citizens of Armenia and particularly stated the following:

“I congratulate us all on the 28th anniversary of the Armenian Army.

As a nation that survived the first genocide of the 20th century, we Armenians need to clearly state the fact that we earned our right to live in our homeland thanks to the Armenian Army and the battle that the Armenians led for liberation.

Today, our homeland is the territory that is located in the rear of our soldiers standing on the border and is the territory that our freedom fighters shed their blood for. The homeland today is the rear of the soldiers standing on the border, and we all have to ask ourselves what we are doing in the homeland that serves as the rear of those soldiers. This is the question that the Prime Minister and government officials should ask ourselves every day. Over the past year-and-a-half, we have taken several steps to raise the efficiency of the Armed Forces more and improve the conditions of military service.

I don’t want to reiterate what I said in my New Year’s congratulatory message in regard to the acquisition of new arms, but I would like to emphasize that the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian Army no longer have weapons dating back to the 1980s. Today, the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people are capable of ensuring their security and will be more and more certain that the necessary measures will be provided for their security.

I am glad that, over the past year-and-a-half, the Armenian government and citizens have been capable of increasing state revenues by more than $1,000,000,000, and a tremendous part of those funds have been spent and are being spent to improve the conditions of military service, starting from the conditions at the military posts and ending with the new system for supply of food at military units.

I am glad to emphasize the fact that, in the 21st century, the Armenian Army will be more and more confident, and the Armenian people will trust the Armenian Army more and more every day. I would also like to emphasize that every soldier and officer must be prouder of his homeland and the developments unfolding in the homeland because, for us, the Armenian Army has achieved this homeland for us to inherit a safe, developed, strong homeland with self-confidence.

Long live the Republic of Armenia!

Long live the Republic of Artsakh!

Long live the victorious and glorious Armenian Army!

Thank you.”

In Vardenis, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan laid a wreath at the monument to the sons of the Armenian nation who died during WWII and the Artsakh war.