MAY 28, 1918 INDEPENDENCE HAD NO ALTERNATIVE, HITORIAN SAID

Noyan Tapan
May 29 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 29, NOYAN TAPAN. May 28, as the day of declaration of
the independence of Armenia, had an exclusive value in the Armenian
people’s history: if there was no May 28, neither Soviet Armenia,
nor present independent state will exist. Armen Asrian, a History
Candidate expressed such a viewpoint at the May 28 discussion. In his
words, there was no issue of the independence of Eastern Armenia on
the agenda up to May 27, 1918, but such a situation was created on May
28 that if Eastern Armenia did not become independent, its territory
would be devided between Georgia and Azerbiajan. Consequently, in
the historian’s words, the May 28 independence had no alternative.

Artashes Shahbazian, an Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF)
Supreme Body (SB) member, participating in the discussion, mentioned
that the independence announced in 1918 was in some sense obliged
to the Armenian people as the enemies wanted to annihilate it during
that period of time.

Armenians responded such strivings of the enemies with the Gharakilisa,
Bash-Aparan heroic struggles as a result of which, in A. Shahbazian’s
words, the independence was born. Factually, as the ARF SB member
added, Armenia must either stop existing or create an independent
state.

Responding the question what lessons today’s statesmen of Armenia must
take from the history, the two speakers unequivocally said: "To rely
on own forces, never to set hopes on outer forces and foreign uncles."