KARABAKH MARKS NATIONAL REVIVAL DAY

Asbarez
nal-revival-day/
Feb 22nd, 2010

STEPANAKERT –Armenians Saturday marked the 22nd anniversary of
the beginning of the Nagorno-Karabakh liberation movement, when the
parliament of the then Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast voted to
reunify with Armenia after nearly seven decades of Soviet Azeri rule.

The monumental day, which sparked the Karabakh liberation struggle,
is officially marked in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic as National
Revival Day.

Karabakh President Bako Sahakian commemorated the day with a speech
in the Nagorno-Karabakh National Assembly. We present his speech in
its entirety below.

Dear attendees,

I am glad to welcome all of you and congratulate all our compatriots
on Artsakh Revival Day. Each of you carries the very symbol of this
day and has made a personal contribution to the realization of the
ideas of the national liberation movement. Many of our friends laid
down their lives to ensure the victory of these ideas. Eternal glory
and honor to them.

20 February of 1988 became the starting point of our national revival.

We stood to defend our natural right for free and independent life
on our native land, for mastering our own destiny independently and
in correspondence with international norms and principles.

Azerbaijan reacted to our peaceful and just demand with cruel and
bloody war, which caused heavy human sacrifices and devastations.

The heroic people of Artsakh together with the world-wide Armenian
Diaspora managed to withstand all the ordeals and chose the path of
building a democratic state. For us this way has been irreversible
and final.

We are very much confident that every problem the contemporary
world faces can be solved exclusively in civilized manner, around
the negotiation table, through direct dialogue. In contrast, the
authorities of Azerbaijan continue to wage a militaristic policy of
keeping their own people in a permanent state of war. These threats
are vain and inappropriate. We have a regular and efficient army
that is ready to give a fitting rebuff to any encroachment upon the
security of our state and people.

Dear friends,

The NKR National Assembly of all convocations has played a
great role in building an independent statehood, forming state
institutions and consolidating democratic values. Soon there will
be new regular elections of the NKR National Assembly. For our
people it is a political event of utmost importance. And we should
do everything possible for these elections as always to be carried
out in correspondence with international standards and take us a step
forward Ïn the way of building a firm and prosperous future of Artsakh.

Thank you!"

We have been through a lot and perhaps our history will prove it. In
addition, we have launched a creative and complex initiative –
the establishment of a state, revival of Karabakh and statehood of
Artsakh. Meanwhile, we had to restore government agencies, establish
Parliament, army and in parallel defend our right at war, said former
head of NKR Supreme Council, incumbent FM Georgy Petrosyan at the NKR
Parliament solemn meeting devoted to Artsakh Renaissance day and 22nd
anniversary of Karabakh movement.

"In current satiation NKR MP’s of all convocations do and will bear
responsibility for continuation of this creative process. The most
MP’s can do as the people’s representatives is discuss steps to be
taken under these circumstances and thereafter. We will take the full
responsibility towards the history. And I hope we will not back the
wrong horse once again for any reason – internal or external. I reckon
that to date all was done duly. Many critical and complex issues were
addressed, at that current challenges are less difficult than previous
ones. We have to be ready to face any trial, and self-sacrifices if
needed so that the creative life will be continued by our children
as well," Petrosyan concluded.