Dear Compatriots,

Year 2016 becomes history; it was the 25th year of the reestablishment of our independence. It was a period full of events and challenges.

In April, there was a four-day war. On the battlefield our people proved once again that its unified strength is unbreakable, the resolve to defend our Fatherland is unshakable. The unity of Armenia, Artsakh and Spyurk will not succumb to the perfidious and treacherous attacks. We will emerge from every calamity even stronger.

Let year 2016 in our memory remain as a year of national unity. In the passing year, we have demonstrated to ourselves and the entire world the meaning of the national spirit, of freedom and resolve to fight for the Homeland.

We will enter the second twenty-five-year period of our independent statehood with the same national unity. The first one was the phase when we withstood the war and difficulties. In the process, we shaped the victory in the Artsakh Liberation War and established the foundation for the eternal Armenian statehood.

Here is the source of my optimism; this also the source of our future success. The faith that we will build a better country and are able to defend it has already made us stronger. Every week, every month we will make maybe small but steady steps towards a better, more dignified, and a more prosperous future.

We enter the new year confident of our strength. The coming 25 years will be the years of advancement, a period when a stronger and a more prosperous Armenia will emerge. In that very spirit, we will be moving forward on the road towards the implementation of the visible and tangible reforms. We are entering the new year with serious and realistic programs. The positive outcome of the consistent and large-scale reforms in the area of economy and other areas will be visible to everyone and soon. I am confident, the new government will be able to do that, and it will be our common success.

The coming year will be fateful in many regards. In spring 2017, there will take place the Parliamentary elections. Our society through the joint efforts can organized a political process which will be trusted by everyone. We need elections like that so that the ship of our state doesn’t hit the underwater reefs known in the past.

Dear Fellow Citizens,

Around the festive tables, we all raise our glasses for the Armenian Army, for the people who are guarding at this very moment our peace. We also commemorate the immortal soldiers and officers who fell in 2016 and before that. We wish strength to their families and friends.

I also propose to raise our glasses for our new generation, for our children. This is a generation of independence, which keeps our borders unbreakable. Because of them, the Armenian tricolor is waving at the Olympic Games. Representatives of this generation return home from the world school subject Olympiads with dozens of medals. Their creative mind opens the doors of the most prominent cultural and scientific establishments.

We will spare no means to ensure their education and growth. I strongly believe that only this way we will be able to create a better Armenia.

Dear Friends,

In the new year 2017, I wish you and your families happiness, peace, and love.
Happy New Year and Holy Christmas!