On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independence, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan gave a reception in the Big Hall of Government Sessions on September 18, with the participation of representatives of state bodies, science, culture, sports, and the mass media. By decrees of Prime Minister, a number of persons were awarded commemorative medals and letters of thanks on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independence and for their contribution to the indicated spheres. During the event, an exhibition of the photographer Ruben Mangasarian’s photos presenting the history of Armenia’s independence opened. Congratulating those present on the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s ibdependence, Tigran Sargsyan said: “It is symbolic that right here, in the hall next to us, the independence of the Republic of Armenia was announced and adopted 20 years ago. Independence is first of all a choice. A choice which is an opportunity for a human being, and in our case it was a conscious choice of our nation and our citizens 20 years ago, which became possible through a referendum, and we chose independence. We said yes to independence and declared the Republic of Armenia. A social state, in which every citizen is responsible for his/her country. The independence was immediately put to test – for the citizens of the Republic of Armenia and the Diapsora Armenians all over the world. The test was severe and – at first glance- beyond powers of a country that had not yet recovered from the devastating 1988 earthquake. We see the documentation of that test in these photos taken by the wonderful photographer Ruben Mangasarian. We see that path that tempered the will, strength, and faith of our newly independent state. Our independence started with a war forced upon us, from which we emerged as victors. Independence is a manifestation of maturity, when we regulate our life by ourselves. We organize our present and plan our future by ourselves. Today we must triumph in time of peace, too. And we can gain these victories only if every citizen of the Republic of Armenia attaches importance to his/her own role and shows a responsible approach to work. The generation of independence is now growing up in Armenia. Youths who were born in the Independent Armenia. We must do everything possible for this generation. Each of you is an example for youths. You must guide the generation of independence by your work, your civic posture, and your professional qualities. Once again I want to congratulate all of you on the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independence. I wish you good health and long life. We have passed these Twenty Years together. These twenty years were a test, which we have passed and then entered a stage of maturity with the conviction and vision that the future will be ours”.

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