Armenia Shares Historical And Cultural Legacy With European Family Of Nations
23.06.2011,
03:50
In a statement made today at the PACE Armenia’s president Serzh Sargsyan said twenty years ago, in September 1991, Armenia declared independence, attaining the dream of many centuries and generations, and reuniting with the community of sovereign states
YEREVAN, June 22. / ARKA /. In a statement made today at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Armenia’s president Serzh Sargsyan said twenty years ago, in September 1991, Armenia declared independence, attaining the dream of many centuries and generations, and reuniting with the community of sovereign states and ten years later, in 2001, Armenia acceded to the Council of Europe, reaffirming a shared historical and cultural legacy with this European family of nations.
“Today, standing before the Assembly, I recall these milestones with a sense of pride for the achievements of our people and our state in the last two decades’ president Sargsyan said.
“Having experienced various oppressive regimes, my people know too well the price of freedom. The history of my people is one of creation and struggle. Freedom and peace have been our dream for centuries. We are now en route to our dream,’ he said.
According to him, the people of Armenia have made their historic and irreversible choice. “Our road to becoming closer to Europe has been unique in a natural way. However, there have been obstacles, which are not natural, such as the artificial and unlawful blockade imposed on Armenia by our two neighbours. However, in spite of all the difficulties, our society knows precisely where it is going, and why it has chosen this particular route of development. For us, it is a homecoming to the European civilization and cultural realm, to which we belong, and where we have been ever-present,’ he said.
The president said the Council of Europe is indeed the institutional embodiment of our common system of values. Its mission encompasses the entire Continent, defining Europe not purely as a geographical term, but above all, as a common cultural and civilization platform of values and identity.
‘My people have throughout history paid too high a price for the right to worship these values and ideas, which at such times in history were alien to our particular region. As a consequence, we were silenced in the most brutal and horrendous way. The Council of Europe signifies the promise that such events are not to be allowed to reoccur on the European Continent. In the last two decades, the Council of Europe has been a vital partner for Armenia in the process of state building and strengthening of democracy. In Armenia, some even joke that our political system has three components: the government, the opposition, and the Council of Europe. The joke, however, actually reflects the strong involvement of the Council of Europe in the change process currently underway in Armenia,’ president Sargsyan said. -0-
“Today, standing before the Assembly, I recall these milestones with a sense of pride for the achievements of our people and our state in the last two decades’ president Sargsyan said.
“Having experienced various oppressive regimes, my people know too well the price of freedom. The history of my people is one of creation and struggle. Freedom and peace have been our dream for centuries. We are now en route to our dream,’ he said.
According to him, the people of Armenia have made their historic and irreversible choice. “Our road to becoming closer to Europe has been unique in a natural way. However, there have been obstacles, which are not natural, such as the artificial and unlawful blockade imposed on Armenia by our two neighbours. However, in spite of all the difficulties, our society knows precisely where it is going, and why it has chosen this particular route of development. For us, it is a homecoming to the European civilization and cultural realm, to which we belong, and where we have been ever-present,’ he said.
The president said the Council of Europe is indeed the institutional embodiment of our common system of values. Its mission encompasses the entire Continent, defining Europe not purely as a geographical term, but above all, as a common cultural and civilization platform of values and identity.
‘My people have throughout history paid too high a price for the right to worship these values and ideas, which at such times in history were alien to our particular region. As a consequence, we were silenced in the most brutal and horrendous way. The Council of Europe signifies the promise that such events are not to be allowed to reoccur on the European Continent. In the last two decades, the Council of Europe has been a vital partner for Armenia in the process of state building and strengthening of democracy. In Armenia, some even joke that our political system has three components: the government, the opposition, and the Council of Europe. The joke, however, actually reflects the strong involvement of the Council of Europe in the change process currently underway in Armenia,’ president Sargsyan said. -0-
