With the establishment of the first Republic of Armenia in 1918 our people returned to the world political arena after a secular interval, Armenian President Robert Kocharian's message dedicated to the Day of First Republic celebrated today says. "Despite the grave challenges it had to accept and short period of existence the First Republic created serious preconditions for the development of our country and our nation. It handed down a new state system of values to the coming generations and inspired people with the sense of being citizens of their own country", the dispatch runs. In Kocharian's words, May 28 serves as an exceptional example of national unity "we should be guided by in our today's and future activities."