Armenia marks 16th anniversary of independenceSeptember 21, 2007 - 14:11 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - On September 21 Armenia is celebrating the 16th anniversary of independence. By tradition, the leaders of the state, representatives of political parties and NGOs attend the Yerablur Pantheon to pay homage to the memory of killed heroes of the Karabakh war.Festivities will be held throughout the country today. The holiday will end in fireworks in the Republic Square. The Declaration of Independence was passed at the first session of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Armenia on August 23, 1990. The Declaration annulled the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic and proclaimed independent Republic of Armenia. By edict of the Supreme Council of Armenia, a national referendum on secession from the USSR was held on September 21, 1991. 94,99% of Armenian citizens voted for independence. On September 23 the Supreme Council proclaimed Armenia an independent state. Top stories President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Achieving stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains a priority of the OSCE, said Ian Borg. The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Michael Roth believes sanctions must be put on the table after Baku‘s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. Partner news | Lemkin Institute petition seeks release of Armenians in Azerbaijan The Lemkin Institute is deeply concerned about the continued illegal detention of political prisoners from Karabakh in Azerbaijan. Armenian Catholicos calls for national unity against threats Karekin II issued a message on Republic Day marking the anniversary of the First Armenian Republic. Opposition leader, supporters spend night at Sardarapat memorial Police made nearly 300 arrests the day before as Galstanyan and his supporters continued to demonstrate in Yerevan. Armenia designates flood-hit communities as disaster areas The emergency situation was created by floods caused by heavy rains in Armenia’s north on May 25-26. |