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Former President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan has sent a congratulatory message congratulating on the pan-Armenian holiday - Artsakh Independence Day. As the Office of the former president reports, the message reads as follows:

"On September 2, 1991, the Armenians in Artsakh, who faced security challenges, made a decision to declare Artsakh an independent state in a small portion of their historical homeland in line with the legal and international norms in force at that time. They were well aware that they were going to pay too dearly for that decision, which was unanimously backed by Armenians worldwide. At the cost of their children’s lives, facing the horrors and deprivations of war, our people heroically defended the Artsakh-based Armenians’ right to live independently, freely and with dignity.

We all went through that heroic path together. "Together we embarked on a nationwide mission of building the newborn independent statehood and ensuring the well-being of the Armenians in Artsakh. These were challenging years of struggle, from the formation of the Defense Army to the formation of state institutions and the improvement of Artsakh population’s living standards.

Today we can confidently state that we stood the test of liberation war with honor, and our state-building efforts were crowned with success as evidenced by the well-established Artsakh Republic, which continues to develop and strengthen year after year.

Any hardship could be overcome for about the past three decades, since Artsakh has always felt the support of all Armenians, Mother Armenia and the Diaspora. This trinity is the pledge of our future victories. Anyone who may dare to undermine it, weaken our national spirit for political considerations or for the sake of other interests will indeed deserve the verdict of posterity. Artsakh has always been and will continue to be the symbol of our unity and victories.

On this sacred day, I bow my head in memory of our heroes, in memory of my comrades-in-arms with whom I had the honor to go through the path of heroic struggle for Artsakh’s independence.

Glory to all our heroes who perished for Artsakh!

Dear compatriots,

Our struggle is not yet over, as long as the Artsakh Republic has not been internationally recognized, as long as the enemy keeps encroaching on the state borders of Artsakh, as long as we have not fully ensured the security of our sisters and brothers in Artsakh.

Reiterating my congratulations on the 29th anniversary of Artsakh’s independence, I wish you lasting peace, prosperity and strong faith in the future.

Artsakh has made its choice; it will never be part of Azerbaijan again.

Long live the free and independent Republic of Artsakh!

Long live the Armenian people!"