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An official ceremony marking the 131st anniversary of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF, Dashnaktsutyun) party took place in Yerevan’s Dvin Music Hall on Saturday.

Among the attendees of the event are Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan, third President Serzh Sargsyan, former Artsakh Presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan, Chairman of the Prosperous Armenia Party Gagik Tsarukyan, Chairman of the Homeland Party Artur Vanetsyan, Chairman of the Reviving Armenia party Vahe Hakobyan, former Armenian Prime Ministers Vazgen Manukyan, Hrant Bagratyan, Khosrov Harutyunyan, MPs from the opposition Hayastan (Armenia) and With Honor parliamentary factions, as well as other figures.

Before the start of the event, the participants observed a minute's silence to pay tribute to fallen heroes.

Ishkhan Saghatelyan, a deputy parliament speaker and a member of the ARF Supreme Council, said the history of the party cannot be separated from the history of the Armenian people.

"For 131 years of struggle and unrelenting dedication, the ARF has remained committed to its mission of serving Armenia and the Armenian Cause. The sole goal of successive generations devoted to the homeland has been to build the Armenia of our dreams,” Saghatelyan said.

“That struggle has been going on for 131 years now. Times change, the forms and methods of the struggle change, the challenges change, but the key purpose of the struggle never changes.

“The ARF has always been and remains a force loyal to the Armenian land and Armenians.  Dashnaktsutyun is an organization with a past, a present and a vision for the future. Acting in the homeland and beyond, the ARF has always supported the idea of independent statehood," Saghatelyan said.

"In our party's 131 years of activity, we are accountable to our people for every single step and decision. We have made mistakes, but it's only those who do nothing that make no mistakes. However, we have never betrayed ourselves, our ideas, convictions and goals," said the ARF leader.

Saghatelyan stated that Armenia and the Armenian people are now in deep crisis. "The incumbent authorities have failed in all spheres – in the issue of Artsakh, foreign policy, security, defense, army building, economy. They have also failed in the areas that they supposedly attached great importance to. It is now obvious that they have nothing to do with democracy, human rights, a fair judicial system, the right to elect and be elected. To them it is just a slogan, a Facebook status, a means to mislead people, but by no means a goal,” he stressed.

“The advocates of a fair judicial system now arrest oppositionists and law abiding judges. The supporters of free elections now arrest community leaders elected by the people. The law enforcement agencies have become a blunt instrument for the establishment of one-man rule in the country, or rather a dictatorship. The international community and human rights organizations are silently following all this while claiming that democracy is making progress in Armenia. Obviously, the current government benefits everyone except Armenians," Saghatelyan said.