A Sovereign Armenia

 Vaհe H Apelian

 

It is commonly understood that a sovereign state is an independent state that has the highest authority over its territory, on which its government is free to interact with other sovereign states.

When I was growing up, our teachers would tell us that we may not see a free and independent Armenia and that our children may not even see it happen, but one day Armenia will be free and independent. Meanwhile, our teachers told us, to study hard. Thus, I also grew up advocating for a free and independent Armenia. But I will have to admit that I REALLY did not envision what it REALLY takes to have a SOVEREIGN Armenia. At the time, it was more of a pleasant dream than an understanding of the hard reality of having a country of our own is all about. 

 An INDEPENDENT state is not necessarily a SOVEREIGN state.

Stateless we have been for centuries, independence and sovereignty seem to have converged in our minds and in our thoughts onto one, an independent state.  «Գերիշխան, պետութիւն” may not be viewed with the same comfort as “sovereign state” would in English, although both mean the same thing, using Armenian dictionary spelled words for sovereign and sovereignty.

During the recent years, the following historical events  will go down in history in conjunction of the re-establishment of a free and independent Republic of Armenia. 

On August 23, 1990, in collaboration with Nagorno Karabagh Oblast, Armenia wrote its Declaration of Independence. The document is known as Hrchagakir. When I read that document, I come across no mention as to why or for what reason the Soviet Socialist Armenia is declaring independence. But when I read the American Declaration of Independence, I read a litany of misdeeds the Crown committed that compelled the 13 colonies declare independence from the British Crown.

On September 21, 1991, almost thirteen months after the Hrchakagir, Armenians voted overwhelmingly (over 99%) in a national referendum to declare independence from the collapsing Soviet Union. 

On December 21, 1991, three months after the referendum, Armenia and the rest of the former soviet republics, save the Balkan countries and Georgia, met in Alma Ata and declared the Soviet Union dissolved and formed the Community of Independent States (CIS).

But Armenia’s foray into sovereignty began on May 8, 2018, when a popular bloodless revolution, called Velvet Revolution, led by Nikol Pashinyan and a group of younger Armenians changed the course and the order of the day and assumed power by a  snap parliamentary election that was cemented by a popular election seven months later. On December 9, 2018. Nikol Pashinyan led My Step Alliance was elected with absolute majority, 70% of the votes, while the two qualifying opposition parties had a combined 15% of the votes. The remaining 15% of the votes were cast in favor of parties that did not qualify to be in the National Assembly.

The newly formed government was tested in ways that could have incapacitated a government being unable to withstand the enormous responsibilities piled on It, and hold on to the rein of power, against a fierce opposition.  But Nikol Pashinyan government did. It turned out to be it is made up of officials who are inordinately cohesive around shared core values they espouse. Also, and naturally thanks to popular support the government enjoyed. The Nikol Pashinyan government not only endured but also prevailed. The ruling Nikol Pashinyan government secured a second popular mandate. It had 54% of the votes during the post 44-Day war snap general election. While the two qualifying opposition parties had a combined 26% of the votes. The remaining 20% of the votes were cast in favor of parties that did not qualify to be in the National assembly.

A sovereign Republic of Armenia

Armenia’s INDEPENDENCE is not at stake. But Armenia’s SOVEREIGHTY is at stake. 

As students, we were also told that Armenia, has always been “AN APPLE OF DISCORD” -  կռուախնձոր/grvakhntsor -  between East and West. 

Decades later from those days, and more than any time in my lifetime, the confluence of what we were told, is zeroing on that the tiny, landlocked Armenia, the homeland for three quarter of us Armenians scattered worldwide. 

At the present, we are being tested whether we will be able to secure for ourselves and for generations to come a SOVEREIGN Armenia, the absolute culmination of our age-old aspiration.