Defense Minister should not speak Russian - Davit Sanasaryan (video)
While a military parade marking Independence Day was being held at Republican Square, a group of citizens was celebrating the holiday at Liberty Square. They were against the presence of foreign forces in the military parade. “Only the soldiers of the Republic of Armenia should serve in our country. No other flag, including that of Russia, should be flown in our squares except the Armenian tricolor. The Defense Minister should not speak Russian, as he did today," said activist Davit Sanasaryan. “We should all say that this is our day and not the day of Serzh Sargsyan and his gang. The weaponry should be displayed by patriotic people and not by Serzh Sargsyan,” added civil activist Shahen Harutyunyan. Alek Yenigomshyan, a member of the Founding Parliament movement, claims that Armenia is not fully independent; there are gaps in public life and we have much work to do. “Armenian citizens are not free; there is no justice or social solidarity in the country. The society still is sharply polarized in every respect. Our country is ruled by people who serve a colonial power but dare to mark 25th anniversary of independence,” Mr. Yenigomshyan said. He added that freedom fighters, who have fought for Artsakh and Armenia, are in prison for their political views. “These people have fought and continue to fight against injustice, against the policy of concession and they are political prisoners in our country. This very fact proves that we do not live a free country,” he stressed. The speeches made at Liberty Square were followed by a march through Yerevan streets. “I wish that each of us felt not only proud but also obliged to prosper, democratize and liberalize our country so that each citizen could feel himself a full-fledged master and be free in his country,’ said Karapet Rubinyan, a former Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly. The marchers first headed to Republic Square and then to the Russian Embassy in Armenia. Their last stop was the Yerablur military pantheon where they issued a declaration on the restoration of independence of the Republic of Armenia.
