Declaration of Independence was one of the brightest moments in our history. On 23 August 1990 we managed to fulfill the Armenian people's dream, Aram Manukyan, Armenian MP, told ArmInfo. Manukyan was a deputy of the Supreme Council of the Armenian SSR in 1990 and read out the Declaration.
"We acted then to fulfill the cherished desire of our comrades, including those who are not with us today, who sacrificed their lives for the freedom and independence of Armenia and Arstakh. We laid the basis for future development and prosperity of our Motherland. It was a 12-point Declaration that was quite realistic to fulfill. Declaration contained nearly 40 priority issues: establishment of the Armed Forces, and other government institutions, election system, development of economy etc. The Declaration became a basis for the Constitution of Armenia that was adopted in 1995," Manukyan said.
According to him, everything went wrong following the power change in 1998. The idea of freedom and independence were pushed to the sidelines. "The authorities are no longer guided by that document. They do their best to root out the idea of independence in Armenia. They humiliate our citizens and make them migrate. The country cannot be independent when its citizens leave it. Today's authorities are the enemies of our independence. Nevertheless, I hope we will manage to change the way things are. The generation of independence is still alive," Manukyan said.