I do not know who and how, but I like the September 21 holiday. Even more than the New Year. Because the years are changed somewhat mechanically, irrespective of our will, while September 21 is conditioned by our the then will. I continue to argue despite the widespread statements that allegedly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, we would have gained independence. Perhaps we would have gained, but in given case, it is important to say how.
In 1990, the Supreme Council (unlike, by the way, all subsequent parliaments) was expressing the will of the society in Armenia, and it made, in my opinion, its only right decision – to be guided by the then-existing Soviet laws, particularly, announcing the decision of the referendum 6 months early, without participating in the referendum on “Preservation of the Soviet Union” initiated by Gorbachev on March 17, 1991. Pay attention that Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan and the Central Asian republics attended the mentioned referendum and by overwhelming majority said “yes.” I do not know how sincere their “pro-Soviet yes” was but our “independent yes” was certainly sincere. The path that we have chosen (in this case, I can say “we”, can’t I?) was right with it procedure and content, also because we do not know whose sick mind will agree for the restoration of the Soviet Union even in the future, or “enter” to staff of the Soviet Union and find “legal arguments” for it, allegedly we were wrong to “come out” of the USSR.
We are an independent country “de jure”. The rest, I assure you, will be regulated. It will be regulated as soon as each of us will feel his/her responsibility. Most of our mistakes are due to our inexperience. It seemed to us that it suffices to declare independence, democracy and market relations, and they will mechanically “come down from the sky.” But they (and by and large, the State) are not a ready-made “product” that we should just eat, they are a never-ending process that requires a daily work, hardship and sometimes self-deprivation and always moral steadfast principles.
To guess all of this, I think, 25 years is sufficient. The entire problem is that these actions and principles should not be expected “from above”, they must be applied in your own life. It is hard to admit that we are not doing it.
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… Bad independence is better than the lack of it.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
