Armenia Marks Independence Day Under Pandemic Protocols

YEREVAN—The 29th anniversary of Armenia’s regaining independence from the Soviet Union was marked with more sober celebrations this year, as the country continues to deal with the global COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended a military ceremony at the eternal flame in Victory Park perched on the hill overlooking the capital. Su-30SM multirole fighters performed a flyover in a finger-four formation as government officials watched from below. Flowers were also laid at the graves of fallen heroes of the 1989-1994 Karabakh War. 

Pashinyan later met with Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan in his office. “This day holds special significance to the Armenian people,” Pashinyan told his Artsakhian counterpart. “It is our duty as a state to fulfill the promise that our people worked so hard for in 1991,” he continued.