The military parade dedicated to the anniversary of the First Republic of Armenia has kicked off in Yerevan’s Republic Square.
It, however, is being held under the circumstances of the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh and the campaign season for parliamentary election on June 7.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, President Vahagn Khachaturyan, and several other senior officials are standing at the podium of honor in Republic Square.
Earlier, Pashinyan had announced that the aforesaid military parade will display weapons purchased from six to seven countries over the past four years, as well as locally produced weapons, and added that they will remain in the area adjacent to Republic Square until midnight.
The last military parade in Armenia was held on September 21, 2016, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the country’s independence.
Ever since the declaration of Armenia’s independence in 1991, military parades had been held in the country solely on September 21.