Holidays of Armenia - Army Day

Every year on January 28, Armenians celebrate “Army Day” - a professional holiday for the military This date appeared in the register of public holidays relatively recently, on January 6, 2001 On this day, the head of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, signed a new bill “On the country’s memorable dates” The solemn event took place in the main city of the state - Yerevan Article 2 of the adopted law stated that Army Day in Armenia is now celebrated on January 28 In November of the following year, some amendments were made to the bill, making this day a day off for the entire people The head of the country chose the holiday date for a reason On this day, in 1992, the decree “On the Defense of the Armenian Republic” was adopted, proclaiming the creation of a state army Previously, during the years of the existence of the Soviet Union, starting in 1922, the Armenian military on February 23, together with the USSR, celebrated the “Day of the Red (later Soviet) Army” This continued until the collapse of the Soviet Union, when Armenia gained independence The history of the formation and further development of the Armenian Army distinguishes 3 main periods The first stage began in February 1989 and lasted until May 1992 At this time, relations between Armenians and Azerbaijanis were strained, and the security of the country was ensured by volunteer detachments The second period, which began in June 1992 and lasted until May 1994, is associated with the formation of the national Army against the backdrop of hostilities The final, third stage (from June 1994 to the present) is called “army construction” According to the Armenian Minister of Defense, in peacetime conditions, key attention is paid to the development of military branches, strengthening the connection between society and the army, as well as improving the living conditions of the military The fact that Armenia is part of the Soviet Union, its participation in the Security Treaty Organization, as well as productive military cooperation with the Russian Federation had a great influence on the development and current appearance of the Armenian Army For example, some military ranks used during the Soviet Union were retained The state Ministry of Defense still contains categories such as "ensign" The only difference is that their ranks are now called "non-commissioned officer" and "senior non-commissioned officer" According to tradition, on January 28, all military personnel of the state receive warm congratulations from the leadership of the country and the highest ranks of the Armed Forces of the Republic The most distinguished ones are awarded state awards, military ranks and memorable gifts Solemn military parades and reviews are held throughout the country The media broadcast TV programs and films on military topics throughout the day