The Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR, expressing the common will of the people of Armenia, being aware of its responsibility towards the fate of the Armenian nation for the achievement of dreams of all the Armenians and for the restoration of the historic justice, proceeding from the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and from generally recognized rules of international law, exercising the right of nations to self-determination, proceeding from the December 1, 1989 joint Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR and National Council of the Mountainous Karabagh "About Reunification of the Armenian SSR and Mountainous Karabagh", strengthening the democratic traditions of the Independent Armenian Republic establishing on May 28, 1918, aiming at establishing a democratic social system and a State of the law,

DECLARES

A beginning of the process of establishment of independent statehood.
1. The Armenian SSR is renamed as the Republic of Armenia, Armenia for short.
The Republic of Armenia has its flag, national emblem and anthem.
2. The Republic of Armenia is a self-governing State endowed with supremacy, independence, sovereignty of the State power.
Only the Republic of Armenia's Constitution and the laws are in force on the whole territory of the Republic of Armenia.
3. The holder of the statehood is the people of the Republic of Armenia who exercises its power directly and through representative bodies on the basis of the Constitution and the laws of the Republic of Armenia.
The right to speak on behalf of the people of the Republic belongs exclusively to the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Armenia.
4. For all citizens residing no the territory of the Republic of Armenia the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia is instituted.
Armenians living abroad are entitled to the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia.
The citizens of the Republic of Armenia are guaranteed its protection and support.
The Republic of Armenia safeguards free and equal development of its citizens irrespective of their ethnic and racial origin and religious affiliation.
5. For the purpose of guaranteeing its security and inviolability of its borders, the Republic of Armenia organizes its armed forces, troops of the Ministry of the Interior, State and National security bodies subordinated to the Supreme Soviet.
The Republic of Armenia is entitled to its share of the armaments of the USSR.
The Republic of Armenia will regulate the order of the active military service of its citizens.
The armed forces formations of other countries, their military bases and installations can be stationed on the territory of the Republic of Armenia only by the Decree of its Supreme Soviet.
The armed forces of the Republic of Armenia can be put into operation only by the decree of its Supreme Soviet.
6. The Republic of Armenia, as a subject of international law, carries out independent foreign policy, establishes direct relations with other States and with nation-state formations of the USSR, participates in the activities of the international organizations.
7. The national wealth of the Republic of Armenia, i.e. land, mineral resources, aerial domain, water and other natural resources, economic, intellectual, cultural potential, - is a property of its people. The order of their ownership, utilization and management is determined by the laws of the Republic of Armenia.
The Republic of Armenia is entitled to a share of the national wealth of the USSR including gold, diamond and hard currency reserves.
8. On the basis of diversity of forms of ownership, the Republic of Armenia determines its principles and methods of economic management, issues its currency, founds National Bank, finance and credit system, tax and customs bodies.
9. The Republic of Armenia safeguards on its territory:
- freedom of speech, press and conscience;
- differentiation of legislative, executive and judicial powers;
- multi-party system, equality of political parties under the law, depoliticization of the law-enforcement bodies and of the armed forces.
10. The Republic of Armenia provides for the use of Armenian as a State language in all spheres of life in the Republic, and sets up its own, independent systems of education, science and culture.
11. The Republic of Armenia commits itself to a cause of gaining international recognition of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated in the Ottoman Empire and Western Armenia in 1915.
12. This Declaration serves as a basis for drawing up the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia and for amending the Constitution currently in force, as well as for the activities of the State bodies and for elaborating new legislation of the Republic.

Chairman of the Supreme Soviet
of the Republic of Armenia L. Ter-Petrossian

Secretary of the Supreme Soviet
of the Republic of Armenia A. Sahakian

August 23, 1990
Yerevan