Today, on September 21, Armenia celebrates the 28th anniversary of independence. Independence Day in Armenia is a public holiday on September 21st each year. Known as ‘Ankakhutyan or’, this holiday commemorates independence from the Soviet Union on this day in 1991.
On August 23, 1990, Supreme Council adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Armenia proclaiming the Armenian SSR abolished and the establishment of the Republic of Armenia. On September 21, 1991, the people of Armenia voted in a referendum to proclaim independence from the Soviet Union. Levon Ter-Petrosyan was elected the first president of Armenia in November 1991. On December 21, 1991, Armenia joined the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Armenia gained independence formally on December 26 in connection with the dissolution of the USSR.