Armenia should be more understandable to the world, and the world should be more understandable to Armenia: PM Pashinyan

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Mrs. Anna Hakobyan attended the event dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Armenia’s membership to the United Nations and the Diplomatic Service of the Republic of Armenia at the National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet after Alexander Spendiaryan.

Alen Simonyan, Acting President of the Republic, Hakob Arshakyan, Acting President of the National Assembly, Arayik Harutyunyan, Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan, Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan, representatives of the public administration system, the parliament and the diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia were present at the event.

In his speech, Prime Minister Pashinyan particularly said,

“Dear colleagues,

Diplomatic servants of the Republic of Armenia,

Distinguished representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited in the Republic of Armenia,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today is a really significant day for our state. 30 years ago, on March 2, the Armenian flag waved in front of the United Nations headquarters, heralding the return of Armenia to the family of free, independent, sovereign states.

The same day, March 2, is celebrated in Armenia as the Diplomat’s Day and today we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the independent Diplomatic Service of independent Armenia, on the occasion of which I wish to congratulate all the diplomatic service officers andthank all those diplomats who during this period have made efforts for the security and welfare of Armenia.

The path of diplomatic service over these decades has not been smooth for many reasons. Armenia is located in a very complex region, where geopolitical interests often clash, putting our country in the epicenter of contradictions and conflicting interests. And in this regard, the primary task of the Armenian diplomatic service is to make Armenia and Armenia’s communication manners more and more understandable to the world, and to make the world and world communication manners more and more understandable to Armenia.

And because the world is not homogeneous, the solution to this extremely complex problem becomes even more difficult.

But it is this work that should help advance the state interests of the Republic of Armenia, and I want to say that I believe that as a result of our joint work and reforms, we will be able to best implement this task.

Armenia should be more understandable to the world, and the world should be more understandable to Armenia, and this has a very practical goal – to multiply, to improve the opportunities for normal development, to ensure the security of Armenia and Artsakh.

The Government is guided by the logic that the most effective guarantee of security is peace. This is the reason why opening an era of peaceful development for our country and region has been adopted as a state strategy. The most important goal of the strategy is to create a regional and international friendly environment around Armenia.

The Government’s 2021-2026 Action Plan places a special emphasis on our regional foreign policy; this is a circumstance that I would like to specially emphasize.

Today we are actively working in this direction. A new dynamic has emerged in Armenia-Georgia relations, we must develop it. There is an active dialogue with the Islamic Republic of Iran, which we should be able to solidify with concrete results.

Armenia-Turkey talks have started at the level of special representatives, the issues of opening regional communications, delimitation and demarcation of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, launching negotiations on a peace treaty with Azerbaijan are on the agenda.

In this context, the biggest and priority issue for us remains the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. We have said many times that we see the settlement of the issue based on the principles and elements put forward by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. Full protection of the rights of the Armenians of Artsakh is one of the key issues on our foreign policy agenda.

Armenia is currently in an active dialogue with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries on this and many other issues on this foreign policy agenda.

Russia continues to be our strategic partner and ally, the relations with which are at a high level, experiencing normal development, which is strengthened by our joint participation in the EEU, the CSTO and the CIS.

We have started a strategic dialogue with the United States and we are confident that it will continue normally.

Armenia continues to have unique relations with France; our task is to enrich those relations with economic agendas.

Dear attendees, I would like to mention democracy as a foreign policy factor. Today our country is rightly considered a member of the democratic family, one of the tasks of our diplomatic service is to materialize this perception in the foreign policy sphere, to use it for the benefit of the security, development and welfare of our people.

I would like to note the role of the European Union in supporting democratic reforms in Armenia, and we should work to further develop the dynamics that have emerged in our relations. Many countries in the European Union and around the world, such as Canada and Japan, are becoming more and more visible in their willingness to support our democracy; we must be able to realize this potential. We are outlining new opportunities to develop relations with the world’s largest democracy, India, and we must work to live up to expectations.

Dear attendees,

During these 30 years, Armenia has been a responsible member of the international community, а reliable partner, bringing its contribution to the strengthening of comprehensive international law, international cooperation based on the goals and principles of the UN Charter, peaceful settlement of disputes, promotion of sustainable development and protection of fundamental human rights.

Armenia has assumed responsible functions in the international arena, including currently being the Vice-President of the UN Human Rights Council.

We have always attached importance to multilateralism and international cooperation based on the UN Charter and the international law, believing that only through joint efforts it is possible to overcome global crisis and ensure sustainable development.

Our goal is to build a modern individual-centered state based on the principles of democracy, the rule of law, equality, protection of human rights and good governance. Article 13 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia states: The foreign policy of the Republic of Armenia is implemented on the basis of international law in order to establish good-neighborly, mutually beneficial relations with all states.

And it is just this provision of the Constitution that should push us to pursue an active policy, the goal of which, in addition to the above, should also be the growth of Armenia’s economic ties and foreign trade. And modern technology allows us to overcome distance, to be in closer political and economic relations with the countries of East and South East Asia, to enrich traditional political ties with economic ties with traditionally friendly Latin American countries. In 2019, I visited China, Vietnam, Singapore. The process interrupted by coronavirus should be intensified.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to once again congratulate our diplomats of the Armenian Diplomatic Service, as well as all of us, on the 30th anniversary of Armenia’s membership in the UN. I am confident that with joint efforts we will be able to achieve our goals and dreams for the glory of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people.

Dear attendees,

During this event dedicated to diplomacy and foreign relations, I cannot help but talk about the events unfolding in Ukraine. We are deeply saddened by the ongoing actions, which is now clear that will have global repercussions.

Our hope is that the planned Russian-Ukrainian talks will take place, that they will have results, that diplomacy will be able to silence the artillery.

Thank you”.