Half of the Country's Economic Resources are 'Sitting at Home', Then We Say Our Lives Aren't Improving - Pashinyan

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a consultation during which the issues faced by people with disabilities and the work being done to address these issues were discussed.  In his speech, the Prime Minister first noted that December 3 is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, established by the UN and observed since 1992.

“This year’s slogan is about empowering the participation and leadership of persons with disabilities, as we work towards the 2030 development agenda. There are 189,485 registered individuals with disabilities in the Republic of Armenia, of which more than 8,000 are children. And I want to frame our political approach towards persons with disabilities,” he stated. “It is important that the public perception and attitude towards persons with disabilities in the Republic of Armenia change overall, because in many cases, the key component of the attitude towards persons with disabilities is a feeling of pity and compassion. This, as in many other cases, is a wrong formulation of people's attitude. This not only involves political but also dignity and opportunity issues and, as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, I believe that we should not treat persons with disabilities as a burden in the life of the state and society; rather, we should view them as great potential and opportunity.”

“When speaking about persons with disabilities, the image of Stephen Hawking comes to mind, who, not even being able to move, speak, or communicate, is one of the greatest scientists of the 20th and 21st centuries. I am convinced that among the persons with disabilities living in the Republic of Armenia today, there are talented scientists, talented writers, talented artists, entrepreneurs, and many others in various fields. Therefore, our political task is to create conditions that will allow these people to discover, develop, and realize their talent,” Pashinyan continued.

He added that,