Joint Meeting of Armenia and Artsakh Security Councils Underway in Stepanakert

The President of the Republic of Artsakh, Bako Sahakyan, participated in a joint meeting of the security councils of the two Armenian republics in Stepanakert on February 22, alongside Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. This information was reported by the Artsakh Presidential Administration.

In his speech, President Sahakyan addressed issues related to external and internal politics, particularly concerning recent developments in foreign policy, military construction, and the implementation of several socio-economic projects of a strategic nature in the southern regions of the republic.

Bako Sahakyan stated that the planned programs are ambitious but entirely realistic, expressing confidence that with unified efforts, these projects could be realized through coordinated and consistent actions.

Prime Minister Pashinyan emphasized that it is absolutely essential for the authorities of Armenia and Artsakh to be on the same page and that the cooperation between Armenia and Artsakh is a crucial element of the security of our country, homeland, and people. He noted that in recent times, significant progress has been made in this regard, reaching a culmination point where it has become possible to establish that the governmental perspectives of Armenia and Artsakh regarding the resolution of the Artsakh issue are identical.

This does not mean that there is a consensus on all details related to the entire context of the resolution of the Artsakh issue, but it indicates that we indeed share a common understanding regarding the strategy and direction, which have several necessary pillars. Among these pillars, I consider it essential to acknowledge that the Republic of Artsakh is a full participant in the negotiation process and that the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue cannot be achieved without negotiations with the Republic of Artsakh.

Overall, I can note that in recent times, particularly in 2019, the Government of the Republic of Armenia has undertaken significant efforts and allocated substantial resources to implement meaningful and tangible changes in the army, ranging from arms procurement to the social guarantees for officers and enlisted ranks, as well as financial provisions. Consequently, our shared expectation is to raise the discipline, moral-psychological atmosphere, and relationships in the army to a completely new level, which I believe is genuinely achievable.

In recent discussions, I made an observation that there is a dissonance between the military's reputation and the reputation of service. In Armenia and Artsakh, the army holds absolute and unquestionable authority. Hence, there can be no discussions or topics associated with the army in either Armenia or Artsakh, as it is an absolute and unassailable value for the Armenian people. However, it is regrettable that we have the phenomenon where the reputation of service in the army somewhat lags behind the army's authority, and our practical task is to equalize the reputation of service in the army with that of the army itself. Today, we will of course discuss what steps need to be taken in this direction.