The Question of Saving the State is Now at Stake: Armen Sarkissian

During a working visit to Gyumri last weekend, President Armen Sarkissian met with representatives of the public and discussed the current situation in the country. Emphasizing the state’s interests as primary, the president particularly noted, "It is important for me that we at least put the country on the right track a bit."

President Sarkissian mentioned that he has met with the Prime Minister as well as opponents, stating that he will continue to meet and try to bring everyone to the same table. "From the first day as president, I suggested a very simple and clear solution: the government should resign because it is very hard to continue when you have lost," said President Sarkissian. "Moreover, even if the government had no fault at all, that page must be closed and restarted to give hope, because people live with hope. In the early 1990s, there was neither gas nor wood, people were starving, but they hoped that we would win the war, that we would have a country, etc. We have enormous potential to move the country forward. If we do not awaken today, if we do not decide to use our 'oil', our wealth, which is you and us, in 5-10 years we will suffer a greater defeat."

"We are one of the few nations that are a small state but a global nation; we must be able to leverage that advantage. Over these two and a half years, the hardest thing for me has been that I worked every day, but I have probably given only five percent of my capabilities to this country—I am not an executive president. My only tool is my word, and my words bring hope to people. My dream is to create conditions for the next generation to come to power with their mindset, attitude, culture, dedication, and honesty, and for those people to lead the country 10, 20 years from now."

Participants in the meeting directed various questions at the President. Responding to one attendee's question about upcoming plans and steps, President Sarkissian noted, "The question of saving the state is now at stake... I have expressed my opinion. There is one legal path. Why is it necessary for the government to change? This is first and foremost needed by the Prime Minister. After this, there will be daily problems regarding displaced persons, food, fuel, coronavirus, and many other issues. These children who have returned injured, where will they work tomorrow, in which economy? Naturally, all these questions will be directed at the government."

"If we want to have normal elections, we need to change the Electoral Code, we need to make changes to the Constitution. The only way is to have a professional government, and all other politicians should prepare for elections in one or one and a half years. These people need time to consolidate, to bring in new leaders, especially young ones. One thing is clear: we must not speak lies. We cannot say that we held elections but did not; we have a government that we trust, but we do not really trust; we have a Constitution that we are happy with, but in reality, we are not. We have an Electoral Code... We must change the Electoral Code so that it is balanced. You must personally recognize the MP you select. They must be obliged to meet with their voters and present their actions. We need to have time to make changes. At the same time, we need to quickly restore the spirit of victory today."

In response to a question from one of the educators present, "What should I do as a teacher in today’s reality?" the president said that teachers are doing one of the most important things: educating children. "Those children may not even know what happened today in 10, 20 years; many of our young people do not remember 1988 or the war of the 1990s. However, it is essential that those children, who are your students today, are healthy both physically and mentally and receive the right education," the president stated. "You are doing one of the most important jobs to advance the country. All our changes must start from the school. The word teacher is as important to me as a master is for Gyumri or an artisan. A master or artisan is not just someone who works with wood; they are also someone who has students and builds a school. You are the master of your work or an artisan."

"There are two very important issues: the health and education of people, and everything else is a consequence of these. You are on the front line and must do everything possible to ensure that children receive good education, no matter how difficult it is, no matter how poor the textbooks you use are. Education is the most important thing. I say again, you must do what you do. You must continue to educate the children because there is no other way. You cannot imagine the depth of our pit, but in any case, those children should not suffer; they must receive education."