Vigen Sargsyan on Serzh Sargsyan's Latest Interview

The former Minister of Defense of Armenia, Vigen Sargsyan, made a post on his Facebook page in which he referred to Serzh Sargsyan's interview with the ArmNews television channel.

In his post, he stated: "My colleagues, allies, the military command, and our students will remember that I have always emphasized that the most important trait of a leader is virtue in our discussions about leadership. I have explained that, in my view, the virtue of a true leader is the unity and integrity of their thoughts, words, and actions.

While watching President Serzh Sargsyan’s interview, I repeatedly thought about how virtuous and complete a leader must be in the current environment of deception and betrayal in order not to express a single thought that would give me, as someone who has been next to him every day, participated in his negotiations, received direct instructions from him, and conveyed his orders to our partners, at least a minimal doubt or reconsideration during three hours of discussion about life-and-death issues for the country.

How much should a leader value the trust of their comrades, colleagues, and every person involved in the same issues, that even years later, they would not be tempted to change even a single thought, sentence, or word to be more pleasant to the ear or to make their own truth sound more convincing.

The strength of virtue lies precisely in this. In the short term, it is condemned in the fight against populism, as developments have shown that many prefer to hear only what is pleasant. However, in creating victory, establishing a state, and uniting society, virtue is an irreplaceable trait for a leader. Thank you, Mr. President!"