The Armenian Community in Russia and Armenian Business Remain Firmly Supportive of Armenia's Sovereignty: Prime Minister

During today's forum, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the Armenian community in Russia and Armenian businesses have consistently stood firm alongside Armenia's sovereignty and the Republic of Armenia. This declaration was made on September 20 at the "Armenian Business Forum" held in Yerevan.

"Today, this message is exceptionally important at this pivotal historical juncture we find ourselves in. Indeed, we have undergone and are undergoing a very harsh ordeal. After the 44-day war in 2020, it was crucial to find answers to several important questions. The extraordinary parliamentary elections that took place in the Republic of Armenia were necessary to illuminate the cause-and-effect relationships of various events in the 30-year history of the third republic and ultimately to answer a very significant question: how do we continue our lives and where do we move towards? I believe this is the most critical question, and the election results essentially recorded the decision of the citizens of the Republic of Armenia to move in the direction of opening an era of peaceful development for the Republic of Armenia and the region, and specifically, this mandate has been given to the Armenian government by the citizens of the Republic of Armenia," emphasized Pashinyan.

Regarding the practical implementation of this theoretical thesis, Pashinyan noted the necessity to understand all pessimists, as events occur daily that can lead to conclusions, and it appears there are forces that want to demonstrate that an era of peaceful development in our region is not possible. "However, the Armenian government, clearly aware of the difficult challenges ahead, will maintain its commitment, and the Republic of Armenia will lead this path. I must underscore that we will need nerves of steel, composure, and caution along this path," the Prime Minister added.

He outlined the tools through which, in his opinion, the era of peaceful development should be established and opened. "I consider the opening of regional communications to be exceedingly important, in accordance with the trilateral declarations of November 9, 2020, and January 11, 2021. I believe that solving this issue is also crucial in the context of our discussions, as the opening of regional communications should ultimately allow Armenia to overcome approximately 30 years of blockade, which means significantly changing the investment environment in Armenia and restructuring the Armenian economy so that the country and the state become more resilient and competitive," Pashinyan stressed.

According to him, they highly appreciate the support received from their strategic ally, Russia, in advancing this agenda, demarcation and delimitation of borders, and restoring the peace settlement process. "There is a mutual understanding between the authorities of Armenia and Russia, there is constructive dialogue, and together we will consistently move forward with this agenda," he noted.

Pashinyan introduced the programs that the government is launching towards building Armenia's future. "We consider reforms in the education sector crucial for solving problems, with one of the key goals being the quality and accessibility of education. In the next five years, 300 schools and 500 kindergartens must be built or renovated. Infrastructure development is very important to us. We have committed to starting or completing the construction of 15 reservoirs over the next five years. We must repair or renovate at least 500 km of highways annually. Moreover, this does not include the 'North-South' and subsidized projects. We are preparing to launch the construction of the Sisian-Agaran section of the North-South program. All of this is part of a multi-billion-dollar investment government program, and here we need our businesspeople, including the Association of Armenian Entrepreneurs, because our calculations show that there are no such capacities, including construction, in our country that can implement this ambitious program of the government. I hope that the start of public projects will also resonate with the Association of Armenian Entrepreneurs," Nikol Pashinyan announced.

"We are discussing the 2022 budget, and the share of capital expenditures will be unprecedented in the history of our country. However, we traditionally face a problem: the underperformance of capital expenditures. Private construction companies operating in Armenia are unable to fully implement the projects proposed by the state," Pashinyan concluded.