What Pashinyan Said at the Conference Initiated by Joe Biden

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan delivered a speech at the online "Summit for Democracy" initiated by U.S. President Joe Biden. During his remarks, the Prime Minister noted:

"Dear President Biden, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honored to represent the Republic of Armenia at the Summit for Democracy. The citizens of Armenia do not underestimate the value of people’s governance. We have fought for this throughout our modern history. By voting for independence in 1991, we also restored a multiparty system and the framework of political rights aimed at empowering individual citizens.

In the past three years, Armenians have chosen democracy over authoritarianism twice. The first was in 2018, with a non-violent, velvet revolution followed by free and fair snap elections. The second occurred in 2021, after a devastating war. Armenians again turned out to vote so that we would not return to the paths of the past. Indeed, democracy is a continuous effort that is ongoing.

We are committed to strengthening democracy in Armenia by empowering democratic institutions. By promoting transparency and accountability, we plan to implement governance reforms and policies that will build trust both in Armenia and among our international partners. By 2026, we aim to achieve continuous improvements in comparative indicators, particularly increasing the World Bank's Governance Worldwide Indicator score from 50 to 60, and boosting Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index score from 49 to 60.

We also consider climate change mitigation as a pillar of democratic governance and are committed to building a low-emission energy sector and a sustainable green economy. In our efforts to strengthen democracy, we face many challenges. Our greatest challenge is military threats to our security. Another challenge is the struggle for democracy within our country. This challenge is compounded when threats arise beyond our borders. If we want to restore the appeal of democracy worldwide, we must unite our forces to confront these challenges together. Armenia is committed to contributing to the global mission of strengthening democracy, and we hope that we are not alone."

The two-day event features over a hundred leaders and representatives from various countries. President Joe Biden opened the summit, after which panel discussions began. The conference also includes representatives from civil society and the private sector. The agenda for the two-day discussions includes issues related to confronting threats to democracy, combating corruption, and protecting human rights.