Serzh Sargsyan says what the Republican Party wants today

Excerpt from the speech of the President of the Republican Party and the third President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, at the 17th congress of the Republican Party:
“Today, our party's primary goal is not to hold power. Like other classical parties, we will strive to regain power to implement our programs and keep the promises made to the people, when we remove the capitulator along with other healthy political forces and allow Armenia to rise from its knees, strengthen its backbone, and become a support for Artsakh once again.
I say this so that opportunistic swindlers do not try to sneak into our ranks again and so it is clear that only those who prioritize the state over power can become Republicans, and dignity over personal ambition. The Republican Party today does not seek power, but Armenia's sovereignty.
You have probably noticed that the Republican Party has recently taken an active role especially for young party members. As you can see, two of them are the moderators of our congress together with me, dozens of active, dedicated young people are here in the hall, and thousands more are outside it. Although the Republican Party is the first registered public-political organization in Armenia, it is primarily a young party. Since 2018, more than 50 percent of those who have applied for membership in our party are young men and women. They associate the realization of their dream of living in a strong and developed Armenia with the Republican Party and are ready to dedicate their enthusiasm and energy to that goal. We have no right to disappoint them.
We can confidently say that we, the Republicans, are among the 'youthful' parties. If you remember, our youth were at the forefront of the events following November 10 of last year. Dear young party comrades, I assure you that not a single night spent in cold winter in the attic, nor any action of your peaceful disobedience subjected to repression by the traitorous authorities has passed in vain. Not only I am grateful for being on the front line of our difficult but honorable struggle, but future generations who will read the pages of our country's recent history will also be grateful to you.
The founding fathers of our party, Ashot Navasardyan, Andranik Margaryan, and several party colleagues dedicated a significant portion of their youth to the national liberation struggle and the task of state-building. Being a Republican is a heavy responsibility that implies self-sacrifice and hard work. You are simply obliged to be a disseminator of national conservative values in your surroundings by personal example. Conservatism is not a cult of the old; it is not regression, as they continually try to convince you through propaganda gimmicks, aiming to cut our people off from their own roots. And remember, the party that has a large number of dedicated and hardworking young people in its ranks is destined for success.
Our party's attitude toward youth is also reflected in the proposed statutory changes, which I hope will earn your approval. We propose to create a new party body - a student organization. My colleagues will also address this issue when presenting the statutory changes. I will only emphasize that students have always been the driving force behind political processes, and I am confident that this organization will unite a large number of dedicated students who adhere to national-conservative values.
In the past two congresses, we highlighted the importance of creating and developing our party's political school. The 'Andranik Margaryan' political school currently boasts over 700 attendees and graduates (currently, 100 attendees and over 600 graduates). During these years, we have paid serious attention not only to the preparation of politically literate, informed, and competitive personnel within our party but also throughout the republic, continuously enhancing their qualifications. The 'Andranik Margaryan' political school has greatly contributed to this, becoming an established and recognized institution for quality informal education. Our school's graduates, who represent various political forces and non-partisan individuals, actively participate in the country's socio-political life as civil servants, MPs, leaders of NGOs, and so on.
We will continue to develop the political school, and its work should be reflected in society. We believe that the guarantee of the Republican Party's future successes is an exacting and politically educated electorate. As you know, I have spoken in all streams of the school. Once again, I must state that we have wonderful youth.”