The Most Important Thing is Territorial Integrity, Without Which a State Cannot Exist: Nikol Pashinyan

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has sent a message on the occasion of Citizen's Day. He wrote on Facebook: "Dear people, beloved citizens of the Republic of Armenia, today we celebrate Citizen’s Day, which was introduced in our calendar following the 2018 People’s peaceful Velvet Revolution, marking the de facto affirmation of the long-declared principle that in the Republic of Armenia, power belongs to the people. This principle is now an irreversible reality in Armenia, confirmed also by the events of recent years when former elites, who once had the ability to determine who should be in power and who should be in opposition at small gatherings, are no longer capable of making such decisions because the right and opportunity to make such decisions now belongs to only one subject: the Citizen of the Republic of Armenia, and the collective of citizens, the People.

The anointing of the Citizen as the highest bearer of power took place during the 2018 People’s peaceful Velvet Revolution, and it is the anointed Citizen who gives us the ability to withstand the very difficult trials that we have experienced in recent years. The key target of these trials is our independence, sovereignty, and statehood, and the anointing of the Citizen is not a reflection of the trials we face, but rather it is the crucial reason we are able to overcome them.

The anointed Citizen, the empowered People, has demonstrated its will to have a sovereign state, and this expressed will must have concrete manifestations. The most important of these is territorial integrity, without which a state cannot exist. One of the key issues on our agenda that we are solving now is restoring the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia and our internationally recognized borders as the foundation of our independence, sovereignty, and statehood. The Citizen, as the guarantor of statehood, ensures through its calmness that we decisively proceed on this path.

The next crucial guarantee of a state’s existence is the popular agreement on the balanced relationship of rights and obligations, a popular decision enshrined in the legal foundations of the state, and at some point, we need to reach this strategic goal to ensure that the established legal order and the system of rights and obligations are considered by the citizen as their own, created by them, and not imposed on them by any external frameworks.

A legal order created with civil consciousness and decision is a crucial condition for sovereignty and statehood, and thus the pillars of our statehood must be strengthened and reinforced. Dear people, beloved citizens of the Republic of Armenia, I congratulate you all on the occasion of Citizen's Day. This is a day that you have all created, each one of you, motivated by the desire to live safely, honorably, prosperously, and happily in your own home.

So why do we face such heavy trials after the Revolution? Because no one can live safely, honorably, prosperously, and happily in their home without putting the doors, windows, roof, and fence of that home in order. During the Revolution in 2018, we knew that the doors, windows, roof, and fence of our home—the Republic of Armenia—needed to be put in order; otherwise, there would have been no need for a revolution. We also knew that some consider us residents in our own home, and numerous conditions have secured this perception.

In 2018, we decided to be homeowners, without considering the consequences. Not that we didn’t think about the consequences, but understanding, we did not think about them, because thinking about the consequences of being yourself is pointless; you simply need to decide whether you want to be or not. We decided that we are homeowners, and we are going down the path of being homeowners. And we will successfully navigate this path because the will of the citizens of the Republic of Armenia to have a free, sovereign, safe, and happy state is stronger than stone, and the spirit does not know how to surrender! Glory to the martyrs and long live the Republic of Armenia! Long live the Republic of Armenia!"