The Real Strategy of Armenia Is About This: Pashinyan Sends Congratulations

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory message on the occasion of Republic Day, which we present below:

“Dear people, beloved citizens of the Republic of Armenia,

Today we celebrate Republic Day, one of the most important days on our state calendar. It symbolizes the restoration of Armenian statehood, which took place on May 28, 1918, after a 400-year hiatus, following the battles of Sardarapat, Bash-Aparan, and Qarakilisa, with the establishment of the First Republic of Armenia.

This day also symbolizes the establishment of popular sovereignty in Armenia, because on May 28, 1918, we had a state system where the legislative and executive powers are formed through the election of the people, where the people are the source and bearer of authority, the founders and sovereigns of the state. This is the ideology of the republic, which was confirmed in our reality for the first time in 1918.

The establishment of the people as the highest bearer of power is a turning point in our history, and this deep conceptual framework is about the possibility of building one's own freedom, security, and welfare with one's own hands.

The republic is about the people expressing their sovereignty to manage their own destiny, to set the rules for their own lives, and to pass on that sovereignty from generation to generation.

This is an extremely ambitious and responsible mission, which cannot be realized without new formulations of thought directed towards ensuring the sustainability of the state with its foundation.

The First Republic did not have the time or opportunity to solve such conceptual problems. Today we have that time and opportunity. After the 44-day war of 2020, the Republic of Armenia survived precisely thanks to the delineation of new ways of thinking, which allowed us to perceive reality anew and influence our possibilities within that reality.

These new ways of thinking and viewpoints make it evident that in an ever-changing world, the ability to constantly change and develop, to make decisions adapted to challenges and goals, is the formula for the sustainability of the state and the guarantee of vitality.

Our government leads the Republic of Armenia by this method, with the understanding that being viable means being capable of preserving and developing statehood, identity, and values, and being able to build freedom, security, and welfare.

The real strategy of Armenia is about this. But it is also about the fact that freedom is not enough; justice is necessary; security is not enough; peace is necessary; welfare is not enough; happiness is necessary; viability is not enough; vitality is necessary.

We are moving along this cautious, difficult path. Many think we are moving slowly. In reality, and rationally, slow is fast, but without interruptions. We are moving without interruptions, and we see the desired goal on the horizon.

I congratulate all of us on Republic Day.

Glory to the martyrs and long live the Republic of Armenia. And long live our children, who will live in a Free and Happy Armenia!”