Armenian Prime Minister presents key provisions of National Security Strategy
YEREVAN, July 10. /ARKA/. A meeting of Armenia's Security Council, chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, discussed today the National Security Strategy, the government press office reported.
“When it comes to our national security, I think we should first study our national identity, because national security is the protection of our national identity, protection against physical and material threats. But on the other hand, national identity does not remain the same,” Pashinyan was quoted as saying.
He said the Armenian nation has existed for thousands of years, but being an Armenian did not mean the same thing as the meaning of this term has changed over time due to various circumstances, events and factors.
“Now we don’t know whether the Armenians who lived 2000 years ago considered their actions from the point of view of our interests. But now we can do this, knowing the past, thinking not only about the present and future, but also about the future,” Pashinyan said. According to him, this is a turning point when national ideology becomes a vital necessity.
"This is just the process of developing national identity and self-awareness. National identity develops through its own history, through awareness of this experience, as well as aspirations of the future, which is organically connected with the past and present," Pashinyan said.
He noted that over the years, national identity has developed so much that today it is possible to formulate a goal: to ensure the existence and normal development of generations on planet Earth, in the territory of the state of Armenia and to study what we are doing today.
"Unlike the Armenians who lived 2000 years ago, we can send a message to the Armenians who will come 2000 years later. And the main meaning of this message should be that connects us and the Armenians who lived 2000 years before us," said Pashinyan.
In his opinion, the most important component of national identity is the connection with the roots and ownership of the heritage and values that have formed in the history of the nation, which should strengthen the faith and trust of each person in their own strength, and therefore the faith and trust of the nation and people in their own strength.
"The Armenian state is the only guarantee of the existence and development of the Armenian people. Therefore, it must exist forever, as the Armenian people must exist forever," Pashinyan said.
The prime minister listed the national values of the Armenian people - the statehood, citizenship of the Republic of Armenia, the history and folklore of the Armenian people, beliefs, legends, myths, the Armenian language and alphabet, Armenian literature, including translated, knowledge and science. He also mentioned the pan-Armenian potential, the Diaspora, the homeland, the family, the individual, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Armenian Catholic Church, the Armenian Evangelical Church and the Christianity.
He said music, dance and art, architecture, nature, progress, freedom, self-love, hospitality, education, hard work, law-abiding, respect and tolerance towards other people and religions are important components. Also, fraternal feelings and relations with national minorities living in Armenia and Artsakh, inextricable alliance with them, expressed by the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh.
Armenian cuisine is also important, all examples of tangible and intangible heritage that express, depict, describe or symbolize national values.
The head of the Armenian government also named priority goals, among which he especially noted the creation of all conditions for ensuring the eternal existence of Armenian statehood. He also emphasized the international recognition of the right of Artsakh to self-determination without any restrictions, the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, overcoming and eliminating its consequences, ensuring the security, welfare, freedom and happiness of citizens of the Republic of Armenia, as well as ensuring and protecting other rights.
Pashinyan also pointed out equality before the law, equal rights for men and women, as well as the establishment of national unity on the basis of protecting rights and fulfilling obligations as goals.
He considers important the preservation and development of national-state identity, independence and sovereignty of the Armenian people, the consolidation of pan-Armenian potential for the preservation and development of national values for the implementation of national goals.
Then the head of government listed the key points of the rules of coexistence of Armenians. "Violence should be excluded from the toolbox to solve any internal problem. All those forces, people who consider violence as a means of solving any internal problem, should be rejected. A vision of a society free of violence, people free of violence, should be the cornerstone our national association," he said.
At the same time, Pashinyan added that the above does not apply to the use of legal force to prevent and expose crimes, to ensure the normal life of society, as well as to protect the homeland from external aggression.
Further, he said, the people and their free will are the only source of power formation, and any attempt to distort the people's free will must be considered anti-state and anti-people’s activities.
Pashinyan named the sovereignty of Armenia and Artsakh, the Armenian people, as the highest value. "Forces that are ready to call in foreign forces to solve intra-Armenian problems, who represent foreign interests in our country, should be 'honored' with tough opposition from the Armenian people and their legitimate representative - the Armenian government," the prime minister emphasized.
His said the next most important goal was the liberation of Armenia and Artsakh from corruption. "All manifestations of corruption, including patronage, artificial monopolies, creation of artificial barriers for competitors must be eliminated, and the damage to the state and people as a result of corruption should be repaired," Pashinyan noted.
He outlined the rule of law, the equality of all before the law, the protection of rights and the fulfillment of duties as the core of interethnic relations.
"The courts with external or internal influence pose a threat to national security. Courts must be independent. The existence of a privileged class, circles, individuals in any sector of the economy, politics, public life must be excluded," said the Prime Minister.
According to Pashinyan, the goal of the negotiation process to resolve the Artsakh problem must be protection of the results of the Artsakh liberation war for self-determination and security of its people. "Any decision achieved through negotiations that is deemed acceptable to the governments of Armenia and Artsakh can only be acceptable if it is universally approved in Armenia and Artsakh," he stressed.
Pashinyan also pointed out that Armenia throughout its history has been in the "west of the east" and in the "east of the west", often becoming the scene of a clash of civilizations.
"We reject the presumption of a clash of civilizations and in international relations we position ourselves as a supporter of the dialogue of civilizations," he said.
According to him, international and interethnic dialogue is a key vision of Armenia in international relations, based on mutual respect, the desire to understand and present their position.
"Promoting dialogue and multilateral relations between civilizations, peoples, states should express our commitment to promoting international peace and stability. Armenia is ready to become a platform for such a dialogue," Pashinyan said.
At the same time, he noted that over the centuries the existence of the Armenian state and possible non-existence in the future was often caused by favorable or unfavorable geopolitical circumstances.
"And our main task is to bring the fate of our people and the state out of such a cycle when geopolitical factors become the key circumstance that determines the existence of our state - our state should be based on the will of our people," the Armenian Prime Minister emphasized.
In fact, Pashinyan noted, with this National Security Strategy, the country determines a new level for itself, which imposes a certain responsibility on everyone - from senior officials to citizens.
"The continued existence of our statehood depends on our will to realize our rights. I am convinced that we, as a people, as a nation, are really ready to take this responsibility today," he said, emphasizing the importance of everyday work in this direction. 0--
