During his official visit to the Russian Federation, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan called at the Armenian Embassy in Moscow, where he met with representatives of the Armenian community. In addition to the members of the Prime Minister-led delegation, the meeting was attended by the primates of the New Nakhichevan and Russia Dioceses, Armenians engaged in business activities in Russia, political, public and cultural figures.
In his speech, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan summed up the results of his first meeting with the Russian Prime Minister, gave details of the talks, expressing satisfaction with the achieved agreements. The Premier took the opportunity to summarize his government’s 100-day activities. “I would like to be accountable before you, raise your awareness of what the Government has done in the past 4 months. You have the 100-page summary of our past activities. I think we have presented a pretty serious document. It consists of four parts. The first part features the per-sector diagnosis of problems, in the second part, we have provided information on what the problems are and what solutions have been proposed in this area and what are the measures to take. The third part summarizes what we have done during these 100 days, and the fourth part relates to the public-private partnership based on the Center of Strategic Initiatives,” Karen Karapetyan said.
Introducing his vision for the country’s development, the Prime Minister reminded the four main components as mentioned before – independence, security, as well as a fair and intellectual environment.
“We have no other options left: we need to abide by intelligent management in all spheres. Human capital is the supreme value in our country. I have had several occasions to state this on different platforms. Nations do not become any happier for their oil, gas deposits and other natural resource, instead favored are those countries where there are most favorable conditions available to creative people,” the Prime Minister pointed out, adding that the Government is set to provide fair and transparent conditions for all hard-working, thoughtful and creative individuals.
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Coming to Homeland-Diaspora relations, Karen Karapetyan pointed out that the Diaspora is an asset for our country, and one can long talk about the importance of Armenia-Diaspora relations. “We need to understand that these are two parts of one whole. I personally see a huge potential in the Diaspora’s involvement in the construction of our country. First of all, I would like to see Armenia-Diaspora relations apart from the erroneous idea that Armenia is only interested in having charity and investments from the Diasporas. We need to bring in good management practices and a culture of communication,” the Premier underscored.
As a success story, the Prime Minister cited the repatriation of Syrian Armenians who specifically went a long way toward improving the quality of restaurant services. “I think we need to raise your awareness of the new rules of the game and the more favorable conditions in the business environment. If we do so, each Armenian will find a niche of his own and will come to work in the Motherland. I am confident that we will succeed,” the Head of Government said.
Asked about what is being done to restore and develop the earthquake-hit Gyumri, the Premier noted that in addition to the regional development programs, serious attention is being paid to the promotion of business projects submitted by the local business community in the public-private cost-sharing format.
“Following the visits paid to Shirak Marz, we approved 7 of 8 such business projects,” the Prime Minister stated, adding that serious discussions are underway to develop as a tourist network in Gyumri. “Should the Government have a commitment for Gyumri? Yes, of course. The Kumayri program provides for the reconstruction of two old streets, which may not only turn into a tourism destination, but also change the atmosphere and the mood in the town,” the Prime Minister emphasized.
In his closing remarks, the Prime Minister said that meetings like that provide a platform to exchange views and new ideas. “I was one of you not so long ago. I know very well that you all live in thoughts, looking back and taking interest in what is going on in the country. You may rest assured that Armenia will be the best country for all Armenians. I know that the sense of pride and dignity depends on how well Armenia is. I promise that our team will do everything possible,” Karen Karapetyan concluded.
At the end of the meeting, ex-Ambassador to Russian Georgy Ter-Ghazaryan summed up the outcome of Karen Karapetyan’s visit to Russia, noting that despite the difficult times, the Armenian community supports the new government’s approaches and stands by the Prime Minister.