The last two weeks have made me very proud of my nation. The protesters have shown perseverance and courage, the police have shown admirable restraint and professionalism, while the government has displayed laudable wisdom and farsightedness. These are all virtues worthy of a vibrant democracy. Sometimes a moment comes when a group, believing in each other, takes a chance and succeeds. This is how our chess team, against all odds, has achieved the successes it has. Moments like these require all participants to be responsible and responsive.
I join all of my people both in Armenia and diaspora in our unshakable belief that our goals must be pursued with peace and respect. Let’s be careful of acts that risk harming everything we have worked for over the many years. Yes, we should expect more, and yes, we can achieve more, but, like mastery and success in chess, our efforts must be persistent and informed. Healthy economic competition, internationally-demanded workforce, strengthening of rule of law and our institutions, improvement of education, and the empowerment of women are the proven factors that push a nation forward. Let’s keep to that.
Exercising our rights WITH personal responsibility towards the future is also critical. It starts with each of us, individuals: working towards clean streets, green parks, rubbish-free rivers, clean forests. When we all take this personal responsibility towards our surroundings and our country, we then demonstrate our love of land and people.
We are unbeatable when united. God bless Armenia!
Levon Aronian
Yerevan, Armenia