Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is in the United States of America on a working visit. At the end of the first day of his visit to New York, Nikol Pashinyan and Anna Hakobyan met with about 500 representatives of the local Armenian community at St. Vardan Church.
At the entrance to the church, the Prime Minister of Armenia and his wife were greeted by U.S. Eastern Diocese Primate, Bishop Daniil Findikyan, Archbishop Vigen Haykazyan and Archimandrite Mesrop Parsamyan. The representatives of the Armenian community of New York greeted Nikol Pashinyan and Anna Hakobyan with warm applause and great enthusiasm.
Addressing those in attendance, Prime Minister Pashinyan stated as follows:
“Dear Compatriots,
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I am honored and very pleased to meet you. Last year, when we visited the church, and this visit was not planned as part of the official program, because we thought that there might be a time problem. Nevertheless, we did so, and I was very sorry that we had not planned a meeting with the Armenians of New York. This year, we thought that we would not leave New York without meeting you. So I am very happy.
The day before yesterday we had a pretty good and impressive rally in Los Angeles, and I gave a speech at that rally in which I spoke about several important aspects of our nationwide life. I would not repeat what I said yesterday in Los Angeles. In general, I would like to share my impressions for this year and 5 months after the revolution.
The most important impression is the following: the path of change as a whole is rather difficult, and when the revolution occurred, the most important challenge after the revolution that we faced was to make people realize that everything that happened was reality, because no matter how strange it may sound, not everyone realizes that this is reality.
For example, I do not understand after all these events, after political changes, how one can be an official in the Republic of Armenia and think that you can again take a bribe and allow any illegality. This is the most amazing question for me, to which I cannot find the answer.
You know that very often – every month, sometimes every week, some official is arrested for receiving a bribe, including at the time of receiving a bribe, and I cannot understand the logic of those people. I keep asking to myself whether these people watch TV, or read the news, are they from the Republic of Armenia or not?
This is probably the biggest challenge, because after the revolution, when the festival ends and you move on to your daily work, sometimes you can hear people saying: “Well, that is all nice, but when will we share the money, the spheres, import quotas,” and you understand that in fact this is common within a small group of people. This is probably the biggest challenge.
I want to repeat once again that everything that happened and is happening is reality, and whoever does not understand this – no matter where he is – should know that there can be no compromise. It seems to people that the change consists in that another person will be sitting up there instead of Serzh Sargsyan. Some used to ask themselves: “Is this what we made a revolution for?” Those in breach of traffic rules that had to pay fines were offended and said: “Is this what we made a revolution for?” A thief commits a theft, he is detained, he says: “Is this what we made a revolution for?” A corrupt person takes a bribe, and then says: “Is this what we made a revolution for?” Another cannot get his acquaintance to work, and then he says: “Is this what we made a revolution for?” That is, there was such a perception of the revolution that, for example, if someone tried for many yea rs to get a position fatter or to arrange his relatives for such a position, it didn’t work out, and they think that a revolution took place and what they wanted and could not do, Now they can and earn this money, will go unpunished.
Perhaps this is the biggest challenge that exists, but I want to reiterate that, as I said, I cannot imagine a compromise in terms of such phenomena, because if I myself suddenly start to think about a compromise in terms of such phenomena, it will mean that these changes, the revolution are simply meaningless.
Therefore, our mission is not to achieve any status and enjoy this status, but our task is to achieve profound, substantive, institutional changes in the country, as well as to change the quality of our country, the quality of life in our country, the quality of the work of institutions in our country. This is a path on which there will be no compromise.
I believe that I received a very strong mandate from the people of the Republic of Armenia to eradicate corruption, illegality, patronage, monopolies in Armenia, and this should be done to the end.
I want to assure you that now I am more decisive on this issue than a year ago, because I understand that this determination is the only way to solve all the problems facing our country, and the result should be the following: Armenia must be truly democratic, a truly sovereign, truly social, truly legal state. This is our task. Thank you for supporting us, supporting me in this task. Now, I will be happy to answer your questions.
Thank you.”
After the Prime Minister’s remarks, the representatives of the Armenian community of New York asked him a few questions. Nikol Pashinyan answered questions related to the fight against corruption in Armenia, the quality of public administration, economic priorities, overcoming unemployment, creating new jobs, stimulating people’s economic activity, reforming education, technological priorities, strengthening ties between Diaspora youth and the Motherland, holding to the Armenian identity, implementing innovative medical technologies, etc.
Attached is the footage of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s meeting with Armenian community representatives in New York.
An exhibition dedicated to the Velvet Revolution is on at St. Vardan Church in New York.
INFORMATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT OF THE OFFICE OF THE PRIME-MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
