Public politician and former Minister of State of the Republic of Artsakh Ruben Vardanyan presented the areas essential for the future of Artsakh, in the direction of which he will continue the work and to which the programs of the “We Are Our Mountains” Territorial Development Agency founded and is directed by him. Ruben Vardanyan emphasized that his goal remains unchanged: To do everything to have a SAFE, FREE, DIGNIFIED ARMENIAN ARTSAKH. He noted that this year marks the 35th year of the Karabakh movement, but the struggle is still ongoing.
“For many, the struggle is war, and the struggle is victims. In my understanding, the struggle is when you correctly assess your strengths and weaknesses; you know how to minimize the danger arising from them and strengthen your strengths, make them an advantage, and use them correctly. The struggle for me is to wake up every morning and ask myself, what have you done in that direction?”
Ruben Vardanyan noted that eight directions of struggle had been identified, around which the programs will be implemented. They are, in particular, the strengthening of subjectivity, the creation of a reliable system of security and defense, including civil defense, the creation of a viable economic system, the confrontation of hybrid war, and the quality and competitive education system. “The problems facing us require coordinated work and concentration of all forces. Only the government could not carry out these works. It is possible to do this by consolidating all private and public resources, involving the potential of the Armenian world. We as a society cannot overcome our challenges unless we come together. We have to do everything to trust each other.”
He noted that the “We Are Our Mountains” Territorial Development Agency, founded in November of last year, has implemented more than 4 million dollars of projects aimed at supporting Artsakh, mainly in two directions: strategic initiatives and public projects. And the programs of the second group aimed to solve the priority problems of the people of Artsakh during the crisis. The “We are our mountains” agency will continue its active activities in Artsakh. Regarding the importance of public trust in the authorities, Ruben Vardanyan noted that he adopted transparency as the main principle because a transparent working style is the basis of justice.
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“Staying in Artsakh, I will consistently preserve those principles.” In this context, he referred to the discussions on providing new social benefits (regarding utility payments and others.), noting that such decisions should be transparent. The public should be informed of the funds at which it will be implemented if the budget is approved with a deficit and the previous social programs and commitments undertaken still need to be fulfilled.
Ruben Vardanyan also spoke about the need to maintain “red lines” related to Artsakh, which, according to him, will be extremely important not to be crossed to keep Artsakh safe, free, dignified Armenian. “I am glad that my contacts with leading officials and representatives of all walks of life helped define the “red lines.” We will be consistent in protecting these “red lines” because any violation of them is unacceptable.”
