YEREVAN — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in his congratulations on the 32nd anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Armenia, reaffirmed his commitment to the Alma-Ata Declaration.
Pashinyan stated that he has frequently faced criticism when conducting foreign and regional policy lately. Many have criticized him for relying on the Alma-Ata Declaration of December 1991 and related documents, which were also signed by the Republic of Armenia. He mentioned that both direct and indirect calls have been made to abandon the policy based on that document.
“The issue lies in the fact that the Alma-Ata Declaration and related documents constitute one of the fundamental factors underpinning the independence of the Republic of Armenia. These documents record the political and legal basis for the 12 former USSR republics, including the Republic of Armenia, gaining independence from the Soviet Union, as well as the fundamental principles of that independence,” Pashinyan explained. He added, “Therefore, calls to abandon politics based on that document are tantamount to calls for relinquishing Armenia’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, along with all the consequences that would ensue.”
According to Pashinyan, it is essential to grasp why “we must tread this path of trials. To say that it’s for the sake of independence is to speak a significant part of the truth, but not the most crucial part. Independence, however noble a goal, is essentially a means to achieve a higher purpose — the well-being of our future generations. We must leave behind an Armenia where people can freely express themselves and build their own happiness through free and creative work.
“Today, we find ourselves in challenging times, enduring indescribable physical and psychological suffering. Even now, Armenia faces many conditions contributing to this situation: democracy, freedom of economic and legal activity, equality of all before the law, a resolute anti-corruption policy, and economic activity are necessary but insufficient conditions,” Pashinyan emphasized.
“In the summer of 2021, with your votes, I was elected as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia with the motto ‘There is a future.’ The peaceful, democratic, prosperous, creative, and happy future of the Republic of Armenia is the goal for which we endure these trials, the goal for which we tread this path,” Pashinyan concluded.
