On the occasion of New Year and Holly Christmas, the President of Armenia visited one of the border defense units of Armenia

Today, the President of the Republic of Armenia, Commander-in-Chief Serzh Sargsyan, accompanied by Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Garegin II, Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanian and the writer, public figure Zori Balayan on the occasion of New Year and Holly Christmas visited one of the defense units at the north-eastern section of the border.

The President met with the troops and commanders located at the combat positions, toured the defense position, familiarized with the service and living conditions of the troops.

The President handed presents to a group of officers and soldiers who have manifested dedication and candor during their service. At a festive table, Serzh Sargsyan conversed with the troops, congratulated all servicemen of the Armenian Army with the upcoming holidays, wished them all the best and thanked for their committed service.

Underscoring that ensuring security and territorial integrity is the primary task for all states, all authorities, the President noted that our soldiers, who protect our borders, fulfill that mission with excellence: in the passing year, they performed splendidly in protecting our borders and ensured security of our people. “You are the pillar of our nation. The nation starts with you, rely on you and moves forward. I know the challenges of the military service extremely well, existing difficulties, problems, but is there any easy job?”

Serzh Sargsyan said that the important thing is for everybody in our country to understand the significance of his or her job, regardless of what kind of job it is. “I can see that you understand the significance of your job very well and I would like that our Army as a whole, our people to comprehend what an important mission it is to protect and keep safe each segment of our borders. I express my thanks to you, your parents, your teachers, your sisters and wives, you girl-friends who have been able to encourage you, to make you stand strong on our borders, stand as men, as Armenian warriors and be joyful, happy even though so far away from home, to be able to sing and perform on the eve of New Year, to live a full life. I want you to be sure that this period of time will pass; for many of you there are six, eight, or eleven months to go and you will get back home and will always be proud, because you have protected the endless borders of our small homeland, because every country has endless borders. You, your unit is protecting only a couple of thousand meters, while our borders run for almost 1000 kilometers, and are protected today by your comrades, your peers. And they do it well, they do the way which befits Armenians, and protect proudly. Along with living each day fully, we have to excel in our skills, in our military professionalism, become stronger in spirit, and master our weaponry. Nobody can drive us back from this border even for an inch. I raise my toast to you all. Happy New Year and Holly Christmas! Safe service to each and every one of you,” the President of Armenia said.

Later, the President of Armenia visited Tsakhkavan village of Tavush marz and met with the residents. Serzh Sargsyan inquired about the problems of the village, conversed with the residents about issues of their interest and at a festive table congratulated the residents of Tsakhkavan on the approaching New Year and Holly Christmas.