President Sarkissian’s message on the situation created by the outbreak of the new coronavirus: precise strategy, organized, disciplined relations, high responsibility

First and foremost, I welcome the decision of the Government of Armenia to declare a state of emergency because we are facing a very serious challenge.

These challenges are not only ours, they are global. As a phenomenon, this challenge, in the form of a virus is not new, but the world is new. Thus, the virus is spreading all over the world very fast, much more intensely.

Forms of fight are different: as you know, various countries of the world are fighting the virus differently. We, I believe, should study meticulously the successful and unsuccessful techniques of all countries. However, there are principles to fight this kind of challenges which are essential.

The first of these principles is for the government, for each of us, for the state to have a precise strategy of how to fight the virus. State structures, entrepreneurs, non-governmental organizations should have their programs.

The second very important principle is the following: we all have to be much more organized and disciplined than we have been so far. The main form of the fight is to maintain organized and disciplined relations. Since there is no anti-virus, no medicine which can been taken, there is a very precise form of the fight – to minimize human contacts.

It takes time to defeat virus infections at large and in concrete locations. Certainly, these challenges are perilous. Today, I particularly worry very much for the health of our senior compatriots because they are vulnerable and for those who have health issues of this or that kind. But I repeat: to overcome it, it is necessary to have a precise strategy, precise administration, and discipline, especially now, when a state of emergency has been declared. Thus, there are rules which much be obeyed and rules which must be observed first and foremost for your own health, for that of your family and our whole society, for the health of our people.

And finally, the third one, which, I believe is very simple and reasonable: it is called responsibility, responsibility for all. To be responsible, from the President of the Republic, government, National Assembly, public organizations to political organizations, entrepreneurs, businessmen, each of us…

The time has come for us not only to follow closely the fight against coronavirus but also analyze the global process. Recently, I have spoken at length with the Director-General of the World Health Organization with whom I spoke about this one month ago. This second conversation was related to a very simple thing: regardless of the fact that in Armenia the new coronavirus has not reached a large scale, we are located in a pretty sensitive region; there is a risk of spread of the virus, and we need assistance. I would like to inform that I have invited the Director-General of WHO to Armenia, and he has accepted the invitation. His and his colleagues’ visit, I believe, will be very useful. Today, I have spoken with the President of Italy. We need everyone’s experience. Each country is to decide on its own strategy.

Dear fellow citizens, I want to wish health to each of you, as well as serenity, confidence that we will overcome these challenges together, helping each other, with a great sense of responsibility.

I want to express special gratitude to the workers of the health area, to doctors, nurses, healthcare administrators: lives of many of our compatriots are in your hands, and I am confident that you will fulfill your state, national, and human duty at the exceptionally high level.