President Armen Sarkissian: after the elections Artsakh gives the example of unity

”Beloved citizens of the Republic of Artsakh, my dear compatriots. First, I would like to remind that in Armenia and in Artsakh the coronavirus infection level is still high and I urge everyone to observe all possible protective measures to stay healthy,” the President of Armenia said today at the meeting with the journalists, addressing the people of Artsakh.

President Sarkissian noted that this was his first visit to Artsakh after the presidential and parliamentary elections, “I met with the new leadership of Artsakh in Yerevan, and today I am here to congratulate the newly elected president and, at the same time, Armenians of Artsakh, all citizens of the Republic of Artsakh on the occasion of the parliamentary and presidential elections held on a very high level, also those, who participated to the elections, didn’t win but proved through their participation that Artsakh is a free and democratic country and is able to hold elections in line with the highest standards.”

President Sarkissian viewed meetings held in Stepanakert as very productive and noted that unity was the key topic of the discussions. “After the elections, Artsakh demonstrated unity in a sense that different political forces have been united in one government and will serve their Fatherland, our Fatherland – the Republic of Artsakh,” Armen Sarkissian underscored. “We spoke also about development in different areas. I believe, there is one option for Artsakh’s future development and that option is to be and remain a strong state. The Artsakh problem has no other solution except for a strong Artsakh, while a strong Artsakh rests on four pillars. First is patriotism and strong will of the Armenians of Artsakh which leads patriotism of the entire Armenian nation in the Republic of Armenia and in Diaspora, and dedication to Artsakh and Artsakh’s just demand.

The second pillar I believe, is the Army. Artsakh has had and today too, has a victorious army and we must do everything for the army to remain one of those main pillars.

The third pillar is Artsakh’s economy: strong Artsakh should have a strong economy and agriculture is the core of it. We’ve had a detailed and practical discussions on that with the President of Artsakh on how the President of the Republic of Armenia and his colleagues can help and be useful to Artsakh, to develop the country’s economy.

The fourth pillar is democracy. Artsakh is a state which is able to sustain a 2-3 times bigger population which means a manifold bigger economy, thus, a bigger army.”

President Sarkissian assessed his visit as very productive and noted, “I want you to be confident that the President of Armenia, the Prime Minister and the government – we all stand by Artsakh and will do everything necessary for the Republic of Artsakh to develop as a free, democratic, and strong country.”