Address of President Serzh Sargsyan to the citizens of the Republic of Armenia and all Armenians

Address of President Serzh Sargsyan to the citizens of the Republic of Armenia and all Armenians


The “Bazeh” All-Armenian
Youth gathering, Jermuk



Dear Friends,

I cordially welcome you to picturesque Jermuk. The “Bazeh” All-Armenian Youth gathering looks like a miniature image of our people spread all over the world. “Gathered in Armenia from all over the world to fulfill the Armenian dreams,” this I would imagine could be the special motto of the “Bazeh”. These gatherings carry a particular meaning – it is our national unity and pledge to act for the benefit of Armenia.

For some time now I have been thinking about addressing sons and daughters of our nation. I have decided to realize my intention today and here, together with you since I cannot imagine a better occasion than addressing the glistening eyes of 650 young people. Here in your Motherland, in this environment resplendent with patriotism, I am asking for your assistance in addressing our people. Agreed?

Dear Compatriots,

I am addressing all the citizens of the Republic of Armenia, as well as those who believe Armenia is their Motherland, all those who have been proudly telling their children and grandchildren from the very beginning of their lives that they are Armenians, that they have the Motherland far away, at the skirts of Mount Ararat, that they have Armenia.

I address to you with a plea, with the appeal to grant the most attention to the land and water which are home to us and for the generations to come, a home which embraces you warmly without questions and which stops you when you take on unnecessary risks.

First, I address those of our compatriots who are searching for Armenian words among the hundreds of TV channels.

Dear Friend,

Allow me to call you friend, as it is the way among us, Armenians. I want to talk to you about Armenia and about you.
I am confident that the warm memories of the childhood, kind and smiling eyes of familiar and unfamiliar grandpas are calling you home. I know, the madness of the Parisian bohemian life, your achievements in New York, respectful glances of your Moscow friends and your own complacency constantly bring you back to your grandma and grandpa, “Come home, boy”. It all comes back to sunny smiles of your mom and dad, to your exhaustion from playing at the children’s grounds, all of these call you - “Come home, boy”…You need your roots, to build your well-being upon them, and your maturity, and the life you’ve created. You need that bond tying you to your childhood, tying you to your birthplace, to your backyard, to your aged grandma and grandpa, to your concerned friends and family.

I am sure that while telling you a fairy tale, your grandma would say that the Armenians are like trees, you can uproot them but if the roots are undamaged, they will bear a new stem and a new tree will grow.

Our home and our childhood are our land. Whether they are good or bad, they are ours. We have deep roots here. Winds and storms, the earthquake and injustice axed our tree. We know where the roots are, we can bear stems again because different sun, different water, and different winds made us stronger. We are strong. A little love and juices of the roots will give birth to a bounteous tree.

Let us stand up for our home, the garden of our childhood needs a rainbow colored marry-go-round. Our grandmas and grandpas need us to untwine the canvas of their lives for us. Our backyards need us even if just once a year. As for our land and water…well, they need nothing. Just love your home and your backyard and then the Motherland itself will be loved.

I want also to appeal to all our citizens.

Dear Fellow Citizens,

Today we are actually doing one shared job – we are building the Armenia of tomorrow. We should leave a different Armenia to our generations – an advanced, democratic and peaceful Armenia. I am confident that the image of the Armenia of tomorrow should be deeply rooted in each and every one of us: a farmer and a teacher, a construction worker and a state employee, a businessman and an artist, in everyone.

This is probably the way which will make each citizen of Armenia confess sincerely and relentlessly – I love my country.

This is probably the way which will lead us towards a reality in which we will be asking tirelessly “Am I doing enough for my country, so that it can straighten up and smile like a child?”

Dear Fellow Citizens,

Armenia is home to her citizens and to the Armenians living all over the world. This apparent truth compels us to work together to make our Motherland bloom. I want in particular to address our businessmen and well-to-do Armenians. Be more active and imaginative in your undertakings to advance Armenia. This is my request to all of you. Look at these young people: they are full of loyalty and sparkle. Let’s not only talk to them but also show them our work. Let us bring them up as good Armenians, devoted sons and daughters of the Motherland.

I will not talk today of the means of bringing our efforts together, or about state-private sector cooperation, or new approaches to Armenia-Diaspora relations, or All-Armenian Bank, or other things. I am talking today about the Armenians and about our Motherland Armenia. There is no a third party here. There are you and your past, you and your future, your children’s future.

I appeal to all of you: choose your part of Armenia, choose your library, school, or museum, take any other idea, choose and build, augment, create, multiply and implement.

Recreate the fairy tale of your childhood – this is my request to the businessmen and prosperous Armenians.

I am confident my appeal will find its response. I am confident you do realize that we are mortal but Armenia is immortal.

Long live Armenia and long live the Armenian people!