Welcoming remarks by President Serzh Sargsyan at the World Armenian Congress – the second convention of the international union of the Armenian NGOs

Your Holiness,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I cordially congratulate participants of the World Armenian Congress, the second convention of the international union of the Armenian NGOs in our capital city Yerevan. I am glad to see here old friends and acquaintances, who have arrived to the Motherland from different corners of the world to specify the agenda of the pan-Armenian issues, with the eagerness to discuss these issues openly.

I am also glad to see new faces. I am confident that our acquaintance and friendship have a great future. I am confident because we are united by the very important values and feelings. These are feelings which allowed the Armenian nation to pass the crossroads of history preserving our type, the Armenian type. And we have millennia ahead of us which we will go through together.
I want to tell you all with all my heart – welcome to Armenia, welcome to the Motherland.

Dear Friends,

Any initiative aimed at the consolidation of Spyrk should be encouraged and cherished. We are scarce in numbers and have to struggle for each Armenian. We have to struggle to keep Armenians Armenian to withstand the danger of assimilation. For that very reason, we should encourage national self-organization and support all possible mechanisms for mutual assistance.

In this regard, I would like to mention that we, as a nation have been able to achieve certain positive results. These are results which make some uncomfortable. However we do it not to frustrate some but to address our local and all-national issues.

Nowadays, diverse and numerous Armenian NGOs are present in different parts of the world. Thanks to these organizations, today we are able to speak about the Armenian world civil society.

It is a civil society which comprises political, charitable, cultural, professional and every other type of organization. And their success is the source of our pride.
Within this civil society nobody has a monopoly of truth, knowledge, or justice. But it is important that everyone strives to unite around these principles rather than to strive to impose one’s own viewpoint. The strength of the civil society is in its diversity, and we have to do our best to encourage and preserve that diversity.
On this issue, the Armenian state also doesn’t impose its views. I am confident that state cannot substitute civil society, as well as civil society is not a substitute for the state. These two are strong in their complementarity, in their mutual support.

Dear Friends,

Representatives of many nations live today outside their motherlands. However in case of the Armenians, it was not a free choice and was not done in the pursuit of a better life. Armenians appeared in other countries because of the Genocide and because of the loss of the ancestral homeland.

The 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide is approaching fast. This crime carried out against our nation is yet to receive the proper assessment. It is a pan-Armenian issue, which I am confident will be addressed in your deliberations. The Armenian state and Armenian NGOs all over the world have a say on this issue.

It is not the only issue on our agenda. We defended Artsakh in the war imposed on us. Now, the time has come to establish justice in the diplomatic area as well. Here too, we are working hand in hand.

Today, our brothers and sisters in Syria are in a very precarious situation. We support our compatriots and will continue to assist them in every possible way.

Our national agenda is not limited to these issues. We have accomplished a lot, but we have even more to do.
I am certain, we will do it. And each of us has something to say and something to do.

I wish the participants of the convention prolific works and, certainly, memorable days in Yerevan.

Thank you.