PRESIDENT SARGSYAN ADDRESSES THE NATION AND THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
armradio.am
03.10.2008 13:40
RA President Serzh Sargsyan addressed the nation and the National
Assembly during the special session of the Parliament on October
2. The President stated, in part:
"Dear Deputies, Dear guests, Dear compatriots,
Our republic is entering a new phase of its history, where importance
is attached to the readiness of Armenia and our society to the
contemporary global challenges, the problems facing the country, the
realities of the new world and the capacity to resist those in case of
necessity. In this new period we witness serious changes both on the
geopolitical and regional levels. War just next to us, closed borders,
problems of outer communication, complex regional relations, clash
of interests of the super powers: this is the framework of realities
for Armenia today. Under these conditions we should solve issues of
growth, and not just survival. As a result of these transformations
the situation around us and inside our country is not as it was
before, but it does not mean that everything has turned upside down,
it does not mean that we should implement radical changes in all our
approaches. Just the opposite, today we can state the fact that over
years our country has learnt to stand firm on its feet even under
the conditions of most unprofitable foreign environment."
The President stated that competitiveness is the formula of our
success.
"In a short period of time we should essentially raise the
global competitiveness of Armenia. We should be able to raise the
competitiveness of branches of our economy, our companies, whole our
economy and human resources. We must be competitive. Ascending Armenia:
this should be our utmost objective."
Speaking about Armenia and the world, Serzh Sargsyan stated: "I think
the events around South Ossetia and the developments following those
sobered us up. Today it’s more than obvious that we are required
not only to clearly, pragmatically assess the events, but also take
consistent steps. We need stability in the country, unification of
strength and opportunities, new approaches and solutions.
"When did the Artsakhi war come to an end?" Let’s try to walk about
the cities and villages of Armenia and ask this question. Among
others, people will tell you that the war is not yet over. Yes, the
war will not be over, until the arms race comes to an end, until we
all congratulate the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh
for their willful decision and peaceful resolution of the conflict.
Let’s look around: the foreign threats have not reduced. But have we
completely sobered up after the latest events? I hope so. Sometimes,
I get an impression that the whole society has become a spectator
and a critic.
A few days ago I called on our Ambassadors to be diligent in properly
representing Armenia in international structures. But that’s not
enough.
There are about 10 million Armenians in the world. Therefore, Armenia
should have 10 million ambassadors. In the current information war
it’s our only counterbalance to oil dollars."
Referring to economic issues, President Sargsyan noted: "Time has come
for Armenia to implement large and daring initiatives. Such programs
do not only solve important strategic issues, but also have a broad
influence on the economy and the society: there create thousands of
new jobs, serve as reasons for the creation of different enterprises,
open new markets and encourage the development of science. Construction
of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline is the best proof of the fact that
even the most daring objectives can become a reality in our country
due to consistent work and confidence in own power."
Concluding his speech, the President said we still have much to do:
develop our economy, reinforce our statehood, ensure our security. We
need our centuries-old values to reach all this.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
