Our task is to keep interests of the Republic of Armenia in a balanced state - PM attends event dedicated to Diplomat's Day
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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended an event dedicated to Diplomat's Day at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to the PM’s office, Pashinyan thanked employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their service and congratulated them on the occasion of Diplomat Day, emphasizing the importance of the diplomatic service as a key institution of the state.
“The mission of the diplomatic service is to create the most favorable conditions for Armenia’s interests in the international arena, ensuring that the Republic of Armenia’s message is clearly understood and accepted. However, I must emphasize once again that to achieve this, it is crucial to thoroughly understand the external environment in which we operate, as the content and success of our message depend on this,” Pashinyan said.
The Prime Minister stated that how Armenia presents itself as an independent state should be shaped by external perceptions and recognition. He noted that different levels of recognition could influence the country’s messaging and positioning.
“In this regard, as long as the world remains unfamiliar to us, we too remain unfamiliar to the world-as a state and as an environment. We must acknowledge this reality, as failing to do so would hinder progress. At the same time, we must seek and find solutions. Strengthening and continuously developing the capabilities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the diplomatic service is essential in this context.
"Of course, in terms of a global scale, we may not have done much, but I am happy to note that in recent years, we have solved the problem of infrastructure development. It may seem simple, but for example, we recently visited the new building of the Armenian Embassy in Great Britain, which is a piece of physical infrastructure, a territory belonging to the Republic of Armenia. These nuances are also very important in diplomacy. When I say they don’t recognize us and we don’t recognize them, including with such attributes, countries recognize each other and perhaps express their attitude in some way.",” Pashinyan said.
"I am pleased to note that we have a new embassy building in France. Of course, we keep this issue in the spotlight so that the physical infrastructure of our foreign relations and the diplomatic service is at a proper level and ensures its continuous development," said the Prime Minister, also noting that the Government tries to create a system of material guarantees for diplomats.
According to Pashinyan, it is visible even to the naked eye that the previous year has been a very active diplomatic year. "We are establishing new relations that we have not had, we are developing and clarifying our previous relations, and this should be considered in the context of a balanced and balancing foreign policy. The key reason for these balances is the purpose of keeping the balanced state of the Republic of Armenia. In other words, our task is to keep the interests of the Republic of Armenia through the balance of foreign relations in a balanced state."
The PM noted that it is very important to be precise when commenting on the phrase "Armenian interests." The study and understanding of the modern world show that when talking about state interests, one should first understand the economic development of the country. As one delves into the nuances of foreign policy, the procedures, practices, and mechanisms of international relations, it becomes clear that the economy and its development are at the core of everything. There cannot be a situation where economic relations are not in a normal state, are not developing, while the country and its diplomacy are in a state of development,” Pashinyan said.
According to the Prime Minister, linguistic thinking is also of significant importance in our vocabulary. For example, one of the most commonly used words in international diplomacy is "deal." However, “sometimes the word 'deal' has a negative connotation or subtext in our language, while the primary goal of international relations is to conclude transactions in the proper and figurative sense of the word.”
"In the proper sense, the result of international relations is numerous - as many treaties as possible. But on the other hand, there are also non-contractual transactions, verbal agreements, gentlemen's agreements, and interstate agreements. In this regard, to actually assess the effectiveness of our foreign policy and foreign affairs, we should try to have numerical expressions as well. For example, how many deals we signed in the previous period, how many agreements we signed, how many documents we signed, and what content they brought to various spheres of the policy of the Republic of Armenia," noted Nikol Pashinyan.
Referring to the peace process, Pashinyan emphasized that the peace agenda is one of the priorities of the Armenian Government. "But on the other hand, we must also understand, and we knew from the very beginning, that serving the peace agenda is not an easy task. I think that our attitude should be the following: if we have adopted it, it means that it corresponds to the state interests of Armenia. Therefore, we must solve our problem and do so precisely as a result of the formulas I mentioned, through a better and deeper understanding of the world, the region, relations, challenges, opportunities, and threats. I want to believe that we are going this way. I see that we are going this way, and it is very important that this path be continuous. In diplomacy, of course, flexibility is very important, but it must also be in the right balance with consistency," the Prime Minister said.
Concluding his speech, Nikol Pashinyan once again congratulated everyone on the occasion of Professional Day and emphasized that the diplomatic service in our country has been continuously developing since its creation and continues to evolve today. According to the Prime Minister, this development requires a return to reflection. “We must be able to ask ourselves questions. Naturally, the more pleasant these questions are, the more pointless they are; the more unpleasant they are, the more useful they become. Asking pleasant questions doesn’t require much courage or effort, but I believe we must be able to ask ourselves the unpleasant questions, and we do, and we are right to do so,” said Pashinyan.
Afterward, the inauguration ceremony for diplomats appointed to diplomatic service positions took place. During the ceremony, a number of diplomats received diplomatic certificates from the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia. Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan awarded a group of diplomats with the 2nd-degree Medal of Honor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia.