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YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 25, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his spouse Anna Hakobyan had a meeting with the Armenian community of New York City within the framework of a visit to the United States.
The meeting took place at the St. Vartan Armenian Church in New York City, where the Armenian PM is participating at the UN General Assembly.
Pashinyan was greeted at the church by Bishop Daniel Findikian, the Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the US of the Armenian Church, Archbishop Vigen Aykazyan and Archimandrite Mesrop Parsamian.
Over 500 representatives of the Armenian community gathered for the meeting and were cheering and applauding the PM’s arrival.
“Dear countrymen, it is indeed a great honor and pleasure to meet you,” Pashinyan said at the event.
“Last year, when we visited the church, which wasn’t planned in the program because we were thinking that we would have timing problems, but it so happened that we visited, I felt great regret that we didn’t plan also a meeting with the Armenians of New York. This year we thought we won’t leave New York without meeting you. Therefore I am very happy.
The day before yesterday we had a rather good and impressive rally in Los Angeles, and during this rally I delivered a speech where I spoke about several important aspects of our pan-national life. I wouldn’t want to repeat what I’ve said the day before yesterday in Los Angeles. I would generally want to share with you the impressions I have 1 year and 5 months after the revolution.
The most important impression is the following: generally, the path of change is a rather difficult path, and when the revolution took place, the most important challenge afterwards which we are witnessing is for people to understand that everything which has been said and has happened is truly a reality, because as strange as it might seem not everyone and not always is it recorded that this is indeed reality.
For example, I do not understand how after all these developments and political changes one can be a public official in Armenia and think that it is possible to accept bribes again or allow some illicit actions. This is the most surprising question for me, the answer to which I cannot find. You know that very often – every month, sometimes every week, some official is being arrested for bribery, moreover red-handedly, and I cannot understand the reasoning of these peoples’ minds. I am always asking this question – aren’t these people watching television? Aren’t these people reading the news? Are these people from the Republic of Armenia or not?
This is perhaps the greatest challenge, because after the revolution, when this celebration is coming to its end and you are shifting to your daily work, you sometimes meet faces and proposals – what happened, this is all good but when are we going to distribute our money, sectors, import quotas – and you understand that in reality this occurrence isn’t spread in one individual small group. This is perhaps the biggest challenge.
I would like to once again repeat, that all what has happened and what is happening is reality, and those who will not record this, in their case regardless of where they are compromises can’t happen. People think everything will remain the same but simply instead of Serzh Sargsyan another person will be seated there. There was the following expression in the beginning – is this why we are doing the revolution? Meaning people who were violating traffic rules and were getting fined, were getting upset and were saying – is this why we were doing the revolution? The thief was committing robbery, getting caught and was saying – is this why we were doing a revolution? The corrupt are taking bribes, getting caught and say – is this why we were doing the revolution? Another one is unable to hire his friend to work and says – is this why we were doing the revolution? Meaning this kind of a perception of the revolution existed, where supposedly those who for many years worked to get a profitable position or get their relatives hired for such positions, and think that a revolution took place and we will do what we previously couldn’t do now and get the money and remain unpunished.
This is perhaps the greatest challenge which exists, but I would like to say again for the record that like I said earlier I do not imagine compromise with these occurrences, because if suddenly I myself enter into compromise with these kinds of occurrences it will mean that these changes, this revolution which took place are simply meaningless.
Therefore, our mission isn’t to achieve some kind of a status and enjoy this status, but our objective is to bring fundamental, content, institutional changes in the country, and to change the quality of life, the country’s quality, the quality of the work of institutions. This is a path where compromises won’t happen. I find that I have received a very powerful mandate from the people of the Republic of Armenia in order for corruption, crime, cronyism, monopolies to be eradicated in Armenia, and this must be done until the end and selflessly.
I would like to reassure that now I am even more resolute in this matter than a year before, because I understand that this decisiveness is the only method with which we must solve all problems facing our country, the result of which must be the following – Armenia must be a truly democratic, truly sovereign, truly social and a truly state of law. This is our objective. I am thankful to you that you are supporting us, supporting me for the solution of this issue,” the PM said.
After his remarks the PM held a Q&A with those present.
An exhibition dedicated to the Velvet Revolution was also opened in the church territory.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan