YEREVAN, JANUARY 7, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has thanked the Armenian Geographic team for a hiking tour to the summit of Mount Artanish on January 5.

It was during this very hiking tour that Pashinyan went live on Facebook to address the tensions in the Middle East and called on Iran and the US to refrain from steps that would further aggravate the situation.

On January 7, the PM shared photos from the tour and thanked Armenian Geographic founder and team leader Tigran Varag, who personally led the trip.

“Once again thanks for the interesting, safe hiking tour and pleasant company. Let’s walk and get to know our country by walking. See you”, the PM said, sharing Tigran Varag’s Facebook post where he described the climb.

 Armenian Geographic was founded in 2012 and seeks to promote geo-tourism, healthy lifestyle and “Create a connection between man and the nature through geography”, according to their website.

Varag revealed that they had no idea that the prime minister would join them, and that initially only Minister of Environment Erik Grigoryan had arrived to begin the ascend. But then, Varag said in a Facebook post, the prime minister’s convoy arrived.

“In the same line with the prime minister”, Varag headlined his short story about the day, describing it as emotional.

“Each tour begins with instructions, with the most important point and my biggest request to climbers being to walk in line. Walking in line is safe: everyone is walking in the same pace, the group becomes a single organism. Walking in line is simple. The line speaks about the group’s discipline. Before each instruction I am ready to the question of why are walking in line? During every tour there is someone who definitely steps out and walks out of the line. There is always one whom you should remind all the time to get back into the line, whom you should explain that regardless of age, experience or position they are a part of the group and must adhere to the rules.  During the hiking tours I have often expressed the opinion that the country will [get someplace] only when we will all learn how to walk in line. This will mean having a disciplined society.  We were standing at the starting position and I had to begin instructions for the ascend to begin. I asked Minister of Environment Erik Grigoryan where his friends were, because I knew his friends had to join us. With a mysterious smile on his face, Erik said “there they are, they are coming”. In the distance, I saw 4 similar vehicles driving in formation with red-blue lights on the first one. I jokingly asked Erik: “Is this the Prime Minister coming”? There was nothing serious in what I said, I just said what I thought because such kind of a convoy is always associated with the leaders of the country. I didn’t know anything. The vehicles stopped, and the Prime Minister came out. As always, with a smile on his face, he approached and shook hands to greet the expedition members. Honestly for a moment I went silent, I was thinking about the instructions. I began asking myself questions. What if he doesn’t walk in line, how am I going to make him enter the line, it’s allright, he is a prime minister, although what’s the difference, whoever they are……..that’s it, I am doing my job, the rules are for everyone.

I began the instructions. The moment I said that no one should pass me and Hrachuhi [COO Armenian Geographic] will be the last in line, the PM began searching for Hrachuhi, he even came ahead to see whom I am speaking about, whom he shouldn’t stay behind from. I gestured and showed him, he nodded. We began to walk.

The Prime Minister entered the line just like anyone else. He was 7th or 8th after me. After the first five minutes I got relaxed. There wasn’t gonna be a need to [instruct] the prime minister. Nikol was walking in line. I smiled and thought well now let somebody get out of line after this, I am gonna tell them “hey, even the prime minister is walking in line with us”.

Whenever I was noticing that the PM’s breathing was becoming heavier I was asking whether there is a need to stop and rest. He was saying, you tell me, you are the team lead.

I decided to take a group photo on the summit, I was imagining how the hiking community would react. I was thinking how excited our families would get, but I was also afraid of some people getting a heart attack from jealousy. And suddenly I thought: “what if he doesn’t make it to the summit?” I turned around and looked at him, and I understood that he definitely will make it”, Varag says.

“The hike was resuming, the prime minister was calmly walking in line. His bodyguards were stepping out of the line and staying back or getting ahead. But this didn’t matter, they were on-duty”, the expedition leader said, adding that shortly afterwards they reached the summit and this is when PM Nikol Pashinyan called for peace in the region.

“During the descend, as always, the line was not maintained. Keeping the line during descend is dsirbale but not mandatory. Midway, Nikol asked why aren’t we walking in line anymore, it was easier in line.

The unusual became usual. Before this, no leader of the country during any government had ever climbed a mountain with any group. It was a great honor for us that the PM decided to join us. It certainly was an exclusive day in the history of Armenian Geographic.

My entire story was around walking in line. The line is discipline. The prime minister walking in line is one of us, because he is down-to-earth. During the trip he wasn’t making decisions or giving instructions, because he understood he had joined a professional team and he must adhere to the rules. The prime minister did not forget to promote geo-tourism. He called on people to live a healthy life, climb mountains and get to know their own country. Upon leaving, he said goodbye to each of us, he thanked for the trip and took off, after some 5 steps he stopped, looked at me and waved, saying good luck Tik.

I don’t know to what extent I was able to present the experience, but I couldn’t write this story yesterday because I was a little touched”, he said.

“Now I have the answer to what the biggest surprise in my life has been”.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan