Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan marked May 1, International Workers’ Day, by arguing that work is the pathway to personal happiness and prosperity.

Pashinyan, in a statement today, congratulated those who work and pay taxes, but had little to say about the rights of workers.

“As far as labor rights are concerned, the most important solution to this problem lies not only in proper laws and regulations, but also in a caring and knowledgeable relationship between employers and workers,” Pashinyan writes.

He added that poverty in Armenia can be overcome by work combined with education, and that his administration’s long-term goal is to reform public education so that “the talents of people are revealed, leading to satisfying employment.”