Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan today attended the opening of the 6th Pan-Armenian Armenia-Diaspora Conference at Yerevan’s Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex.

Sargsyan delivered the following remarks at the first plenary session of the Conference. (The following is the official unedited translation of the speech released by Sargsyan’s press office)

 

Honorary President of the Republic of Artsakh,
Your Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians,
Your Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia,
Reverend Fathers,
Dear Colleagues,
Dear Compatriots,

I am glad to greet all of you in Yerevan, the capital of all Armenians, in the frame of the Armenia-Diaspora Sixth Pan-Armenian Forum.

It has already become a good tradition to host in the Motherland this representative forum of different communities and organizations from Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora, at which we discuss the ongoing programs and outline the launch of new initiatives in different directions.

Many of you have come a long way to Yerevan. Some have even had to change three or four planes to be here today to bring their community message, emotions and questions. I offer my warm greetings to all of you and welcome you to Mother Armenia.

During the two days of the forum, key challenges will come under review, and new opportunities will be outlined for Armenia and the future of the Armenian people. I am convinced that the discussions will focus on our shared vision of building a just, developed and cohesive country.

In this fast-developing world, we, the entire Armenian nation, is changing, too, along with the Diaspora-based communities, the Church, local and pan-Armenian institutions, and our agenda is changing accordingly. The Armenia-Diaspora conferences are a good opportunity to feel each other’s breath in most important venues.

We saw many opinions voiced at the latest conference; we heard a number of valuable suggestions, some of which have already been transformed into practical projects. During the preceding forum, for example, the idea of forming a Pan-Armenian council was approved; several legal papers dealing with the consequences of the Armenian Genocide were compiled.

Good ideas become initiatives, which should be turned into specific projects and actions. As a matter of fact, ideas and initiatives are much easier to formulate than to implement.

Of course, the time has come to take a retrospective glance at the path we have left behind. In parallel, I suggest we employ this forum as a platform for Armenia-Diaspora strategic dialogue, where the debates held in the spirit of unity and pluralism may result in action plans for the development and strengthening of communities in Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora.

The Third Republic of Armenia is undoubtedly much stronger thanks to the efforts of traditional Armenian Diaspora organizations and our compatriots integrated in the international community. We appreciate the contribution made by each and every one of you.

All the necessary conditions have been created in Armenia and Artsakh for the self-fulfilment of our compatriots in the first place, for their success in public, social or private enterprise, so that they could ultimately back up our common drive to build a better country with concrete work or good advice.

Dear Friends,

No matter how much we appreciate the efforts of our traditional institutions and experienced devotees, I would like to remind all of us that our efforts will not be complete without the constructive involvement of the youth and the new generation. Therefore, I am now addressing our smart and bright young people.

Driven by the trends coming from the globalized world, many young people in Diaspora communities increasingly call themselves multiethnic. We must pay special attention to these trends and develop new programs to ensure the cultural and professional development of our youth and bolster their national identity.

In this regard, a special vote of thanks is due to those organizations providing opportunities for professional internships and youth gatherings in Armenia through the efforts of Diaspora devotees. We must tap the youth’s potential to enrich our lives both in Armenia, Artsakh and Diaspora communities for the sake of the rising generation and using their capacities.

I find it important to underline another, often misunderstood factor. The message of unity inherited from our ancestors has never meant unanimity or the need to prefer the opinion of the majority to individual viewpoints. Both in Armenia and in the Diaspora, we welcome and appreciate pluralism, which is an important condition for innovative thinking.

The appeal of the Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity should not be regarded as the antonym of autonomy. On the contrary, we can achieve effective solutions through cooperative action, with the emphasis placed on the diversity in approaches. Our strength lies in our pluralism.

I avail myself to meet with the representatives of local Armenian communities during international trips. All these meetings were distinguished with special warmth, and I feel great pride when I see the achievements of our sisters and brothers.

Everywhere I can see Armenians strong with the sense of dignity who have preserved their national identity and are doing their best to hand down our common heritage to generations. At each meeting, I could notice that each community has its own particular features. At each of these meetings, I appealed to you and asked you to maintain the Armenian identity and, at the same time, be the best citizen of your country, to deny assimilation, but at the same time to get integrated in the best possible manner.

The four key topics on the agenda of the Armenia-Diaspora Sixth Pan-Armenian Forum provide a good platform for revealing the problems high on our agenda, discussing different solutions, combining the efforts of public, non-governmental and pan-Armenian organizations and outlining new areas of close cooperation.

See full text of speech HERE