Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan, during his speech yesterday at the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C., said that reading the Bible helped him overcome his time in prison for his role in the 2008 post-election riots in Yerevan.

“It is very important to be guided by the Bible, for me, in particular, the New Testament, how to behave in everyday work,” Pashinyan said.

He said that religious freedom is a very important part of democracy in Armenia and lauded the U.S. as a beacon of religious freedom.

Pashinyan also claimed that there’s “a good tradition of religious tolerance and respect” in the South Caucasus and neighboring countries.

 “We hope to transform our regional disputes into regional dialogue, and religious freedom is one of the tools that can make this a reality,” he said, adding that Armenia can foster interfaith dialogue between Muslims, Christians, Jews, and others given its centuries-old presence in the region.

Pashinyan said there is no tension between the various religious communities in Armenia and his government and the country’s institutions are constantly working to prevent “outside forces” from sowing such tensions.

Read full speech here.