The natural wealth of the Armenian people is the Armenian people. For Armenia it is called Diaspora, for the Diaspora - Armenia. President Armen Sarkissian met with the representatives of the Armenian community in Rome

The President of the Republic of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, who is in Italy on a state visit, together with his wife Nouneh Sarkissian, visited the Leonian Armenian College in Rome, and met with the representatives of the Armenian community of Italy.

President Sarkissian presented the meetings and discussions held within the framework of the state visit, referred to the Armenian-Italian friendly relations, spoke about the 44-day war and the development prospects of our country, as well as the need to fully use the potential of the Diaspora.

Touching upon the significance of the state visit, President Sarkissian particularly noted that after the pandemic, Italy hosted a president on a state visit for the first time in the last two and a half years. And it was not the visit of a superpower president but the visit of the President of the Republic of Armenia. "I am proud of that. I am proud to represent you, our people, the citizens of Armenia," said the President. "Besides the personal relations and friendship, there is also another fundamental issue: the attitude of the Italian state and, in particular, President Mattarella to our people, our state and statehood. We must be well aware that this is friendship."

The President noted that during the pandemic, when Italy was in a difficult situation, he was in constant contact with President Mattarella, trying to support as much as possible. "Even a small word of a friend, his worry is appreciated and remembered. In the same way, when we faced our catastrophe last year, the war, I received the support and the words of the President of Italy."

Speaking about the war and its aftermath, President Sarkissian expressed deep sorrow for the loss of thousands of young lives. "Last year was a very difficult year, we lost many young lives," said the President. "In principle, we can win, and unfortunately, lose. In both cases, there is no doubt that all those who fought were patriotic and did not spare their lives for the homeland. In the early 1990s, we were three times better prepared for war, we won. Unfortunately, we did not turn that victory into a lasting peace, there was a second war. Azerbaijan, using its capabilities and natural resources, built a modern army with the direct support of Turkey. The question was not about courage, the devotion of the fighters. Yes, this is a great tragedy, the consequences of which are still there: captives, the missing. These are the consequences of the war. During my meetings in Italy, I once again raised all the difficult issues that concern us: the issues of border demarcation, the issues of captives, and the missing. I asked for the support of the Italian side."

President Sarkissian expressed confidence that our people will be able to find the strength to straighten their backs after these painful events. "In just 30 years, our people have had a great victory and a defeat. But we are sure of one thing. Our people are surviving people. We survived the Genocide, after which we stood up, spread all over the world, rebuilt our lives, and created again. We are one of the few nations that, being far from their Homeland, first, build a church, secondly, a school, and then the rest," emphasized the President. "I am sure that together, we will not only survive but also recover. Of course, we have to talk and evaluate what mistakes we made. This is a discussion, in which the society must participate, but first, the responsible politicians. Let us sit down and discuss honestly what happened that we did not win this time."

President Sarkissian stressed that to succeed, it is necessary to use the entire collective strength of our people, including the potential of the Diaspora. "I am sure our people have the will, the strength, and abilities to live, create and overcome today's difficulties. The Armenian people have natural wealth, the Armenian people. For Armenia, it is the Diaspora, for the Diaspora, it is Armenia. I think it is time that we did not have this division and did not divide ourselves. It is time for us to understand that we are our strongest weapon.

We in Armenia, with your help, must think about how to use our advantage. In Armenia, we must seriously discuss how to change ourselves, from the Constitution to the attitude, to use our natural resource, the people, so that Armenia becomes everyone's Homeland. Armenia is the Homeland of all of us, we are all responsible for everything that happens in Armenia, for good or for bad. I am sure that finally the 21st century can be our century. Man will be of great value; we must be ready to work on this idea seriously, especially in the fields of mathematics, physics, programming, and artificial intelligence. Those who are fast, will win in the economic, cultural, and military competition. Economic success will be linked with knowledge. And our people can do that, having a policy, directed towards the future in Armenia and in the Diaspora."