President Vahagn Khachaturyan attended the ceremony of handing over the graduation certificates to ASUE graduates

President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan attended the ceremony of handing over diplomas to the graduates of the Armenian State University of Economics.

The President congratulated the graduates of the University and wished them the best of luck in their further studies and work. Vahagn Khachaturyan specifically noted:

"The most important aspect in life that is valued in people is knowledge and professionalism. Every day, every second, we, regardless of age, need to enrich the knowledge we have, even in small portions. Especially in this age of rapid development when changes in daily life or in general happen every second, we must constantly gain knowledge and be able to "process" it so that we can secure our place in this rapidly developing environment, value ourselves and our time. Nowadays a bigger problem is also being able to "process" the knowledge we receive. In this information age, it is very challenging to distinguish primary information from secondary, but you should be able to do this too. I am hopeful that your professors managed to help and guide you in this matter as well.

Never despair. Always remember that there is a way out of any difficult situation. These are not mere words to reassure you, this is the reality voiced by someone who has the experience of an ordinary human life which I am trying to convey to you. Even in the most critical situation there are always solutions. Be ready that you will find those solutions yourself, rely on yourself. Certainly, there will always be those who will help you, your parents, professors, relatives, friends, loved ones will be by your side. But remember that the key to success is to trust yourself and be ready to overcome hardships. This is of utmost importance since at a young age, any small difficulty seems insurmountable and causes despair but trust me, these are seconds that should be forgotten.

Also be aware that happy are the peoples who have a sovereign state. Thank God, the Republic of Armenia has existed since 1991 and will continue to exist, and the future of Armenia is already in your hands, and you will be the creators of the future of Armenia. This is also a very responsible task that you should be able to fulfill and use the knowledge you have received for this purpose.

I assure you that what we dreamed of in 1991 in terms of having an independent state, we did not imagine it to be like this with its difficulties, problems, successes, failures, everything. However, in fact, we have been on this journey for 32 years. Today, at this moment, we are amid ordeals. However, this does not mean that these ordeals are insurmountable. Both as a state and as those responsible for the state, we will certainly do our best to ensure that eventually we all live in a prosperous country where the most important values are freedom alongside responsibility and democracy. These are not mere words but the key ideological foundations upon which our state can progress today.

We lack natural resources, or we have very few, but we have people who have the mind, knowledge, opportunity, capacity to really make our country one where people can be happy. That is to say, we must be able to achieve the goal of having a prosperous country, and your role in that matter will increase much more. I am confident that you will become good professionals and you will attain success. I am also confident that you will manage our country better and you will make the dreams that our generation, my generation failed to make come true.

Once again, I congratulate you and wish you the best of luck."