President of the Republic Vahagn Khachaturyan hosted Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the Presidential Residence.

Within the framework of the solemn ceremony, President Khachaturyan signed the decree appointing Nikol Pashinyan Prime Minister of the Republic, at the proposal of the Civil Contract faction of the National Assembly.

The President congratulated the Prime Minister and wished him success.

“Pursuant to Article 149 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, it was a great honor for me to sign the decree appointing the candidate nominated by the political majority of the National Assembly as Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia.

This constitutional act symbolizes not only an important milestone in the formation of state authority, but also the mission of assuming exceptional responsibility before the Republic of Armenia and its citizens.

I am confident that Your tenure in office will be based on the values and principles underlying public service: loyalty to the Republic of Armenia and the Constitution, service to the public and state interest, a commitment to continuously strengthening statehood, and responsibility for the present and future of our country.

I wish You unwavering will, determination, strength and resilience in carrying out Your responsible mission, for the benefit of the Republic of Armenia, the strengthening of its statehood, and the dignified and peaceful future of our people,” the President said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan thanked the President for the invitation, for signing the decree in a ceremonial setting, and for his warm words, trust and support.

“I must honestly say that in 2018, when I assumed the office of Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia as a result of the Popular, Non-Violent, Velvet Revolution, it would have been difficult to predict that we would travel such a path, and I think it would have been difficult to predict that we would be capable of overcoming this path. But we are where we are, and I think that the key role and significance in all of this unquestionably belongs to the people of the Republic of Armenia, who ultimately demonstrated exceptional expressions of civic consciousness and state-mindedness throughout this entire period. And, of course, this entails a great obligation and responsibility. Of course, the Government will be formed in the near future, and all members of the Government, including myself, will formally reaffirm our obligations to our people through the text of the oath.

I would also like to thank You for the address You delivered today from the rostrum of the National Assembly. You conveyed very important messages, which I followed attentively.

I hope that the National Assembly of the ninth convocation will ultimately become a platform that serves as an environment for the clash of political ideas, thoughts and visions, rather than the confrontation of individuals. Today, I also heard the same message from the candidate for President of the National Assembly, Mr. Rubinyan, nominated by the Civil Contract Party. He demonstrated the readiness of the Civil Contract parliamentary faction to work in Parliament without personal or personalized targeting and outside the logic of profanity and insults. Of course, debates should and will be sharp, but it is very important what that sharpness is about. The sharpness should concern political, economic and socio-economic substance, rather than mutual targeting. In any case, we have heard Your message and will be guided by it. I hope that we will succeed in not deviating from this course, because this process is not one-sided. And if the opposition also considers this approach acceptable, I believe we will have much more substantive and high-quality work.

Mr. President, once again I would like to thank You for the support You have shown throughout this entire period. Of course, we do not fully publicize our meetings and joint work, because at the working level we are engaged in very close dialogue and discuss numerous issues. Throughout this period, both in official and unofficial contacts, I have always seen and felt Your support, for which I am grateful,” the Prime Minister said.

President Vahagn Khachaturyan:

“Mr. Prime Minister, I would just like to briefly thank You once again for the trust that exists between the Government, the Presidential Administration and the National Assembly, because I myself participate in important state decisions, an opportunity that You have essentially given me, although the Constitution provides for such opportunities only in a very limited manner. And it is this trust that also convinces me that the policies You pursue, as head of the Government and as the leader of the political majority, will serve to strengthen the Republic of Armenia, will contribute to strengthening Armenia’s sovereignty, and will unequivocally serve Armenia’s strong future.

Once again, I wish You success, will, resilience and strength, because what many of us see from the outside, including the citizens of the Republic of Armenia, is only the external part. The internal circumstances that exist, about which many people are not informed, require the principled approach that You have demonstrated over these years. You rightly noted that what was happening in 2018 could not have allowed us to imagine that such developments would take place, not only in our region but in the world as a whole. We must be able, as you say and repeatedly emphasize, to make the processes taking place manageable. That is the most important thing.

And one small observation concerning the political environment in general. The fact that the citizens of our Republic of Armenia have been given the opportunity, under the Constitution, to choose their government has become a reality. This has always been a dream for us. For years, our people have made their choice, but unfortunately, that power was taken away from them. Since 2018, our people have been making their choice and receiving that power. And the government elected by the people has an obligation and must live up to the trust it receives from the people. But there is also another important factor. The stability, strengthening and resilience of the state depend not only on the political majority that assumes power, but also on the opposition. Just as society in democratic countries needs a high-quality political majority, the opposition has an even more important role and significance. And together we must do everything, including working with the opposition. I have also heard Mr. Rubinyan’s messages. I am confident that You are committed to creating such a situation and atmosphere, because ultimately we should all have one goal: to have a strong and powerful Republic of Armenia.”