Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday described the people as the “God” of the state, saying that a citizen—or the collective of citizens—forms its foundation.

He made the remarks during a lecture on the “Real Armenia” doctrine in the town of Maralik, on the occasion of Citizen’s Day.

“According to our concept of the state and democracy, the citizen is the God of the state, or more precisely, the collective of citizens—the people—are the God of the state,” Prime Minister Pashinyan said.

In his view, this means that it is the people who create and have created the state; therefore, a citizen is a person who has the will to have a state.

“The state is a concept whose creation takes place periodically, because the beginning of each new stage of the state’s development is, in essence, the creation of the state,” the Prime Minister emphasized.

According to Nikol Pashinyan, just as a citizen must love their state, the state must also love its citizens. In his words, the breakdown of the state begins at the point where this formula is violated.

“The citizen must strengthen the state, and the state must strengthen the citizen,” the Prime Minister stressed.

Pashinyan added that, according to his and his administration’s belief, the state must ensure that students receive a competitive education, which will enable them to obtain jobs that ensure a decent life. In his view, only an educated person can be strong.