Author: Babken Chilingarian

Below, we present Nikol Pashinyan’s aforementioned message point by point. Each point is followed by Sona Aghekian’s response to the corresponding point in italics.

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Prime Minister’s Staff

Department of Information and Public Relations Press Release

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

The ideology of the real Armenia: the Prime Minister addressed the people with a message

PROJECT

The ideology of the real Armenia

Nikol Pashinyan – The real Armenia is the Republic of Armenia, internationally recognized with an area of 29,743 square kilometers.

The vision of the progress and development of the Republic of Armenia, based on the ideology of the Real Armenia, is multi-layered and must be expressed in all spheres of state and public life.

Sona Aghekyan – Armenia has always been and will always be real, it’s another thing that at the moment the members of this wandering group have turned our country into an incredible place.

1. N.P. – Homeland is the state, do you love your homeland, strengthen your state – Homeland is one of the most cherished concepts of the linguistic thinking of our Armenians. But it is not related to the system of rights and obligations, it has geographical perception options and perceptions. This ideology of real Armenia identifies the homeland with the internationally recognized state, the Republic of Armenia, patriotism with the interests of that state, the system of rights and obligations defined in it. For the development of this model of patriotism, it is essential that the people, the citizen perceive themselves not only as the founder of the state, but also as the source of the legal order established in the state, perceive the constitutional order established in the state as a national agreement of coexistence achieved with their participation. The adoption of a new Constitution by a national referendum is essential for this system, since all previous referendums held to adopt the current Constitution have a serious lack of legitimacy, at least in public perception. The strategic goal of adopting the new Constitution is the transition from the relict (residual) way of doing things of a stateless nation to the way of doing things of a state-formed people.

1. S. A. –  The homeland is the people, do you love your homeland, strengthen your people? The homeland for an Armenian is not just a state, nor a territory constrained by borders. It is the Spirit of the Armenian, its language, history, culture, its Truth Preserved by Struggle and Blood. States come and go, constitutions are accepted and rejected, but the Armenian people remain, with their identity, with their unwavering will.

A Free, Sovereign People Is the Foundation of a True State. Without a Powerful People, a State is Just an Empty Formality. If the State Is Not on Your Side, Does Not Protect Your Interests, Then It Is Not Worthy of Your Loyalty. The Homeland is not a country, the Homeland is the Armenian people, and their will must be Absolute Value.

2. N. P. – As the soul becomes a person through the body, so the nation becomes a people through the state – The concepts of nation and people are often identified. But from a political point of view, they differ significantly, continuing to be interconnected with each other. A nation, accordingly, is a collectivity with ethnic commonality, which is not connected by general political legal capacity, and a people is a collectivity endowed with political legal capacity, which has general citizenship, that is, the people are the state-forming institution, the constitutive, the source of power and the supreme bearer of power. The Armenian people are the state-forming part of the Armenian nation. The Armenian people are the axis of the people of Armenia. The citizens of the Republic of Armenia, who are representatives of other nations, are also part of the people of Armenia.

2. S. A. – Just as the Soul Does Not Lose Its Essence Without a Body, So Does a Nation Not Cease to Exist Without a State.

 The Armenian nation has existed for thousands of years without statehood, has struggled, resisted, created a culture, created a history, and when it did not have a state, it did not lose its collective character. If the Armenian people are the core of the Armenian people , then that core must be UNDISPUTED, UNBREAKABLE and PREDOMINANT . The Republic of Armenia, as an Armenian statehood, cannot be considered multinational, because it is first and foremost the Sovereign State of Armenians . Yes, representatives of other nations live here, who are citizens of the Republic of Armenia, but this does not change the fact that the core and foundation of the state is the Armenian People, Its Language, Its Culture and National Interest .

If we consider the state simply as a multinational entity, it turns into a territorial-civil structure, where the factor of the nation becomes secondary. But for Armenians, the state is not just a legal entity; it is the result of our centuries-old struggle , the home bequeathed by our martyred ancestors .

 Armenia is for everyone, but it belongs first and foremost to Armenians .

It is the State that should serve the Nation, not the Nation the State . 

3. N. P. – Here is the state, here is bread, here is the homeland, here is the people – The people create a state as an instrument of well-being. The state is the destination of the proverb “where there is bread, there is the one” that periodically storms the Armenian reality, that is, the place where there is bread, because it is the tool with which bread is created, that is, well-being, and therefore, it is there that one should stay. The state is the product of the people’s search for well-being, well-being is a necessary condition for achieving happiness. This perception has been alien to our reality, because for centuries the concepts of homeland, state, and bread have been separated from each other. Bread has been earned in states created by others and/or located in other places, reserving for the homeland the function of an isolated , but place of conservation of cherished traditions and values, turning the wanderings between homeland, state, and bread into a key component of the socio-psychology of our Armenians. The identification of the concepts of bread, homeland, state replaces the concept of “emigrating” from problems, that is, solving the bread problem elsewhere, with the concept of confronting problems and solving them in one’s own state and with one’s own state. In this process, the definition of a standard of well-being (security, freedom, justice, livelihood, happiness), the provision of the necessary conditions for its implementation, the adoption of a strategy, and the realization of the state as a tool for implementing the strategy and the area of implementation of the specified standard are of essential importance. In this context, it is important to note that the state is the best tool for a citizen and the people to determine their own fate, to predetermine their destiny, and the best life for a person is possible only in their own state. 

3. S. A. – Where the Armenian Spirit is, There the Home is, There the Heart is, There the Bread Will Remain

The people do not create a state only for bread, but for History, Identity, Culture and Freedom . If only bread were important, then for centuries we would have left our mountains and assimilated into other countries. But we have remained, resisted, preserved our Language, Faith, and Sacredness , because our homeland is not just a “tool for bread”, but the House of Our Spirit .

The mindset of “where there is bread, there you will live” is foreign, but not Armenian . An Armenian can earn bread on foreign soil, but his roots are not cut off . The state cannot replace the homeland, because the homeland is not about land and laws, but about blood, language, heritage and race . When the state truly serves the people, then the Armenian does not leave his country. Where the spirit of the Armenian is with the bread, there is his home .

4. N. P. – Get rich and enrich – Getting rich and enriching are key incentives for establishing public welfare, and this incentive should be placed not in the race for money, but in the logic of competition to create results, developing the individual and the state. Living well should become a rule in the logic of the established standard of well-being and with the understanding that the only tool for living well is to work hard, earn a lot, spend a lot. This applies to both the individual and the state, and both the state and the individual should also be connected by a mutual desire to enrich each other, society, groups, individuals should be united by a mutual desire to enrich each other, also because having an appropriate environment is the most important guarantee of success, from which it follows that the state logic of getting rich and enriching is possible only in an environment of legality, equality of all before the law, justice, and creativity. If working hard in such an environment does not bring much profit, then the work is not productive. If spending a lot does not lead to well-being, then the spending (investment) is not productive. In the above context, it is essential to change the public and individual attitude towards money, in the sense of putting it outside the logic of good and evil and perceiving it as a tool for solving problems and evaluating legitimate work and activities.

4. S. A. – Get rich, but don’t forget who you are

Getting rich and enriching are important, but not the most important thing. For centuries, Armenians have lived not to get rich, but to not get lost, to keep their home and land, to not lose their identity . If “get rich” becomes the main motto of life, then money and material things will become the supreme standard of values, and that thinking is alien to the psyche of us Armenians.

Living well is not a goal, but a result of living rightly . If wealth becomes a goal, then a person is ready to compromise his principles, sell his soul, and enrich those who oppress him in order to get rich . Meanwhile, a free and dignified person first preserves spiritual and national values, and then material ones .

The issue of wealth has never been a priority for an Armenian. The priority is that a person serves the nation with his wealth, not that the nation becomes the instrument of his wealth . Get rich, but first with your mind, dignity, and solidarity , and material things will come as they find their rightful place.

5. N. P. – Man is the highest value. This means that taking care of a person’s primary needs is a priority –  The inclusion of talk about bread, money, wealth, and living well in political ideology is unusual for our political life and can be assessed as a devaluation of “high politics”. “Policies based on high values”, however, sometimes lose sight of the highest of values – man, his daily vital needs, his natural desire to live and enjoy life. The peculiarity of this ideology is the practical approach of putting man and his needs at the center, with the understanding that man himself must first of all take care of human needs and state policies should be aimed at providing man with the necessary education, skills, abilities, and knowledge, developing human talent and creating the necessary opportunities and environment for its realization. Spiritual and cultural values are also viewed from this perspective. These values do not have a heavenly meaning, but are an integral part of a person’s vital needs, because a person has both material, everyday, and spiritual-cultural needs, and values are valuable to the extent that they are necessary to motivate a person, make him harmonious, and ensure happiness. In this sense, a person’s national and state identity, national and state values, are important, some of which a person relates to directly, the other part exists for a person as consciousness, as conviction. The ideology of real Armenia is based on the national values of the Armenian people.

Accordingly, the national values of the Armenian people (the Republic of Armenia) are:

– The Republic of Armenia.

– The independence, sovereignty, citizenship, democracy, and army of the Republic of Armenia.

– History of Armenia, Armenian folklore: epic, beliefs, legends, myths.

– Armenian language and script, Armenian literature, including translated literature, knowledge, science.

– The pan-Armenian potential, the Armenian Diaspora.

– Homeland, family, individual.

– Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, Armenian Catholic Church, Armenian Evangelical Church: Christianity.

– Armenian ashugh, gusan, folk, classical, authorial and pop music, Armenian dance, Armenian fine arts, Armenian performing arts, Armenian architecture.

– The native nature, with its biodiversity.

– Progress, love of freedom, self-respect, hospitality, education, hard work, law-abidingness, humanity, respect and tolerance towards other people, nations, and religions.

– Regional affiliation, world civilization, regional, classical and modern culture,

– Fraternal feelings and relations towards the national minorities of the Republic of Armenia and indissoluble unity with them, expressed in citizenship of the Republic of Armenia. Traditions, religions, beliefs of the national minorities of the Republic of Armenia.

– Armenian cuisine, all those samples of tangible and intangible heritage that express, depict, describe or symbolize the above-described national values of the Armenian people (Republic of Armenia).

5. S. A. – Man is the highest value, but without a nation and a state, man is an empty individual

Man is the highest value, but man, in his individuality, without collectivity, nation and state, has nothing to do. He is lost if he does not have his roots, his belonging, his national mission. If the Armenian man becomes simply a seeker of bread and prosperity, he will no longer be an Armenian, but simply a living individual.

Meanwhile, Armenians did not live simply to live. If our ancestors were guided only by material needs, we would have long since been lost in the shadow of other countries. But we have resisted, created, and fought not only for bread, but also for our language, our history, our homeland, and our faith.

The list of national values of the Armenian people is correct, but when they are presented as purely individual “convenience” tools, their meaning is distorted. National values are valuable not only to the extent that they bring happiness to the individual, but because they shape the collective identity, strengthen the national image.

A person’s greatest happiness is not only material security, but also being in their national, spiritual, and collective wholeness.

6. N. P.  Armenia is my hearth, the people are my family – The Armenian tradition of the strength of family, extended family ties is a vital resource for strengthening statehood. It is necessary to develop this tradition from the family, clan level to the public-state level, making it relevant to the relations between the individual and the state. The primary concern of an individual before the people and the state is paying taxes, just as the primary concern of each member of each family is the material security of the family. The state budget of the Republic of Armenia is part of the budget of each family. The state budget of the Republic of Armenia spends more funds for the well-being of each family than each family spends for itself. Therefore, just as no one considers unnecessary expenses necessary to meet the needs of his family, so he should not consider the fulfillment of tax obligations to the Republic of Armenia unnecessary. The country’s tax legislation should ensure the collection of funds necessary for the maintenance and development of the state and provide conditions for the formation of greater value added in the economy, for the development of the economy.

6. S. A. –   Armenia is my home, but the state cannot be my family

To say that “the people’s primary concern is paying taxes” means to ignore the people’s real primary demands on the state: justice, security, preservation of national identity, prosperity. If the state does not serve these goals, it simply becomes a tax collection machine, not an instrument for the development of the nation.

The state budget cannot be considered part of the family budget. The country’s budget is the management of funds collected from the people, which should serve the interests of the same people, and not the ruling system or the economic elite. If state funds are wasted, if public goods are not distributed fairly, then taxes turn into direct oppression, not the caring hand of the family.

Armenia is our home, but the state should serve to strengthen this home, not demand that the home serve the state. The state should earn the trust of the people, not demand obedience under the pretext of family love. The state is our tool, not our master.

7. N. P. – The future of Armenia depends on one person and that one person is you – Individual effort is a key condition for the development of the state. This condition begins to function effectively only from the moment when the individual realizes the impact of his own effort. The most important function of the state is to value the effort of the individual and create opportunities for its manifestation. This is possible through education. Education is the primary tool for implementing the state’s development strategy, with the understanding that education is a lifelong process and refers to the level of preschool education, general education, vocational education, higher education, postgraduate education, as well as the state’s strategic communication, in the sense that citizen-state relations are educational relations for both the citizen and the state. The education system should teach the student the skills necessary for a prosperous life and happiness. The role of the individual is key in the development of the state, but first of all, it is key in ensuring one’s own well-being and happiness. Building one’s own well-being and happiness is an individual’s primary contribution to ensuring the well-being and happiness of the state.

7. S. A. The future of Armenia does not depend on one person, but on a strong national will

The future of a nation does not depend on the individual: it depends on collective strength, national idea, unity and struggle. When any idea tries to make the future of a nation dependent only on individual effort, it is a dangerous delusion. The individual certainly has an important role, but without a coordinated national and state strategy, individual efforts often remain in vain.

 Education should, first and foremost, educate patriotic citizens who realize their responsibility not only for their own well-being, but also for national identity, independence, and security.

And, of course, the future of Armenia does not depend on one person, but on the collective strength of those people who are ready to fight to build a strong state, not just for their personal well-being.

8. N. P. – Happy individual – An individual is happy when he is free, protected, healthy, creative, has a social environment, a beloved job, with the earnings of which he has access to healthy food, a healthy lifestyle, necessary living conditions, travels regularly, is loved, respected, communicates with spiritual life and/or culture. By providing conditions for his own happiness, the individual also creates an environment for the happiness of other individuals and society.

8. S. A. – Happy Armenian Individual – The happiness of an Armenian is not measured by material things and lifestyle. Freedom, protection, health – these are important, but not enough. What makes an Armenian happy is being firmly attached to his roots, the feeling of living gathered around his land, language, faith and family. He is happy when there is peace in the homeland, when his child is useful to the homeland, when his culture flourishes and is passed on to generations.

A happy Armenian individual not only creates his own conditions, but also, through sacrifice, brightens the future of his generations, his culture, and his homeland. He does not seek only his own personal satisfaction, but lives so that his nation may be enduring and victorious.

This is the happiness of the Armenian individual.

9. N. P. – Caring Society –  Just as an individual becomes an environment for the formation of a caring society with his success, so society becomes the environment in which the development of the individual takes place. Education, cultural life, work, entrepreneurship, care for the environment, healthy diet and active lifestyle, respect for the law, pluralism, democracy and public unity around it are largely environmental factors or are most effectively manifested in the appropriate environment. The guardian of active entrepreneurship, education from infancy to life, effective governance, democracy, justice, equality before the law for all, and freedom is also society, as an environment built on these values.

9. S. A. – A caring society is formed not only by material conditions and systems, but first and foremost by national self-awareness, mutual assistance, and patriotism.

Society is caring when, first of all, it ensures the national and spiritual upbringing of its children, when education not only provides skills, but also forms a national image, Armenian thinking and responsibility. Culture and art are not just entertainment for an Armenian, but are the breath of identity, the bearer of heritage, on which future generations are educated.

A caring society should not only shape the individual, but above all, a strong nation that will be able to raise its children with dignity, a system of values, and an unwavering faith in the homeland.

This is the caring society befitting an Armenian.

10. N. P. – Strong state – A state is strong to the extent that its economy is developed. Therefore, policies should be aimed at the economic strengthening of the country. The state interest is economic development. This is not a tendency to devalue policies, because public sentiment is considered the most important factor in economic development. Values and commitment to them, culture and education are key factors in motivating the work and economic activity of the individual and society. Value-based policies should be aimed at the development of the country’s economy.

10. S. A. – If the state were strong only in economic indicators, then many rich countries would not be on the verge of decline and destruction.

A strong state worthy of an Armenian is based on justice, solidarity, patriotism, and national unity.

The state’s interest is not only economic growth, but also ensuring a sovereign, secure, dignified, and independent future for the Armenian people. If the state does not have strong ideological and national pillars, then even the most developed economy will not save it from collapse.

A powerful state does not submit to foreign interests, does not sacrifice its sovereignty for economic “benefits.” It protects its land, its values, and the identity of its people, realizing that the ultimate goal of statehood is not the strengthening of the market, but the survival and rise of the Armenian nation.

11. N. P. – Reconstruction is not only shameful, but also a vital necessity – Reconstruction is a key condition for viability. Both the individual and the society and the state must deepen the skill of reflection to the genetic level. The truth that has not been reflected is no longer truth, the goal that has not been reflected is an end in itself, the conviction that has not been reflected is an impression left over from the past, the ideal that has not been reflected is incomplete. The only formula for viability in a changing life is reflection, self-reflection, the ability to change and transform.

11. S. A. – Transformation is not an end in itself and should not be a means of denying values or losing identity. What generations have built, fought for, and defended cannot simply be revised under the name of “modernization.”

Change is necessary, but it must be directed toward empowerment, not toward the loss of national identity, the weakening of Armenian state thinking, or the blind adoption of foreign values. Transformation must be a force coming from within, not a factor imposed from without.

For an Armenian, viability does not mean abandoning one’s roots. It means improving culturally, politically, militarily, and economically, but doing all of that while maintaining a strong national identity.

Transformation worthy of Armenians is a way to strengthen themselves, protect their sovereignty, and continue their historical mission, not to devalue their own past and beliefs under the guise of “reflecting” them.

12. N. P. – Independence is replacing dependence on the few with dependence on the many – The state is the best tool for the people to determine their own fate, to predetermine their destiny, but in order to serve this goal most effectively, the state must be as independent as possible. In an inter-integrated and increasingly inter-integrated world, independence is not only not absolute, but has never been absolute, because states depend on other states in one way or another. Therefore, independent states have been, are and will be those that depend not on the few, but on the many. Therefore, the strategy of independence is the strategy of replacing dependence on the few with dependence on the many. If a state is already dependent on the many, then it must have a problem of depending on more. The goal of a balanced and balancing foreign policy is not to allow disproportions even in dependence on the many. This means not to be equally dependent on everyone, but to balance dependence on one with dependence on the other, but never to be static in that relationship. Balancing is an ongoing process, the need for which is assessed periodically.

12. S. A. – Independence is not a new form of dependence, but the ability to free oneself from dependence, to maintain and protect one’s sovereignty.

The Armenian people have achieved their independence through blood, struggle, and self-determination, not simply by “balancing” dependence. Being independent means having a national will, a strong statehood, a strong economy, a capable army, and a diplomatically sound position that serves exclusively national interests.

Independence worthy of an Armenian is not a “balancing” of dependence, but the ability to act freely without being dictated to by major powers.

Independence worthy of an Armenian is the ability to determine one’s own destiny, maintain sovereignty, and prioritize national dignity.

13. N. P. – Peace is the skill of living in the environment of neighbors without external support – Peace is the ultimate goal of foreign relations. When peace is established, it continues to remain the ultimate goal of foreign relations, expressed in economic, political, and cultural cooperation. Peace is first and foremost a regional factor, because peace or its absence is first and foremost expressed in relations with immediate neighbors, then international, then global. Peace is possible in a strategic and long-term sense when it becomes a skill that must be expressed in the ability to live in the environment of neighbors without external support and in cooperation. Peace is the most reliable guarantee of security. The most important components of ensuring security are the interdependence of the countries of the region, the country’s place in the regional and global supply chain and trade. A capable army is also an essential factor of peace, an essential component of independence and statehood.

13. S. A. – Peace is not a means of survival, but a result of national security, statehood, and sovereignty.

For an Armenian, peace does not mean sacrificing one’s national interests for the sake of “good relations” with one’s neighbors. It cannot be conditioned by coercion or the whims of hostile states.

Peace is possible when a state has strength, a powerful army, strong allies, and the ability to advance its interests. It cannot be built on regional dependencies, because such dependencies mean leaving security in the hands of others. The peace of Armenia must be based on its strength, sovereignty, and self-reliance.

A capable army is the guarantor of peace, not its addition. Security cannot be built without powerful military and state foundations. Armenia’s history has shown that peace is possible only when we ourselves have the ability to impose peace.

This is the peace worthy of Armenians, based on national interests, security, and dignity.

14. N. P. – There is a future, there is a future – The future will come one way or another. And what it will be depends on the ability to perceive yesterday and turn it into knowledge and skills for today’s work. The future is the result of today’s work. The future is today. Start today to be what you want to be in the future.

14. S. A. – The future will not simply “come” – it is being created. And it must be created on the basis of national identity, strengthening statehood, and protecting sovereignty and independence.

The future does not begin with the “perception of yesterday” if that perception is distorted, distorted, or based on foreign ideas. Yesterday is not just the past: it is an experience, a struggle, a victory, a loss, which should become not a subject of abstract “reflection,” but a lesson to further strengthen our statehood.

The future is not built only with knowledge and skills, but with strength, will, faith and vision.

The future is shaped by those who know what they are fighting for, who are ready for sacrifice, resistance, and struggle for the sake of the values that shaped their past.

This is the future worthy of an Armenian