Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, on the occasion of Citizen’s Day, visited the town of Maralik in Shirak Province to deliver a lecture on the “Real Armenia” doctrine.

The video of the lecture has been published online.

Last year, Prime Minister Pashinyan, in an address to the nation, unveiled the “Real Armenia” doctrine, a proposed plan for political and economic transformation. It focuses on all areas of public life and emphasizes the need for citizens to form a new understanding of patriotism, among other goals.

Pashinyan has since said that the “Real Armenia” doctrine made peace with Azerbaijan possible.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited downtown Yerevan on Saturday to participate in the Citizen’s Day celebrations, an annual public holiday observed since 2019.

Pashinyan toured the food festival on Amiryan Street and spoke with people, who also took selfies with him. A concert will take place at 20:00 in Republic Square, Yerevan. Pashinyan said he would also attend the concert.

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.

Uruguay’s Minister of Foreign Relations, Mario Lubetkin, has delivered an address on the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The address was broadcast on radio and television, the Armenian Embassy in Uruguay reported.

The minister emphasized in his speech that in 1965 Uruguay was the first country in the world to break the silence and recognize the Armenian Genocide, adding that decades earlier Uruguay had not only opened its borders and received those fleeing terror, but had also awakened its legal and moral conscience.

“Uruguay closely follows the existential challenges currently facing the Republic of Armenia on its path toward achieving stable and lasting peace in the South Caucasus. We are aware that Uruguay bears a dual responsibility: to continue its historical commitment as a defender of historical truth and, at the same time, to act as a constructive partner in shaping the future of the Republic of Armenia. Uruguay’s foreign policy not only promotes the protection and guarantee of human rights and the security of the entire Armenian people, including the displaced and those deprived of liberty, but also supports the strengthening of an Armenia that engages in dialogue with the world and its neighbors from a position of legal and political sovereignty,” Minister Lubetkin noted.

A commemoration ceremony marking the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide was held next to the Armenian khachkar (cross-stone) installed in the courtyard of the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid, the capital of Spain.

The Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Spain reported that a prayer service invoking the Holy Martyrs’ intercession was also held.

Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Spain, Sos Avetisyan, delivered a speech.

A memorial ceremony marking the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide took place at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Attendees included Armenia’s Ambassador to France, Arman Khachatryan, and embassy staff.

The Armenian Embassy in France said in a press release that the Mass was presided over by Bishop Elie Yéghia Yéghiayan of the Armenian Catholic Eparchy of Sainte-Croix-de-Paris.

The Bishop of Pontoise, Benoît Bertrand, also attended and delivered a sermon.

A commemorative ceremony was held by His Grace Bishop Abgar Hovakimyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Canada, at the “Armenia Immortal” monument in front of the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Canada, in memory of the 1.5 million canonized martyrs of the 1915–1923 Armenian Genocide, the Armenian Embassy in Canada reported.

A wreath-laying ceremony also took place.

The events were attended by parish priests of the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic Churches, representatives of the Hunchakian and Ramgavar parties, the Tekeyan Armenian Cultural Association of Montreal, the Bolsahay Cultural Association, as well as other members of the Canadian-Armenian community.

On the same day, a candlelight ceremony was held in front of the “Armenia Immortal” monument. A prayer was led by Rev. Fr. David Margaryan, parish priest of St. Mesrob Armenian Apostolic Church of Ottawa.

Many commemorative events have taken place and are scheduled to take place in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, and other cities across Canada.