ArmInfo. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is paying an official visit to the Federal Republic of Germany. Today, the Prime Minister visited the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Germany, where he was welcomed by President of the Foundation Norbert Lammert.
Representatives from the German Bundestag, German Chancellor's Staff, German political and public circles were in attendance, the press service of the Armenian Prime Minister informs. Prime Minister Pashinyan made a speech, in which he stated, in part: ''Last year historic changes happened in Armenia. We restored democracy which has been abused and distorted since the times when we rose in a nation-wide popular movement against the communist regime. Today, I am proud to declare that democracy is no longer endangered in Armenia'',
He noted that making a speech in the Konrad Adenauer Foundation as a symbolic and momentous event. It is symbolic because, today's Armenia, like Germany seven decades ago, is experiencing a democratic reconstruction. It is symbolic because the velvet revolution, which took place in Armenia last year, was built on the ideas and principles promoted by the Foundation.
The logical pinnacle of these positive developments was the snap parliamentary elections held in last December. They were assessed by the international observation missions as consistent with international standards, and hailed as democratic, free, fair and transparent. As a matter of fact, they were the only uncontested elections ever conducted in Armenia since the elections held in 1991 - just on the eve of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
According to one of the recent surveys, more than 70% of our public are confident that the country is going in the right direction. On the one hand, this unprecedented level of trust obliges us to take decisive steps towards the reforms. In this task we have no right to fail. On the other hand, the public trust provides for a unique opportunity, which we have to use for strengthening our achievements and protecting the future of democracy in our country. On this point, we believe that as the next step in the transformation process we should translate our political achievements into economic growth. In other words, we have to make an economic revolution. Democracy and economic development have a strong interactive relationship in our society. The Economic revolution and elimination of poverty are the priorities of our people. This idea constitutes the main premise of the Program of our new Government.
Changing institutions is a difficult process for any government and society. It requires significant resources - both financial and intellectual. We are determined to move forward on this path. However, like any other country in transition we need assistance in accelerating the pace of the reforms.
In this context, I would like to bring to your attention a well-known fact that none of the countries of the former soviet bloc has so far succeeded in modernizing institutions without financial and technical support. Armenia is not an exception. Moreover, in addition to the challenges typical for the post-communist countries, Armenia, since the very first days of its independence, has been facing several other challenges.
Being a landlocked country is a geographical handicap, but facing almost a thirty-year long imposed transport blockade, is a deliberate political move against our country with serious and sometimes insurmountable impediments for its economic development. Energy security is another issue for us. And finally, legacy of the past creates an unfriendly security environment and uneasy geopolitical situation which in some circumstances can grow into an existential threat. In this respect, partnership with the European Union is of an immense importance for Armenia and our reform agenda. It is hard to overestimate the significance of the EU support, which have been provided to Armenia over the last quarter of a century.
As I stated above, we are determined to move forward in the realization of our reforms. We will do it regardless all difficulties and unforeseen circumstances.
However, the EU financial and technical assistance could accelerate the processes undertaken in Armenia, and make them more robust and instrumental. Here, I want to emphasize the importance of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the European Union. Its implementation can immensely contribute to the development of our institutions. CEPA is, in fact, tailored as a development strategy plan for our country and could become one of the cornerstones of our reform agenda.
With the same view in mind, we want to deepen our economic relations with the EU member states. Germany itself is one of our major donors and main trade partners. We are working together in numerous areas, including, Information Technology sector, energy, tourism, culture, education, science'', Pashinyan mentioned in his speech.