Friday, February 1 2019 19:33

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.