The President of Armenia, Vahagn Khachaturyan, has appointed Nikol Pashinyan as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia.
"Based on part 1 of Article 149 of the Constitution, Nikol PASHINYAN is appointed as Prime Minister," the decree states.
President Vahagn Khachaturyan hosted acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the presidential residence. This was reported by the presidential press service.
"During the solemn ceremony, President Khachaturyan signed the decree on the appointment of Nikol Pashinyan as Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia based on the proposal of the National Assembly's 'Civil Contract' faction.
The President congratulated the Prime Minister and wished him success:
"According to Article 149 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, it was a great honor for me to sign the decree on the appointment of the candidate proposed by the political majority of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia as Prime Minister.
This constitutional act symbolizes not only an important milestone in the formation of state power but also the mission of taking on exceptional responsibility before the Republic of Armenia and its citizens.
I am confident that your tenure will be built on the values and principles that underlie public service: loyalty to the Republic of Armenia, the Constitution, service to the public and state interests, commitment to the continuous strengthening of statehood, and responsibility towards the present and future of our country.
I wish you unwavering will, determination, strength, and resilience in carrying out your responsible mission for the benefit of the Republic of Armenia, strengthening its statehood, and ensuring a dignified and peaceful future for our people," the president said.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed gratitude for the invitation and the opportunity to sign the decree in a solemn atmosphere, for the warm words, trust, and support:
"I must honestly say that in 2018, when I assumed the office of Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia as a result of the popular, non-violent, velvet revolution, it would have been difficult to predict that we would go through such a path, and I think it would have been difficult to predict that we would be able to overcome this path. But we are where we are, and I believe that in all of this, the key role and significance undoubtedly belong to the people of the Republic of Armenia, who ultimately demonstrated special expressions of state consciousness and state-centeredness throughout this time. And of course, this is a great responsibility and obligation. Of course, in the near future, the Government will be formed, and all members of the Government, including myself, will already formalize our obligations to our people in the text of the oath.
I also want to thank you for your address from the podium of the National Assembly today. You sent very important messages, which I followed closely. I hope that the 9th convocation of the National Assembly will ultimately become a platform for the clash of political ideas, thoughts, visions, and not a battleground for personal confrontations.
Today I also saw that the candidate for the presidency of the National Assembly, proposed by the 'Civil Contract' party, Mr. Rubinyan, sent the same message, demonstrating the readiness of the 'Civil Contract' faction to work in parliament without personal and personalized attacks, insults, and humiliation.
Of course, debates should be sharp and will be, but it is very important what the sharpness is about; the sharpness should be about political, economic, and socio-economic content, not mutual targeting.
In any case, we have heard your message and will be guided by it; I hope we will succeed in not deviating from this direction because this process is not one-sided, and if the opposition also finds this logic acceptable, I think we will have much higher quality work.
Mr. President, I want to thank you once again for your support throughout this time. Of course, we do not cover all our meetings and joint work, because at the working level, we are in very close dialogue and discuss many issues, and during this time, I have always seen and felt your support, for which I thank you," the Prime Minister said.
President Vahagn Khachaturyan - "Dear Mr. Prime Minister, very briefly, I want to thank you again for the trust that exists between the Government, the Presidency, and the National Assembly, because I myself participate in the most important state decisions, the opportunity for which you have provided, in fact, these opportunities in the Constitution are very conditional.
And this trust also convinces me that the policy you are pursuing as the head of the Government, as the leader of the political majority, will contribute to the strengthening of the Republic of Armenia, will contribute to the strengthening of its sovereignty, and will undoubtedly contribute to a strong future for Armenia.
I wish you success, will, resilience, and strength again, because from the outside, what many of us see, including the citizens of the Republic of Armenia, is only the external part. The internal situations that exist, of which many are unaware, require principledness, which you have demonstrated over the years.
You rightly noted that in 2018, we could not imagine that such developments would occur not only in our region but also in the world in general.
We must be able, as you say, always emphasize that the most important thing is to make manageable the processes that are taking place.
And a small observation regarding the political environment in general. The fact that the citizens of the Republic of Armenia have been given the opportunity to choose power according to the Constitution has become a reality. This has always been a dream for us.
Our people have made their choice for many years, but unfortunately, power has been taken from them. Since 2018, our people have been making their choice and receiving that power.
And the power that is elected by this people has this obligation and must justify the trust it receives from the people.
But there is also another important factor. The stability, strengthening, and resilience of the state depend not only on the political majority that takes power but also on the opposition.
The higher the quality of the political majority needed by society in democratic countries, the more important significance and role the opposition has.
And we must do everything, including working with the opposition. I have also heard Mr. Rubinyan's messages. I am confident that you are determined to create this atmosphere because ultimately, we all must have one goal - to have a strong, powerful Republic of Armenia.
