Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in festive events dedicated to the 2703th anniversary of Echmiadzin. The Premier first toured the city square where he got acquainted with the artworks presented at various stands, talked to Echmiadzin’s residents, and taking the opportunity, congratulated them on the anniversary of their city.

Then Nikol Pashinyan lit candles and called at the Machanents Home art school. The Prime Minister was briefed on the school’s ongoing activities. The school has painting, ceramics, sculpture, pottery, as well as information technology groups. Nikol Pashinyan toured the exhibition halls to get acquainted with schoolchildren’s works.

In his speech, Nikol Pashinyan particularly mentioned: “Dear Echmiadzin residents, I am happy to see you in such a high mood. There are still villages and even towns in Armenia whose inhabitants are complaining that the revolution has not affected their city, but I think that the residents of Echmiadzin can see that the revolution has not only arrived, but it has triumphed in their town. Today, no one in Echmiadzin can say “your eye is above the eyebrow, because Echmiadzin is free, victorious, proud and powerful.”

According to the Prime Minister, people in Echmiadzin are well aware of the cost of freedom. “As a former journalist, politician, political prisoner, MP, I want to apologize to before residents of Echmiadzin for the years we have not been able to help you as we should help, but eventually we knew we were going to freedom and legitimacy step by step,” the Head of Government said.

The Premier congratulated the residents of Echmiadzin for “the freedom that they have gained,” adding: “Unfortunately, during the Third Republic’s history, we had moments when some confused freedom and democracy with laxity. Freedom is not laxity at all; on the contrary, the strictest discipline is often established in democratic countries, just because not only the government, but also every citizen needs to be the owner of public order. I hope that you will exercise your freedom and rights and will no longer allow anyone to decide how to live, where to go and whom to elect not only in Echmiadzin, but nationwide as well. Today, legality and freedom are being established in the Republic of Armenia, today the citizen of Armenia feels victorious and, unfortunately, there are such forces in Armenia that are feeling bad while the whole nation is in high spirits, who are still eager to instill mistrust in people, and who even think of taking away the people’s power. Disappointment is awaiting such people; the old corrupt system does not even imagine that they have no chance in the Republic of Armenia. But I want to tell those political forces that they need not feel uneasy in their own country where people feel good.

Our people have won and do not try to spoil the victory at any cost. You can join and enjoy the victory; you can surrender to the people because this is a revolution of love and solidarity. You want to do everything to turn the revolution into one of anger and resentment, but you will not succeed because love and national unity have won in Armenia, and nobody can ruin our people’s revolution.”

Addressing the residents of Echmiadzin, the Prime Minister noted that the city, which is considered as a spiritual center, should correspond to its title in everything. “This is the place where Jesus Christ descended, this is holy land, and we must protect and preserve the sanctity of this land. We do not want to confuse religion, faith, politics, because it is very dangerous and unnecessary, but I would to note that the Armenian revolution was a revolution of values, when people used to say that never before the Armenians had loved each other that much. This is the biggest victory of our revolution.

Never before did friends and neighbors love each other so much. There are no enemies in the Republic of Armenia today, no citizen of the Republic of Armenia can be an enemy of any other citizen of Armenia, no Armenian can be an enemy of Armenians, and that is why our revolution has won. Our revolution has won through love and for the sake of love, our revolution has won owing to solidarity and for solidarity and I want us all to make a covenant in our spiritual capital.

We do not have enemies in our country and let no one of our compatriots fall into the enemy, but that does not mean that there may be arbitrariness and illegality in Armenia. Anyone who may try to ignore the law, the people’s opinion and demands, will end up in history’s dump. I am sorry that today some forces in the Republic of Armenia are heading straight toward the dump of history.

Dear brothers and sisters, give up that path. If you despise Armenia’s national and State interests, you will be worthy of despair; if you do not ignore the people’s demand, you will be rewarded with respect, because there is no other option, people have won in the Republic of Armenia, and from now on they will be the winner every day, every hour, every week, every month, every year.

Today, many are protesting about dictatorship being established in Armenia. Some are running 3 times a week to Strasbourg, Moscow, Washington in order to declare that a terrible dictatorial regime is being established in Armenia. Nobody can establish a dictatorial regime in Armenia, first of all because dictatorship is at odds with our values.

Our values imply democracy, legality; freedom is our mission. Should anyone try to establish dictatorship in Armenia, they will appear not only in the dump of history, but also in Sanitec’s dumps. This is the truth.

I am touched by this wonderful atmosphere. I congratulate you on Echmiadzin’s anniversary, on your victories, your freedom, on our new Armenia, new future and those imminent victories that are in the air. And I can only say that I love you all and bow down because I am proud of you since you are free, powerful and proud citizens of the Republic of Armenia,” the Prime Minister concluded.