Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the award ceremony "The Hero of Our Times" at the Alexander Spendiaryan National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet.

President Vahagn Khachaturyan, President of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan, President of the Constitutional Court Arman Dilanyan, Supreme Judicial Council Chairman Karen Andreasyan, Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan, members of the Security Council, Cabinet members, MPs, governors and other officials were also present at the event.

The prizes were awarded to 12 participants of the "Hero of Our Times" program prepared by the Information and Public Relations Center of the Prime Minister's Office․ The prize winners are: potter, founder of "Saghmos ceramics" brand, participant of the 44-day war Andranik Manukyan, the founder of the wooden toys manufacturer "Hatik" brand Vardanush Grigoryan, miniaturist-replicator, founder of the “Armenian Miniature Studio” Anna Margaryan, founder of "Hambardzumyan" dance school Avag Hambardzumyan, the founder of "Gitak Robotics" programming and robotics studio Khachatur Nikoghosyan, founders of "Tonir wedding village", which organizes traditional Armenian weddings, Hayk Yeranosyan and Sirarpi Khojabaghyan, founder of "Hndzan Pandok", participant of the 44-day war Hayk Mikayelyan, clothing designer, founder of "Shamshik" brand Anna Avetisyan, sculptor, founder of "Ben Art" center, participant of the 44-day war Beniamin Poghosyan, founder of "Zinvorats Ishkanats" charitable NGO Sirvard Berberyan, the founder of a company producing microgreens Inna Amirkhanyan, the founder of "Horus studio", engaged in the production of handmade leather goods, Gor Vaghramyan.

Before handing over the main prize, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made a speech, in which he particularly said,

"Honorable President of the Republic of Armenia,

Dear representatives of the legislature, executive, judiciary, local self-government bodies,

Dear award winners,

Guests,

Attendees,

First of all, I want to congratulate all of us on the occasion of this award ceremony and congratulate the winners. The idea that patriotism is also professionalism, was voiced several times here. And we see that every year this award ceremony becomes more professional in terms of its organization and conduct. I want to give a special thanks to the people who did all this work. But I cannot but highlight the performance of the anthem of the Republic of Armenia that we heard. I want to thank you for that. I hadn't heard a performance of the national anthem of the Republic of Armenia for a long time, which, to put it bluntly, gets into your veins. And starting from the voice of our little soloist to the culmination, it was truly a performance worthy of the Republic of Armenia, for which I want to thank you.

It was said here that our award winners are a source of inspiration with their work. I mean, they are a source of inspiration for me too, because they give ideas or trigger a train of thought that is very important. What do I mean? In particular, it is very important for our times that we either perceive, or see, or introduce heroism into the everyday life and perceive the everydayness of heroism. This is a very important nuance. For me, this awards ceremony is primarily about that.

Then, for a very long time, in the Republic of Armenia living well has often been contrasted with living in Armenia. For me, this award ceremony is primarily about the fact that our heroes not only do not contrast living well with living in Armenia, but also connect living well with living in Armenia. As I watched the clips on various occasions and in preparation for this awards ceremony, I suddenly noticed that the heroes, the nominees for our awards ceremony today, express ideas that are worth writing down. I won't hide it, I won't focus on my own ideas in my speech today, instead, I just want to quote from the nominees of the "Hero of Our Time 2023" awards, which I transcribed with my own hands, because I thought it was a very important.

Thus, Kamo Galstyan, the founder of the "Glass Wood" brand, says: "There is work and quite a lot of it. It’s time to think about creating something new. It's my job: I thought, I invented. And while doing it, not succeeding is no less important than succeeding. And not succeeding is just as much success as succeeding."

Ani Kostandyan, co-founder of the "Green Cabin" recreation area, says: "We look at our business first of all as life, as entertainment, and then as a business. We emphasize contact with new and good people." I see this as important in terms of the perception I've talked about several times: identifying work with suffering and identifying suffering with work. I want to thank Ani Kostandyan for emphasizing that work, including business, is primarily pleasure, life and enjoyment of life.

Hayk Mikayelyan, the founder of "Hndzan Tavern", said something that I think was included in the video. "There is no job for those who don’t want to work. If a person has the desire to work, to create, it is possible to do it, because every limitation is in our mind."

Vazgen Hovsepyan, who is one of our nominees today, an officer discharged from service as a result of an injury received in the war, founder of a sewing factory in Oshakan, says: "The consequences and experiences of war can help you to understand and appreciate peace. When you value peace, you want to act in peaceful conditions."

Dear attendees,

I want to draw your special attention to the next quote. Our already awarded Khachatur Nikoghosyan, who is the founder of "Gitak Robotics", and in "Gitak Robotics" the children take robotics classes, says: "There is a very important knowledge that we give to children, it is the realization that they can solve problems of any complexity. When we set the problem, the child's first reaction is that they can't solve it. Then, step by step, giving knowledge, practicing, asking questions we bring them to the situation when at the end of the day, the child already solves that problem. And we draw the child's attention to the fact that he said in the morning that he could not solve this problem. One day, two days, one month - as a result, the child develops a mentality that any problem can be solved and he can do it. When you are convinced that a problem will be solved, it is solved. The brain finds ways to solve the problem. When you block from the beginning, you say: I can't solve this problem, the brain starts looking for reasons, excuses why you can't solve this problem." Mr. Nikoghosyan says this about children. But this is also true for adults, and I re-address this idea to all of us, to all citizens of the Republic of Armenia present in this hall and outside the hall.

Avetis Avetisyan, who is the founder of "Viking" shampoo production and a war participant, says: "If you decide that you have to overcome difficulties, then at any cost, you have to overcome them. The war was a trial for me, a trial of my whole life, a test to overcome your fears, to defend your principles, your values, even at the cost of your life. I was injured in the war, but no injury can break a man if he knows what he wants inside. If you have a goal in life, you know what you want, no difficulties can stop you, on the contrary, difficulties can push you further. It is necessary not to give in, to go forward. In addition to diligence, one must constantly develop knowledge. Production is the backbone of the state and economy. If you are goal-oriented and have that will, those qualities that you pursue your goal, you are hardworking and you are determined to achieve your goal, Armenia has everything for that. There is room for you to succeed in all areas. Everyone should create value in Armenia, if everyone creates value, this state will become a paradise."

Armen Terteryan, founder of "Ava Production Accessories" brand, says: "Will, patience and belief in your work are key. If you don't have faith, it won't work. You have to think long, you have to establish. If you produce something, hold what you created in your hands, you are both financially secure and get mental satisfaction."

Shushan Ayvazyan, who is the founder of "Oghak" brand, says: "There are a lot of difficulties, but that's what's interesting, to overcome and reach a new stage, and thus constantly move forward."

Anna Avetisyan, who is the founder of the "Shamshir" brand and has already received an award here, says: "There are all favorable conditions for working in Armenia. And if a person has a desire, a goal, a dream and diligence, he can definitely achieve many successes with his work."

“Horus studio” brand founder Gor Vahramyan, who also received an award, says: "The most important thing in starting any business is curiosity, the desire to learn. That's the only way you can become better, more professional and interesting to the people you're surrounded by. This is true in both business and everyday life. Armenia is the place I want to blossom."

Edward Grigoryan, the founder of the "Hatik" brand, says: "Those who have a dream should follow their dream. The road may be a bit difficult, but you must not give up and move forward."

Avag Hambardzumyan, the founder of the "Hambardzumyan" dance school, who received another award, said this idea, by the way, it was again voiced in the footage, but I do not shy away from repetitions, because I think that these are ideas that are worth repeating. "If you don't love what you're doing, you'll just fail, nothing will work out for you. There will be no golden mean: either you must do well or you must not do it."

Sirvard Berberyan, the head of the "Support to War Participants" initiative, who has already received an award, says: "It is the era of mind, it is the era of the victory of mind. The mind is the most powerful thing in the world today, because the speed of mind is more than the speed of light and sound. We will reach many heights with our mind. Every person can do anything. When a person strives to be useful, there are no difficulties for him."

Andranik Manukyan, the founder of "Saghmos Ceramics", says: "There are plenty of opportunities to stay, create and develop in Armenia. People are just not looking for opportunities to grow here. And I would advise those people to be a little more hardworking, to be sociable, to be self-confident, not to limit themselves to a small area, to get out of their areas and look a little further, because the opportunities are simply endless."

Hasmik Apoyan, co-founder of “Yugen” brand, says: "One has to set a goal and find ways to achieve that goal. And no matter how hard the roads are, one must reach his final goal."

Now I am here to present the grand prize, and before announcing the name of the grand prize winner, I will first quote his thoughts in two parts, the first part as an educator and the second part as an innovator. He says. "A thinking person advances in all spheres. The child should be given the opportunity to speak and think. If he says something that isn't quite right, he should be allowed to say it. In this case, the child raises his hand and says: I will tell, I will tell. After that we discuss together. You have to constantly confront the child with problems, saying “overcome it, overcome it”. During that time, the child begins to develop and becomes a good professional, a good citizen. I learn a lot from the child, I listen to what everyone says. Any teacher should be like that." As an experimenter and innovator, he built two greenhouses in his backyard, one from old unused windows, the other from plastic and other bottles, and he says an extremely innovative and important idea for our reality: "Rainwater goes and disappears. We must save water. I collect both my rainwater and my neighbor's." And I specially emphasized this idea, he says. "I asked the neighbor, I said: brother, give me your rainwater. We connected our roofs, the water from the roof comes, pours into the water tank. We use the water from the tank for irrigation."

And so, the grand prize winner of the "Hero of Our Times 2023" award ceremony is Sevada Kojabaghyan from Goris, a mathematics teacher. Give him a standing ovation, and let this applause go to all the heroes of our time."

Handing over the grand prize to Sevada Khojabaghyan, a mathematics specialist, teacher, author of school manuals, school founder, the Prime Minister added. "First of all, thank you from this stage to all our performers. In one of our favorite and well-known works, this question was raised: How should I call you My Armenian Homeland? I think that today we gave the answer to this question: we should call it the Republic of Armenia.

Long live the Republic of Armenia."