Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended a festive event on the National Security Service (NSS) Border Guard Day. Addressing the meeting, Prime Minister Pashinyan stated, in part:

“Dear National Security Service Border Troops,
Dear State figures,

Let me first congratulate all of us on this holiday - the Day of the Border Guard. The border is one of the most mysterious concepts. Just a single dividing line, on the other side of which, even a meter away, you feel far from home, while only one centimeter this way you feel already at home. By saying “Republic of Armenia” we first of all mean our country’s borders, since they indicate our place on the globe, our position under the sun, our future and our vision of the past. And therefore, the border guard service and the Border Guard Day are extremely important from this point of view.

Today we are marking the Border Guard Day, first of all, bearing in mind the National Security Service, the Border Guards of the National Security Service, but I want to note that due to well-known circumstances, being a border guard is not only a profession, but also a mission. And, yes, that mission is fulfilled today with honor by our border guards; it is fulfilled with a sense of great responsibility by the officers of the Armed Forces and the Police Force of the Republic of Armenia. Today, we have de facto “border villages” or “border settlements” in Armenia.

And in this sense, the Border Guard Day is a holiday not only for the servicemen of the National Security Service border troops, but also for our Armed Forces, for our people, because each of us, regardless of whether we work in Yerevan or in a border region, first of we all think about the border, therefore border security is the security of our country, the security of our future, the security of our children.

I want to thank you for your service. I want to thank the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia for protecting the border sections entrusted to them. I want to thank the police of the Republic of Armenia for protecting the border sections entrusted to them. I want to thank the border troops of the Russian Federation for protecting those sections of Armenia’s State border entrusted to them. I want to thank the residents of border villages for protecting their own settlements and borders, for the creation and reliable preservation of borders.

And therefore, I extend my congratulations on the Border Guard Day of the Republic of Armenia.
Long live the Border Troops of the Republic of Armenia,
Long live the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia,
Long live the Armenian people, the Republic of Armenia and the citizen of the Republic of Armenia!”

In conclusion, the border guard troops staged a festive parade and demo drills. Accompanied by NSS Director Arthur Vanetsyan, Prime Minister Pashinyan visited the Border Troops Headquarters to inspect the facilities available and the training center’s operations.