Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan partook in the opening ceremony of the Dialogue of Asian Civilizations conference at the National Conference Center in Beijing. President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China, the Presidents of Singapore, Sri Lanka, Greece and the King of Cambodia were in attendance. The forum brings together over 2 thousand participants from 47 countries of the world. Before the conference had started, Xi Jinping welcomed the visiting country leaders, after which a joint video-photo session was held.

The conference seeks to strengthen ties, including economic exchanges, as well as to promote close multifaceted interaction between Asian countries.

Greeting the guests, PRC President Xi Jinping expressed the hope that the conference would give fresh impetus to the development and deepening of relations between the participating nations. The Chinese President noted that the forum is a good opportunity for the States to promote dialogue and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.

Addressing the event, Nikol Pashinyan stated, in part:
“President Xi Jinping,
Your Excellences Heads of State and Government,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am privileged for this opportunity to be here in China – the cradle of ancient civilization – and attend this important event.

As I believe, the beauty of our planet and the human civilization is in diversity. Diversity generates dialogue. And the dialogue leads to the cultural exchange and mutual enrichment, which eventually creates conditions for progress.

Armenians in Armenia and in our worldwide Diaspora have historically developed a mindset that has always been open to interaction with various cultures, traditions, and religions. As noted by great German philosopher Emmanuel Kant, I quote, “Among the Christian nations Armenians have certain commercial spirit, they travel from the borders of China all the way to the coast of Guinea to carry on commerce… and know how to secure a peaceful reception by all the peoples they encounter”, end of quote. This is why today we can encounter landmark pieces of Armenian heritage in Jerusalem and Istanbul, Tbilisi and Baku, Hong Kong and Calcutta, Singapore and Dhaka – in all major spots along the ancient Silk Road.

Thus, the philosophy, which lies behind today’s conference, is in absolute conformity with our values. We are grateful for promoting the ideas aimed at supporting mutual understanding and cooperation among the nations and ready to support the Chinese government in its endeavors to reach this goal.

Openness, dialogue and the art of learning from each other is the path to the harmony and peace between the nations.

Dear participants,

As this year marks the 70th anniversary of foundation of the People’s Republic of China, I would like to extend our warm congratulations to President Xi Jinping and the people of China on this historic anniversary.

China has arrived at this milestone of its history with numerous achievements - impressive economic development, social and cultural progress. Effective governance, as well as the energy and dedication of the Chinese people have always been the engine on the road to these historically outstanding accomplishments.

Dear participants,

During the last year Armenia has undergone fundamental transformation. It sprang from a nation-wide public movement and reflected the aspirations of our people to build a better future for ourselves and the generations to come.

We have eradicated systemic corruption and oligarchic economy, strengthened independent judiciary, and established equal conditions for all economic players. Our ultimate goal is to build a competitive and technologically developed economy and a modern society based on the universal principles of equality, justice and the rule of law.

Today, Armenia is a dynamically developing country with a stable government, vibrant economy, and a modern and pluralistic society.

At the same time, Armenia is a country with a millennia-old history. As we learned from our history we reached our highest cultural achievements only when we had an uninterrupted communication and exchange with other cultures and traditions.

Therefore, today, as in the past, we see the path of our progress in close interaction with all regional and global players. We are against dividing lines, artificial barriers, and closed borders, which are nonsense in the 21 century, but still maintained by our neighbors creating security challenges and economic impediments.

Armenia is engaged in bilateral and multilateral cooperation processes encompassing much of the wider region - be it the economic integration with the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, where Armenia is one of the founding members, cooperation in the framework of the EU Eastern Partnership or the participation in the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative that Armenia joined in 2015. Engagement in different intersecting cooperation frameworks has become one of the compatible advantages of Armenia.

I want to conclude my remarks by once again expressing my sincere gratitude to for inviting Armenia to this important forum and wishing the Conference a complete success.

Thank you for your attention.”