Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected Mayor of Yerevan, Tigran Avinyan.

In his speech, Prime Minister Pashinyan specifically noted:

"Honorable President of the Republic of Armenia,
Honorable President of the National Assembly,
Honorable Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council,
Dear members of the Security Council, Executive Branch,
Dear Members of Parliament,
Dear representatives of the judiciary,
Dear representatives of local self-government bodies,
Spiritual fathers,
Dear attendees,

First of all, I want to congratulate Tigran Avinyan on being elected Yerevan Mayor. This is really a very big responsibility not only for Tigran Avinyan, the "Civil Contract" party, but also for all the people and to the people who took part in the elections of the Council of Elders of Yerevan and expressed a position on that occasion.

When voting for someone, regardless of who they voted for, people had one expectation: to see a flourishing Yerevan and happy Yerevan residents. This seems to be a difficult but unavoidable task to implement. And solving this problem is not only the task of the Mayor, but also of the entire composition of the Yerevan Council of Elders. And I also want to congratulate all the parties that formed a faction as a result of the Yerevan Council of Elders elections, wish them fruitful work for the sake of Yerevan and for the sake of the people of Yerevan.

These elections showed something very important: the irreversibility of democracy in the Republic of Armenia. The entire election process was, of course, tense, but the democratic essence of the Republic of Armenia was not overshadowed in any way. And this is a very important point.

It is very important to note that these elections once again showed our unwavering commitment to the values of the popular, non-violent, velvet revolution of 2018, the primary goal of which was to endow the people, the citizen of the Republic of Armenia, with irrevocable power to form ruling institutions and bodies. And these elections proved the irreversibility of that logic in the Republic of Armenia.

It is very important to note that, essentially, with the results of the elections, a new model of governance will be tested in the capital of the Republic of Armenia, when the administration of the capital will be carried out by two forces: the "Civil Contract" party and the "Republic" party. On the occasion of assuming this responsibility, I also congratulate the "Republic" party and wish them success. This should indeed bring about a new culture of management cooperation. I hope this model really lives up to it.

But on the other hand, I want to say that according to the legislation on Yerevan, in fact, Yerevan is governed by the entire Council of Elders. We must record that elections are of course important, but while following the activities of the Yerevan Council of Elders, the Mayor and the City Hall, people will want to hear, see and feel the answer to one question: to what extent the forces that formed the Council of Elders with their votes are dedicated to solving the problems of Yerevan and Yerevan resident? I am sure that we will indeed be consistent along this path.

In 2018, our political team, assuming the responsibility of managing Yerevan, implemented significant, visible and tangible changes in the capital. I am sure that in this new phase, in this new cycle, those changes will be more visible and tangible. I want to assure you that the Government of the Republic of Armenia has been and will continue to stand by the Mayor of Yerevan, the Council of Elders of Yerevan, for the sake of Yerevan and for the residents of Yerevan.

Dear Mr. Avinyan,
Dear members of Yerevan Council of Elders,

I congratulate all of you on the occasion of assuming this responsibility and wish that the congratulations on the occasion of assuming this responsibility will be justified also before the next election cycle, and we will be able to look each other in the eyes and say that we beared with honor the responsibility placed on our shoulders, the responsibility placed on your shoulders, all the members of the Yerevan Council of Elders, the responsibility placed on the shoulders of all members, all officials, the Mayor of Yerevan, the municipality.

On this path, we must be tireless, consistent, principled and honest.
I'm sure we will be.

Glory to the martyrs and long live the Republic of Armenia.
Thank you”.