If you love the Motherland, strengthen the State - Nikol  Pashinyan

ArmInfo.Regional and international tensions pose serious threats to Armenia, Armenia's Premier Nikol Pashinyan stated at a hearing of the 2024 draft budget in Armenia's Parliament.  

According to him, discussions on the draft state budget of Armenia  are taking place in a difficult international situation, which is not  new for Yerevan. "Each time over the past three years, discussions  have taken place and are taking place in conditions of growing  international tension. At the same time, the possibility of nuclear  war, according to international experts, has increased significantly.  After the Cold War, we are living in a world order that has  collapsed. In this situation, competent management of existing risks  and threats can create unprecedented opportunities for our state," Mr  Pashinyan said. 

He added that in order to implement this competent policy, it is  necessary to carry out intellectual systematic work, the main task of  which should be self-realization and analysis of the work done over  the past 32 years. "What is independence for us? What is our  understanding of independence and sovereignty?  What mechanisms of  statehood do we need? All these are issues on the national security  agenda that require political and expert assessment, especially in a  changing world in which we must take care of ensuring our  competitiveness," Pashinyan said, adding that resolving these issues  is part of the work of the government and the premier. 

The head of the Cabinet of Ministers added that the experience of  Armenia over the past five years, which was filled with happiness and  tragedy, led him to the idea of a systematic design, which is  proposed to be formed as an official state guideline. "The meaning of  this guideline is as follows: if you love the Motherland, strengthen  the State. This slogan comes from the thesis that over the past 32  years there has been an increase in tension between such concepts as  the Motherland and the State, and the impossibility of choosing  between the Motherland and the State. But no matter how real this  impossibility may be, it must be done, since it is with the  assessment of these concepts that the realization begins that the  State is the only and irreplaceable Motherland, with its sovereignty,  territorial integrity and developed institutions," said Pashinyan.  

Pashinyan named corruption as one of the internal threats to national  security. "I consider the possible intensification of corruption to  be one of the most serious threats to macroeconomic stability. We  must strengthen our principled fight against it," Pashinyan said,  adding that reports that in different places, at different levels,  what is still being decided with the help of bribes are cause for  concern. some questions. "This is a matter of national security and  its interests. The fight against corruption is as important now as it  was in 2018. We are deeply concerned about the stereotype that money  can "solve" something. Let's agree that there will be no forgiveness  here representatives of the former, nor representatives of the  current government", the premier said.