Pashinyan says Armenia’s ambitions must stay within recognized borders

Armenia’s national aspirations should remain within its internationally recognized borders, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on November 6, defending his government’s “Real Armenia” ideology at the Global Armenian Summit in Yerevan.

Pashinyan told the event, attended by representatives of the Armenian diaspora, that the ideology is based on the internationally recognized territory of the Republic of Armenia, AnewZ reports.

“It is good that the border prevents us from expanding east or west,” he said. Pashinyan added that the same borders also prevent other countries from expanding into Armenian territory.

“Just as the border prevents us from expanding westward, for example, it also limits others from expanding from west to east,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan has recently been promoting the “Real Armenia” concept more actively. The approach places the modern Armenian state and its internationally recognized territory at the center of national identity.

The prime minister said the ideology was about the country’s “continued existence” and stressed that Armenia’s institutions should serve the security, welfare and freedom of its citizens.

“Nothing is more important than the state. If you love your homeland, strengthen your state,” Pashinyan said.

Addressing relations with the diaspora, Pashinyan said Armenia was seeking to redefine its ties with Armenian communities abroad. The country can offer diaspora communities “only one thing — itself,” he said.