On September 22, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan delivered a speech at the 108th Rose-Roth Seminar of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
The full text of the Security Council Secretary’s speech is presented below:
“Mr. President,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Honorable parliamentarians,
Dear colleagues and friends,
It is a great honor to speak at the 108th Rose-Roth Seminar. Allow me to begin by expressing Armenia’s gratitude to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and all participants who continue to promote dialogue and cooperation at both global and regional levels. Dialogue is one of the best tools for resolving and preventing conflicts.
It is symbolic that the Rose-Roth Seminar is taking place after the summit held in Washington on August 8, which established peace in the South Caucasus, a peace long awaited by the peoples of the region. We are now working to institutionalize this peace to ensure its durability.
A key component in institutionalizing peace is the unblocking of regional economic infrastructure. To this end, Armenia had previously proposed the “Peace Crossroads” project, which received a positive response from Armenia’s partners. At the same time, based on the trilateral declaration signed in Washington, the “Trump’s Route for International Peace and Prosperity” communication program will be created as part of the Peace Crossroads project. The implementation of such programs will inevitably contribute to the development of regional interdependence, which in turn will positively impact the maintenance of peace.
The peace achieved serves as a significant example of bilateral and multilateral dialogues, which this platform actively promotes.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We firmly believe that the best conditions for strengthening Armenia’s security, consolidating democratic institutions, and ensuring the continuous development of sovereignty and independence are provided by peace. This conviction, along with the peace agenda mandate received from the people in 2021, has shaped today’s environment. Under these circumstances, Armenia will not only strengthen the characteristics of its statehood but also expand cooperation with its partners.
Armenia highly values its partnership with NATO in various formats. Armenia and NATO cooperate on the rule of law, transparency in multisector reforms, counterterrorism and anti-corruption efforts, as well as in the development and implementation of defense reform programs. At the same time, with the support of NATO’s Defense Education Enhancement Program (DEEP), Armenia is implementing large-scale reforms in military education. It should be noted that Armenia has increased its participation in NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (KFOR), demonstrating Armenia’s readiness to deepen its partnership with NATO. We aim to finalize and implement the Individual Tailored Partnership Program (ITPP) as soon as possible to give new momentum to relations between Armenia and NATO.
I would also like to highlight one of Armenia’s strategic approaches to ensuring security. In 2023, the Security Council of the Republic of Armenia approved the “Comprehensive Security” vision. Armenia views resilience as a cross-governmental and societal capacity to respond to risks arising from the surrounding environment. Guided by established benchmarks on Comprehensive Security, Armenia aims, through this vision, to strengthen civil preparedness and ensure engagement to enhance Armenia’s security.
The development of the Comprehensive Security vision is based on the advancement of democratic institutions in Armenia. Interestingly, the idea of Comprehensive Security was initially actively discussed at the public level by the professional community. As a result, the Government responded to public demand and adopted the Comprehensive Security vision. We also consider democracy an important tool for ensuring Armenia’s security, while corruption remains a threat to national security.
Currently, we are working on forming and implementing an action plan for the Comprehensive Security vision, starting consultations with the EU to support its implementation. Within this framework, I wish to express special gratitude to the EU for its readiness to assist.
Dear colleagues,
Once again, thank you for the opportunity to speak at this seminar. Let us continue our joint work for peace and security, both within our region and beyond its borders.”
