Today, March 2, marks Diplomat’s Day. The professional holiday of the diplomatic service of the Republic of Armenia is, I believe, an occasion to pause for a moment in the midst of an endless race — yes, to celebrate, as I believe we have earned that right — but also to reflect, to contemplate, to reassess and re-evaluate the environment around us, the ongoing tectonic geopolitical processes and movements, our mission within all of that, our activities, our methods, and our effectiveness, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said at an event dedicated to Diplomat’s Day.
“In recent years, it has become clear that diplomacy is indeed one of the key components of our sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security architecture. It would not be an exaggeration to say that diplomacy — a balanced and balancing foreign policy — is the first line of defense for our security, which, amid ongoing shifts or in stormy seas, has allowed us to navigate safely and bring the ship of our statehood into calm waters.
With the same awareness, we are now making efforts to bring that ship to its next logical destination — the further institutionalization of peace and the formation around us of an environment of tolerance, cooperation, and open borders.
This is today’s imperative — to focus, alongside the institutionalization of peace, on the development agenda, to diversify our economic ties, to create new economic opportunities, and, continuing the allegory, to discover new horizons for our ship.
Today, diplomacy is no longer only a shield ensuring security, but also a driving force and a compass advancing our country.
I am confident that just as we have fulfilled the tasks set before us thus far, we will approach new tasks as well. At the same time, of course, we will continue to work on ourselves, improving the quality of our service, modernizing it, and aligning it with new challenges and new realities.
Accordingly, congratulations, dear diplomats, and thank you to all employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to diplomats in Yerevan and abroad. I would like to express special gratitude to the diplomats serving today in conflict zones, and, of course, above all and alongside everything, I wish to thank the family members of diplomats, who bear — equally or perhaps even more than the diplomats themselves — the hardships inherent in this service,” Mirzoyan stated.
