YEREVAN. – From now on, the ambassadors of Armenia should act as ambassadors of all Armenians. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Tuesday said this while addressing a conference of ambassadors and heads of diplomatic departments.

The Prime Minister noted that this is the first such conference since the velvet, nonviolent revolution, and a good opportunity to speak about the conceptual provisions and tools of foreign policy. According to him, it is indispensable to answer these questions: What is the principle objective of foreign policy? Why should foreign policy be conducted, in general?

“Our objective is to ensure sovereignty and security, to consistently raise their level, to ensure a more favorable environment for the security and prosperity of the country and its citizens,” Pashinyan stressed. In his words, to this end, it is necessary to make the country’s voice be heard to a greater extent, its positions—be more visible, its approaches—be more acceptable to the world, and the task here is to raise Armenia’s subjectivity in international relations, and to raise its standing.

The PM stressed that there are prerequisites and opportunities for this, and one of the key factors is the velvet revolution, which literally became a worldwide event. Armenia’s embassies and diplomatic missions should use this fact to raise the country’s standing in the world, Pashinyan stated. According to him, this was not a revolution of a political team or force, but of people, and it should be properly presented to the world—not as a news release, but as information about the country.

Democracy should become the “calling card” of Armenia’s foreign policy, Pashinyan noted. According to him, democracy is the country’s objective, and it is irreversible because it is based on the will and aspirations of the people, not of an individual or a political team.

The PM said another principle of foreign policy is pan-Armenian aspirations, and here the issue of perception of the hang-up of a small nation and of a small people becomes apparent, and that hang-up can be reflected on all foreign domains, including in foreign policy.

“To which I have already witnessed during my visits as the prime minister,” Pashinyan said, adding that to overcome this hang-up, ambassadors must from now on represent the whole Armenian nation, not just any political force, elite, or even the state.

According to Pashinyan, there are all the prerequisites for that, and the Armenian government has equal support from the people of the country and the Armenian diaspora.

“And we agreed that the democratic processes are irreversible, and the objective is to clear the ‘boundaries’ between Armenia, the Diaspora, and Artsakh,” Pashinyan said, adding that, in this way, the embassies of Armenia should be united so that that the Armenian communities are not divided amongst themselves.

The premier said he had stated that there would be no reversals in Armenia’s foreign policy.

“And there haven’t been,” Pashinyan added. “The sequence of the position on the matters of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the solely pacific settlement of the Karabakh conflict is ensured. But this doesn’t mean that nothing has changed in foreign policy; in practice, much has changed.”

According to him, first and foremost, this change is the maneuvering’s replacement with own clear position and its consistent defending.

“[But] this doesn’t mean complete rejection of maneuvering and flexibility,” Nikol Pashinyan added. “However, without a clear position and maneuvering to comply with interests of the country, it means being a timber in a heated current. Maneuvering by having one’s own position means being a boat and managing the movement—and even the current.

“This is not an easy road, but we must go forward along this road; it stems from the interest of the country.”