Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who is in Brussels on a working visit,  visited the European Parliament on Monday. He was welcomed by the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee David McAllister, the PM's office reported.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan delivered a speech at the the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament: 

In his speech, Prime Minister Pashinyan stated: 

"Chairman McAllister,

Distinguished Members of the European Parliament,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I'm honored and privileged to address the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament.

After the velvet revolution, it is the first opportunity for the Armenian Prime Minister to speak at the Foreign Affairs Committee. Hence, I would like to focus, in particular, on the fundamental changes that already happened and are currently taking place in my country. I will also speak about the challanges that  we are facing today and about goals and plans for the our future .

Distinguished  colleagues,

Armenia is currently undergoing changes, which are unprecedented in their nature and magnitude, changes that are completely transforming our political and economic landscape.

Last spring a non-violent revolution occurred in Armenia. Armenian people guided by the slogans of love, tolerance and brotherhood, stood up to protect their political rights and build the society inconformity with their ideals and values. They opted for democracy and pluralism, for justice and equality. They spoke against corruption and the political system, based on a client-patron relationship. They stood against the elite, which monopolized the political and economic life od the country, against oligarchic economy and against those who established and exploited extractive institutions leading the country to stagnation.

Velvet revolution restored democracy in Armenia.

Snap parliamentary elections held last December reinforced our achievements. The political forces which were behind the revolution won a landslide victory. We gained an overwhelming support of the Armenian people - more than 70% of the votes.

For the first time in about 25 years, the elections held in Armenia were not contested by any political party. It is equally important to say that the recent election obtained the best possibly assessments of European observers who welcomed them as free, fair and transparent.

I am confident that the victory of democracy is irreversible in our country. My confidence is based on the following premises:

First, ideas of freedom and democracy have deep roots in the core values ​​of our people. Armenia was one of the first countries where nationwide popular movement arose against the former Communist regime back in 1980's . The restoration of our independence in 1991 was indisputably aimed at establishing society based on constitutional democracy, rule of law and liberal values. The distortion of democracy, which we witnessed in our country during the last 20 years, happened as a result of a deviation from the initially chosen path of c issues has been distorted in by distracting us from the previously  democracy. It originated from a wrong and misleading interpretation of our traditional values ​​and aspirations.

Second, the democratic transformation in our society is based on a wide social demand, coming from of all layers of the Armenian society and the 6 million strong Armenian Diaspora worldwide. This progressive process was born out of the will and aspirations of our people. Moreover, it had nothing to do with outside forces. It did not produce any tectonic shift  in our foreign policy, nor originated any changes in our foreign policy strategy. Armenia remains committed to its foreign policy obligations and partners.

Third, democracy is not merely one of the viable options for us. Rather it is a matter of security  for us. We believe that for our people and our political culture it is true to claim that democracy provides for stronger and more efficient economic and political institutions which constitute an important precondition for the development of the country. Therefore, we couldn't afford the luxury of underdeveloped institutions which previously existed in our country. They caused economic inefficiency, impeding our country's progress. Democracy, promoting our economy and political institutions became imperative in Armenia . It has no alternative today.

We need democracy in order to be competitive in the 21st century. Nevertheless, democracy needs to be protected and reinforced. What are the main challenges that we are facing today?

First of all, it is the poverty which still exists in our country. Today, the people who live under  the poverty line make up about the one-third of our total population. They constitute the main social basis for fraud elections and electoral bribes that we were witnessing in the past.

In our society there is an obvious correlation between economic development and democracy. Erosion of the middle class was actually accounting for the decline of democracy that we witnessed in the past.  Thus, a strong and vibrant middle class is considered to be one of the main prerequisites for sustainable democracy in Armenia, and the economic revolution is chosen therefore as the next goal of our government and the cornerstone of its program.

With this view in mind, we adopted and already started implementing an ambitious reform agenda. As I have mentioned on many occasions, among the current priorities of the  the Armenian government are the fight against corruption, eliminating monopolies, elimination of the poverty, consolidation of the independent judiciary system and  establishment rule of law, and ensuring equal rules for all economic and political actors.

We are going to put in force a package of drastic measures to reform our tax and customs systems.

We also focus on reforming our education system. People should be able to live and create in a rapidly evolving and shrinking world world in which progress is driven by knowledge.

I am proud to inform you that a lot of visible changes have already occured  place in our country over the past few months . For example, we have already eradicated systemic corruption in Armenia. The power of monopolies and existing oligopolies in Armenia has already been reduced. Today there is no one in Armenia who is able to use political influence to achieve economic goals anymore.

Distinguished colleagues,

While implementing our reform policy, we are stumbling on obstacles. One thing is clear in this regard: Implementation of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with the European Union is of tremendous importance for the success of our reforms.

The value and attractiveness of this initiative are in achieving its objectives exclusively through the implementation of reforms. CEPA is a reform generating tool.

The fulfillment  of its provisions will lead to qualitative changes in many areas of our society.

Taking the opportunity, I would like to assure you that the Armenian government is resolute to take all the  necessary measures for the implementation of the CEPA. We are determined to conduct  an active and fruitful cooperation with the European Union in all areas of mutual interest.

In this regard, I want to note that the early ratification of the CEPA by the EU member states is crucial for its complete entering into force and further strengthening of our bilateral relations. At this point more than a third of the Member States have already ratified the agreement and we are hopeful that others will do the same in the near future. On this matter we very much count on the Parliament's support and your personal contribution.

In the context of our cooperation agenda, I would also like to point out the dialogue on visa liberalization.  Opening of the process will greatly contribute to the people to people contact and to our cooperation in general.

Taking the opportunity, I would like to ask your support in promoting this case, given the fact that Armenia is consistently implementing all  the requirements on this issue.

The financial and technical assistance of the European Union remains critically important for us. We need your support to make drastic steps in implementing our reforms. It is obvious, that  EU's enhance assistance will help us move forward more resolute and decisive way. The wider the scope of the assistance, the faster and smoother the pace of our reforms.
Distinguished colleagues,

Geopolitical and security risks in the South Caucasus are tha other challenges that we are facing today. They seriously undermine our reform potential.
First, the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the existing  tension in our region create political risks which are significantly affecting  investment attractiveness of our country and the region as a whole.

Second, the arms races unleashed by our opponents cause additional difficulties for the South Caucasus region. Today Armenia has to allocate large portion of its scarce resources to maintain peace in the region. It is Armenia which actually bears the economic burden of keeping  the existing balance and preventing another outburst of hostilities.

Third, the closed borders and the continuing transport blockade  imposed on our country since the early 1990s sharply reduce the possibilities of diversifying our economy.

Finally, the sanctions imposed on Iran are also having negative consequences on our economy, reducing the availability of one of  two corridors connecting Armenia to the rest of the world.

As I mentioned the Karabakh conflict, I would like to stress  the constructive and balanced approach of the European Union toward this issue.
It is our view that the international community should continue to support the OSCE Minsk Group peacekeeping efforts, especially by sending clear message that the use of force is inadmissible. We are confident that the settlement of the conflict implies the necessity of respecting the right of the people of Karabakh to self-determination.
People of  this mountainous region have lived in de facto independence  for more than two decades. There is a  generation young people there who can not imagine any alternative to the independence.

If we seek for a peaceful, just and lasting solution to the conflict, the people of Karabakh should be given the opportunity to find their future by themselves. I'm not representing  the people of Nagorno Karabakh. As the  prime minister of Armenia, I only have the mandate of Armenian citizens, but not the Armenian population of Karabakh who have their own constitution and form their own government.
It is obvious for me that the peace process could produce a real progress only if the people of Karabakh have a seat  at the negotiating table only if the voice of the people of Karabakh is heard and taken into account.

Dear Members of the Parliament,
It is our deep conviction that trust between the involved parties is one of the key preconditions for the settlement of conflicts. This confidence can be achieved through developing dialogue and understanding. We see the South Caucasus as a region where independent nations  live in peace, solidarity and cooperation. Indeed, in the modern world, closed borders are considered  at least economic and political nonsense.

The world is changing by the day, resulting in a greater interconnection and interdependence. Our region needs new forms of dialogue, peaceful coexistence and economic cooperation. The culture of dialogue, tolerance and compromise should dominate all existing disagreements in the South Caucasus.

Thank you for attention".