Generally speaking, when we Armenians talk about shaping our future and preserving and developing our national identity, there is a major formula for that and on that path — we, as a nation, need to know more about ourselves, our history and our heritage. This is what Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said in his speech during his visit to the St. Nicholas Armenian Catholic Church and the Levonian Armenian Seminary today.
According to Nikol Pashinyan, official visits are also about knowing more about the Armenian nation, people and history. “I was thinking about my current visit to Italy, and I got the impression that this visit to Italy is about learning more about Italian-Armenian relations and the future opportunities. By traveling to different countries and having different meetings, we Armenians not only acknowledge and learn about the particular countries, but also get to know ourselves better and know more about our history and national identity,” Pashinyan said, adding that he is certain that Armenians need to know their history more in depth in order to preserve their national identity.
Pashinyan is certain that Armenians need to know more about their history in order to preserve their national identity. “This visit to Italy, as well as the visits to other countries truly contain a tremendous Armenian subtext. We started from Venice, particularly the Mekhitarist Congregation, which has an unforgettable and invaluable merit in the preservation and development of our national identity, and today we had the opportunity to be at Levonian Armenian Seminary and had a meeting in the Armenian Apostolic Church in Milan. Frankly, these visits help us evaluate our potential more, have infinite respect towards our history and heritage and have more faith in our future,” he said.
Pashinyan also attached importance to the role of the Armenian Church in the preservation and development of the national identity. “I would like to say that we Armenians truly praise the role of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Armenian Catholic Church and the Armenian Evangelical Church in the preservation and development of our national identity. I would also like to thank you for not only preserving, but also developing the Armenian identity. The heritage that we Armenians have in Armenia and in the world should not just be preserved, but also developed. It has to strengthen our identity, our people, our State and our positions. The more we know ourselves, the more we understand that a nation with such heritage simply can’t be an observer in the history of mankind. Such a nation has to be a role-player. Our heritage, which is first and foremost spiritual, wouldn’t be valuable and couldn’t be valuable, if it wasn’t laid on a strong and unwavering foundation.”
The Prime Minister stressed that Armenian heritage is first and foremost spiritual because it doesn’t matter whether it is the Armenian Apostolic Church or the Armenian Catholic Church. “I don’t think many know about this, and I also have to admit that there were certain surprising elements that are hinged on the same values. On St. Lazarus Island, I was pleased to record the fact that the main altars of the cathedral are dedicated to Mesrop Mashtots, Sahak Partev and Gregory the Illuminator, and this is the spiritual integrity that unites all us Armenians as one. I want to believe that this new era of Armenian history and the people is an era in which we will learn more about ourselves and give a complete evaluation of ourselves, not be afraid of speaking out about our goals and going after them.
I am very happy for this occasion. I thank you for the cordial reception and highly appreciate all that has connected and connects and unites all us Armenians,” he said.