Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, during his speech at the PACE session, referred to Armenia’s decision to embark on the path of democracy:
“This process of imposing reforms from the outside could have continued for centuries without reaching the final point of transforming Armenia into a democracy, since there was no real opposition at the government level. Thus, the people changed the government in Armenia, becoming the driving force of change and democracy. The peaceful democratic revolution marked a turning point in the modern history of our country. After tasting the bitterness of all previous failures, since 2018, I myself have walked alongside hundreds of thousands of my fellow citizens, my sisters and brothers, who filled the streets and cities of Armenia not with weapons, but with open arms and with the conviction that we deserved more: fair and exemplary elections, the right to form a Government with our votes, with our votes, open, accountable, transparent governance, institutions free from corruption, social justice, taxes spent on the construction of schools and roads for the people, and not on castles and private estates for oligarchs and corrupt officials, businesses that do not pay bribes to officials and do not contain artificial monopolies, an independent and effective judicial system. We have proven that our nation can choose its own destiny. Since 2018, Armenia has implemented large-scale reforms.
