Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with the members of the newly formed Public Council, headed by the Chairman of the Public Council Ara Khzmalyan, at the Matenadaran.

In his speech, the Prime Minister first congratulated the members of the Council on their appointment to that status and noted that the constitutional formulation, according to which the Public Council is a consultative body of the Government, must ultimately be fully implemented. Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that the Government has and has always had an acute need for such a platform, format, and place for consultation. The Prime Minister expressed hope that the newly formed Public Council will assume this role.

“My understanding is that the Public Council should, first of all, be a place for brainstorming, where there will be discussions on the country’s development strategies, of course, as well as tactical and specific issues. I believe that this is a good opportunity for the Government to make our future activities more effective,” the Prime Minister noted.

According to Nikol Pashinyan, the formulation that patriotism without professionalism is even dangerous accurately describes the situation and the path we have traveled, because our fundamental problem from the first days of the formation of our Republic has been patriotism without professionalism. According to the Prime Minister, this does not mean that there were no professionals in Armenia and there are none. “Being a professional as an artist, being a professional as a scientist, being a professional as a healthcare worker, being a professional in the industry is a very important thing, but being a professional in relations with the state and in the formation of the state is a much more serious challenge, especially in a situation, in a society where the traditions of statehood are fragmented, interrupted and there are no deeply formed institutions and traditions. Although the prevailing mood in Armenia today is mainly pessimism based on observations of public platforms, I must emphasize that for me the prevailing mood is optimism and this is not just an emotional manifestation. They usually say that a pessimist is a well-informed optimist, and who is the one, who after being well-informed in conditions of optimism, finds himself in the field of pessimism and then again in the field of optimism? Perhaps the one who more fully understands or imagines the situation with all its nuances in a given period and in a longer historical context," the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister emphasized that he is much more optimistic about the future of the Republic of Armenia today than he was in 2018 or 2019, and even more so in 2020 or 2021. And what has changed during this time? In the Prime Minister's perception and perspective, the following has changed: the Government has a program that is very specific. "And I would like us not to underestimate the existence of this program also with the logic that it is a program that emphasizes the activities to be taken by us, not others, decisions to be taken by us, not others. In my assessment, this is the best or key change that has occurred in the worldview of the Government and the state system. I tried to talk about this during my last two speeches in the National Assembly, and now, especially in the Public Council, I want to emphasize this. Optimism stems from the fact that there is a program on the table and the implementation of that program depends on us by 90 percent or more, absolutely on us and on the decisions that we will make as a society, as a state, as a people. I think this is the most important news from my point of view, which I want to share with you," noted Nikol Pashinyan, adding at the same time that optimism does not mean a guarantee.

According to the Prime Minister, one of the most important features of this program is that it is not guaranteed. This program involves work, discussions in various formats, decisions, including very active work with the public. The Prime Minister expressed hope that the Public Council will become the platform for these discussions.

Nikol Pashinyan wished those present success in the work of the Public Council and guaranteed that the Government will have active and high-level participation, of course with the understanding that the newly formed Public Council will be a platform where there will be a clash of ideas, discussions, debates, and not broil.

Next, issues related to the further activities of the Public Council were discussed. Prime Minister Pashinyan answered the questions of the members of the Council.