On 31 May, Acting Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan had a farewell meeting with the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Acting Minister Ayvazyan expressed gratitude to the staff for the professionalism and professional dedication they demonstrated during their joint work.
In his remarks, Ara Ayvazyan noted, in particular: “When I agreed to assume this position, it was the most difficult, but at the same time, the easiest decision of my life. It was an easy decision because I, personally, and I am sure all of you, realised that we have a duty to our martyrs, a duty to our country. It was difficult because I understood and realised very well what an enormous responsibility was placed on me and on all of us, because we had no right to make mistakes. We had no right to take a step for which our people and our history would not forgive us later.
When I assumed this position, I declared that diplomacy was not defeated, and to this day I maintain that our diplomacy is not defeated. Many disagree with me, but during this period all of us—those here and those in the embassies—proved that we are not only undefeated, but also able to advance our state and national interests and draw the red lines. This year, as we mark the 30th anniversary of our ministry, is an important period, a period of maturity; it seems that all along we were preparing for these days, for these times.
Indeed, much has been accomplished; I do not wish to enumerate now, nor do I wish to offer an assessment—that is for later. But I believe that all of us can go out into the street with our heads held high and walk. I believe our international partners have understood that Armenia is not defeated, Artsakh is not defeated, the Armenian people are not defeated. Our enemies have understood this as well. And no less important is that in these troubled days we became the institution that became comprehensible to our society, our voice became increasingly audible, and we gained more trust than ever before from our people. I want to thank you all very much today; it was truly a great honour for me to work with all of you. My working style has always been collegial, and I hope you have felt that your work and your advice were accessible to the ministry’s leadership. Not only accessible, but our decisions, which we made during this period, were truly based on the professional work and advice of all of you.
I made this decision with great difficulty, but when I assumed this position, I had one standard: this ministry, which is the birth of independence, must steadfastly defend our sovereignty, our independence, our state and national interests. I hope I have not left you in shame, and my decision to resign was conditioned precisely by that reason, so that there could never be any doubt that this ministry might take some step or give consent to any ideas or initiatives that are against our statehood, our national and state interest. We have travelled a long road together, and today I bid you farewell with the kindest memories.
To our entire staff—diplomats and non-diplomats alike, we have been one family—I express my deep gratitude. I wish you to continue working in the same spirit. And my advice: a diplomat is generally perceived as a person who adapts, accommodates, and avoids sharp corners. I believe that in these difficult conditions we have no right to do so, and among us, indeed, increasingly, I am sure, there will be principled diplomats who will become a benchmark for our society. Once again, thank you very much and all the best to you.”
