Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, on a working visit to Paris, participated in the work of the organization’s 40th General Conference at UNESCO headquarters.
In his speech delivered on this occasion, the Prime Minister touched upon the reforms being implemented in Armenia in the system of state governance, as well as in the field of education. Nikol Pashinyan considered the improvement of the quality of education a strategic issue and noted that the development of the sector has received special attention from the Armenian government. The Prime Minister noted that education has strategic significance for society and that it is the government’s task to promote the sector’s progress through innovative programs and improve the infrastructure.
Subsequently, the Prime Minister gave an interview to the UNESCO press service.
Pashinyan also had a meeting with UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. The Prime Minister deemed important the cooperation between the Armenian government and UNESCO and reaffirmed Armenia’s support for the organization’s humanitarian missions carried out across the world. The Prime Minister noted that Armenia considers important the continued strengthening of stable cooperation with UNESCO and the organization’s consistent attention to the preservation of cultural heritage in the region.
The Prime Minister emphasized that Armenia is committed to the promotion of education as a powerful tool for raising young generations in the spirit of peace, dialogue, human rights, tolerance and non-discrimination.
He added that the government expresses full support for the proposal of Yerevan State University to establish a UNESCO Chair in Education and the Prevention of Genocide, noting that education is a powerful tool for the prevention of genocide.
Audrey Azoulay thanked Pashinyan for participating in the UNESCO General Conference and highly appreciated Armenia’s efforts in the preservation of its rich cultural heritage. She noted that the institution she heads is interested in developing and expanding cooperation with Armenia in the aforementioned directions.
The interlocutors exchanged views on the cooperation between UNESCO and Armenia, the goals and directions of the organization’s activities, and touched upon, in particular, the prospects for developing cooperation in the fields of science, education and the preservation of cultural heritage.
