extent that allows us to define our purpose—to ensure the existence and development of our
generations on this planet, on the territory of the Armenian state for millennia to come—and
to view our present endeavors within this context.
The Armenian who lives on this planet 2,000 years from now will be different from us, just as
we differ from the Armenians who lived 2,000 years ago. One such difference is that we can
convey our message to the Armenians of the future. The central idea of that message should
focus on what connects them with us and with the Armenians who lived 2,000 years before us,
and what conditions would strengthen this connection and make it viable. At the same time,
this connection should not become constraining.
It should not hold us back but, rather, push us forward, motivate and inspire us. It should
not become a suffocating presence, but rather provide an incentive for every Armenian to
view themselves as integral to a millenia-old mission, and thus expand its scope and enrich
its content. It should instill trust and a longing for self-acknowledgment and self-recognition.
The most vital element of national identity is the connection with one’s roots, a sense of
ownership over a national legacy and values, crystalized through history. It strengthens every
individual’s faith in and reliance on their abilities and, consequently, the faith in and reliance on
the abilities of the entire nation and its people. For this reason, in the preamble to the National
Security Strategy, I consider it necessary to chart a trajectory best formulated by poet Vahan
Teryan in the following lines:
Babylon was once our adversary, see
How it has been lost, passed on—like an ominous mist.
- Vahan Teryan
We have been conceived in the Armenian Highland, our patriarch was Hayk, and we are called
Armenians. We are the heirs of the Kingdom of Van, the Orontid dynasty, the Artaxiad dynasty,
the Arsacid dynasty, the Bagratid dynasty, the Kingdom of Cilicia, and the First Republic of
Armenia.
We acknowledge the exceptional role of the Armenian SSR in the development of education,
science, culture, and industry in Armenia.
We are the proud citizens of the Third Armenian Republic, the sons and daughters of the
Armenian nation, who founded the Third Armenian Republic and liberated Artsakh.
The Republic of Armenia is the guarantor of the security and liberty of the Armenians of
Artsakh. The Republic of Armenia is a Pan-Armenian state and represents all the Armenians of
the world.
The Armenian nation has survived many historical ordeals and has acquired the strength and
vitality to make it to the 21st century through the skills, knowledge, and character it has
developed by exercising statehood. Drawing on this historical knowledge, the Armenian nation
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