Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday represented Armenia during the virtual Summit of Democracy initiated by President Joe Biden and pledged Armenia’s commitment to strengthening democracy globally.
In opening remarks, Biden said global freedoms are under threat from autocrats seeking to expand power, export influence and justify repression. He called for renewed commitments to protect democracies against such threats.
The White House has billed the summit as a way for the U.S. and like-minded allies to collaborate against authoritarianism, corruption, and human rights abuses.
While Armenia was invited to the summit, Turkey—a NATO ally—and Azerbaijan were not invited.
“Citizens of Armenia do not take for granted the value of government of the people, by the people, for the people,” said Pashinyan during an address to the summit. “We have fought for it throughout our modern history. By voting for independence in 1991, we also restored a multi-party system and a framework of political rights that is meant to empower the individual citizen.”
Of course, Pashinyan took the opportunity to tout himself by saying that his elections in 2018 and 2021 were the Armenian voters way of choosing “democracy over authoritarianism.”
“We are committed to the consolidation of democracy in Armenia through strengthening democratic institutions. By embracing transparency and accountability, we are planning governance reforms and the implementation of policies that will build faith both in Armenia and among our partners abroad. By 2026, we aim to achieve continuous improvements in comparative indicators, specifically rising from a score of 50 to 60 in the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicator, and 49 to 60 in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index,” said Pashinyan.
“In our bid to consolidate our democracy, we are facing multiple challenges. The biggest challenge for us comes in the form of military threats to our security. Fighting for democracy at home is yet another challenge. That challenge is compounded when threats arise from beyond our borders. If we are to restore the appeal of democracy throughout the world, we need to join forces to face these challenges together. Armenia is committed to contributing to the global mission of strengthening democracy, and we hope that we are not alone,” added Pashinyan in what appeared to be tacit reference to Azerbaijan’s aggressive attack on Artsakh last year and the consequences of the war.
Representatives of non-governmental organizations and the private sector are also taking part in the conference. Issues related to countering threats to democracy, fighting corruption and protecting human rights are on the agenda of the two-day debates.
