An independent state is strong when it has free citizens, says Armen Sarkissian, President of the Republic of Armenia.
“Our society and our nation should consist of free people that have the freedom of thinking and expression, respect each other’s freedom and have the patience to listen to others,” President Sarkissian said in an exclusive interview with Public Radio of Armenia.
He said “the society of free people is more stable, and this has been proved throughout history.
“Whether we want it or not, in the 21st century strong are the states built upon their own real value systems, nations that have a clear roadmap for development, a clear vision of the path they are going to move along, , nations, where ideas of freedom lie in the basis of democracy,” the President said.
The President said he believes there should be mechanisms of checks and balances. Otherwise, he said, mistaken cannot be avoided.
“The road to democracy lies through mechanisms of checks and balances, self-analysis and self-assessment,” President Sarkissian said.
The President stressed the role of responsibility in building a strong country.
“Everyone should feel the responsibility – the voters, the authorities, the civil society, the intellectuals and the nation as a whole. Responsibility is essential for any state and national structure,” he said.
President Sarkissian stressed that “any democratic process in any country does not start or end with a concrete step.”
“Democracy is a never-ending process. We have to live in that process every day, irrespective of the fact of whether we have elections or not, because after the voting day any authority elected through the most democratic elections should be guided by the same principles of democracy, freedom, dialogue,” the President stated.
