“STUDENTS AND DIPLOMACY SHOULD COOPERATE”: ZOHRAB MNATSAKANYAN

YSU Rector Aram Simonyan, the Dean of the Faculty of International Relations Gegham Petrosyan, as well as students and freshmen of the department were present at the traditional meeting-discussion.

Rector Aram Simonyan came up with the greeting speech, congratulated those present on the new academic year. Minister of Foreign Affairs Zohrab Mnatsakanyan delivered a lecture presenting the students the achievements, problems and challenges of the sphere of diplomacy.

“First of all I have to speak about the great potential the Armenian people have. One of our important problems is to direct and apply this potential correctly. Each of us must realize that we can have a significant role in finding solutions to this or that problem”, said the Minister.

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan also referred to the problems of the Republic of Artsakh and recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
“Our national security is one of the most vital problems for us and to ensure it we are ready to cooperate with our colleagues without any preconditions. The problem of Genocide doesn’t relate only to Armenia and the condemnation and prevention of genocides are among the challenges of world society. Our task is to watch the processes and participate in them and we do it properly”, said MFA Minister.

The Minister also spoke about the cooperation existing between Armenia and world’s organization pointing out the cooperation with OCSE and UNO.

Referring to the issues raised by the students the Minister said that he attached importance to the cooperation of MFA with future diplomats having the aim to assist students to gain experience in diplomacy and to show them how the theoretical and practical diplomacy sometimes don’t match and even contradict each other.

“Students and diplomacy should cooperate. Besides, we plan to have a website where the history Armenian diplomacy will be presented. It will contain the information about the history of diplomacy in 1919-1920, in the Soviet period, and detailed information about the diplomacy of the Third Armenian Republic”, added Zohrab Mnatsakanyan at the end of the meeting.