“Today, we first of all bow to our mothers, whose sons sacrificed their lives for the sake of the motherland. Many of them give new life and hope to all of us, by overcoming grief and reliving the joy of motherhood and thus resurrecting their martyred children,” PM Pashinyan said.

“We bow our heads to our women who were widowed in the war, who carry the burden of care for bereaved families on their shoulders and call on their children to live, to be educated, to overcome all difficulties and to win the battles of destiny,” he continued.

“Today we bow our heads to those women who are a strong support and trust to their husbands serving in the armed forces, who are responsible for the security of the country, the state. We salute the women who serve in the Armed Forces themselves, while also highlighting the expansion of women’s roles in the life of our country that is happening before our very eyes. And this is not an ideological or political issue,” the Prime Minister said.

“For quite some time now, women have been the majority of our country’s population and understandably need to take on more responsibility. And it is logical that today in our country more and more often women assume roles, responsibilities and positions that are unprecedented in the history of our country, and our society should encourage this process,” he noted.

“Women are increasingly involved in economic activities, state administration and local self-government, judicial and law enforcement systems, and, as mentioned above, in the armed forces. And this is guarantee of our country’s development, because not using the huge potential of women to the full means being short-sighted,” Nikol Pashinyan stressed.

“Many are pessimistic about the expansion of the role of women in all spheres of public and state life, stressing that the woman is the pillar of a traditional Armenian family. This is certainly true and unmistakable. But the man is a similar pillar of the traditional Armenian family and no one is worried when the man serves in the army, the police, engages in economic activities, or leads an active public-political life. On the other hand, of course, the state should make motherhood an object of special care, which we do consistently,” he said.

In conclusion, the Prime Minister said “the International Women’s Day is not about women being fragile and vulnerable. International Women’s Day is about women being able to do more.”