Lilit Makunts, Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister, attended the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop titled "A new momentum for Armenia: Foreign policy, Reforms and Resilience”."

The event was attended by representatives of diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia, international organizations, think tanks, and civil society organizations, as well as other guests.

Opening remarks were delivered by Lilit Makunts, Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister, and Ambassador Vassilis Maragos, Head of the European Union Delegation.

Welcoming the attendees, Lilit Makunts expressed gratitude for the invitation to the event and emphasized that she is a strong supporter and proponent of the think tank community's work. According to the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister, cooperation with think tanks is essential within the framework of the Armenian Government's program, as today's ambitious decisions will have an impact on the future. "So, for sustainability and thinking about the future of our country, for the foreign policy diversification, the ambition to build resilience of the country, I think it is really important to work with each other," noted Lilit Makunts.

The Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister also expressed gratitude to the European Union for the support provided: "We have been cooperating with the EU for a decade, but I think it's been in the past couple of years, several years that this is becoming quality wise is becoming even deeper with the civilian missions being in Armenia helping to strengthen the information capacity, the resilience, but also contributing to the security environment with your support, of course, allowing enabling the Armenian products to access EU markets."

Lilit Makunts emphasized that Armenia strives to safeguard the integrity of its independence, ensure that the residents and citizens of the Republic of Armenia live in safe and prosperous conditions within an independent Armenia, and create opportunities in the fields of education, employment, and creative activity. "Those are our ambitions, but also it wouldn't be possible to take sustainable decisions without research-based and evidence-based information. That's where the Government of the Republic of Armenia sees an opportunity to work with the civil society and expert community. Understandably, there are biases everywhere. And our task is also to diversify approaches as well and listen to all of you, considering the perspectives of all of you," noted Lilit Makunts.

The Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister also addressed several points within the Armenian Government’s program that are priorities for the country. Lilit Makunts noted that the diversification of foreign policy will be a key element of Armenia's policy over the next five years.

 "We aim to create an environment where Armenia has choices and alternatives, and where its decisions are not constrained by the choices, desires, or interests of any single partner. We also recognize that the security of the Republic of Armenia is not limited solely to the documents—such as peace agreements or declarations—that we have signed or intend to sign in the future." "We must create an environment and make decisions that guarantee lasting peace—supported by societies and peoples alike—and ensure that the decisions we adopt, including those in the economic sphere, reinforce this stability. This is why economic diversification is crucial, as is ensuring that Armenia does not become held captive by its own economic choices. Energy security is another component of this. However, I reiterate: our goal is not to replace one 'basket' with another, but to ensure we have multiple 'baskets.' That way, if the interests of the Republic of Armenia do not align with those of a particular group or country in a given situation, we will not be constrained by that fact," said Lilit Makunts.

 ''We're trying to create an environment where Armenia has opportunities and alternatives for choice, and that Armenia is not restricted with its choices, given the decisions or the desires or the interests of one single partner. We also understand that the security of the Republic of Armenia is not limited to the documents, the peace document, peace declarations, that we have signed and are going to sign in the future as well. We need to create an environment and decisions where the sustainability of peace is ensured also by the societies, by the peoples, as well as the decisions that we make, including in the sphere of economy. That's the reason why economic diversification and ensuring that Armenia is not a slave of its economic decisions is important. Energy security is another component of it. But again, replacing one basket with another basket is not our goal. Our goal is to make sure that we have lots of them. And in case there is a specific situation where the interests of the Republic of Armenia do not align with the interests of one group or a country, Armenia should not be limited and restricted to that'', Lilit Makunts said.  

According to the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister, TRIPP will become another important component of sustainable peace, security, and peaceful coexistence with neighbors in the region. "We see it definitely as a part of peace process, but that's also an important pillar of Armenia-US relations in the long run. Though TRIPP is Armenia-US project, that does not restrict us at certain points to engage partners in this or that component of that infrastructure project."

Addressing the continuity of democratic reforms in the Republic of Armenia, Lilit Makunts emphasized that these will remain a sustained commitment for Armenia over the next five years.

In her concluding remarks, the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister underscored the importance of any research aimed at strengthening the resilience of the Republic of Armenia. "The continuous path towards peace, stable and peaceful relations with neighbors, and the democratic path of the Republic of Armenia—any research or recommendations you may have on these topics will undoubtedly be important for the Government."

Subsequently, Lilit Makunts answered questions from the workshop participants.