Honorable President of the Republic of Armenia,Your Holiness, Mr. Generals, officers and students, dear guests:

I am heartily greeting all of you on the occasion of the 15th Anniversary of the greatest MoD officers’ educational establishment - Military Institute after Vazgen Sargsyan, and of the Recurrent Flow of the Graduates from higher military educational institutions. The Military Institute after Vazgen Sargsyan was established in 1994 on the borderline of war and ceasefire, when the Armenian army, based on the voluntary detachments, had already gained gigantic experience in battle activities.

That was one of the best times, when the experience of the regular militants was merged with the unparalleled devotion of the volunteers, which was to transform to a military experience and practical knowledge from fight to fight and by every appliance of a new weapon. However, like in every sphere, and even more than the other spheres, the Armed Forces need regular recruitment and renovation. For this reason it was an imperious necessity to shape a new generation of officers, so that, together with their senior brothers, who had deserved the victory in the front, they would continue the difficult and crucial task of protecting our motherland and continuously increasing the fighting capacity of the Armed Forces. Today, it is a gratifying reality that in different commanding circles the responsibility of commanding in the Armed Forces is already equally shared between our over four thousand officers, who have graduated from RA higher military educational establishments – motorized infantry, artillerists, tankers, scouts, military doctors and pilots, officers specialized in aviation and anti-aircraft defence, and they have almost all the commanding posts in the army - from detachment commanders to regiment commanders. This is to say that our military educational establishments, now for sure, are well established and serve their purpose, which embodies the dream of all of us and symbolizes its realization today. The passed years have shown that the Armenian military educational establishments have shaped worthy successors – officers – who both continue the heroic tradition of the Armenian army and master today’s military business at best. And the latter has a simple formula, “The direction of power in time and space.” Due to the science developments, today time and space have decreased in battle activities. But, at the same time, the role of the human has increased – the role of an officer who is educated, masters in the complex technologies of the time, is literate and devoted to his motherland. From this point of view, I’d like to mention that we have expectations just like this, that you, filling the rows of the officers in the Armed Forces, will promote the development of the army building and, by sincerely loving the motherland, you will assist to the invincibility of its borders and the strengthening of its defence. Our army has been and will always be subject to universal care. The issues of the army - issues varying from army building and social status of the militants to strategic issues – have always been in the centre of the state’s attention. And the fact, that today our army is protecting the borders of the motherland with honor and is ready to face any challenge, is a result of the attention of the President, the government of our country and the Armenian people towards the Armed Forces. This attention also obliges us to continue improving and developing by everyday studies, to increase the fighting capabilities and walk parallel to the quite strict demands presented to the armies of the 21st century. Parallel to the present defence reforms, the personnel policy is also quite important. And today one of our tasks is to recruit the Armed Forces with professional personnel possessing modern knowledge. To the solution of this topical problem assist not only the higher educational institutions of the RA MOD and the foreign ones, but also other educational institutions of the republic. I would like to acknowledge the preparation of military doctors, military bandmasters, medical psychologists, military instructors by the State Medical University after Mkhitar Heratsi, Armenian State Pedagogical University after Khachatur Abovyan, State Conservatory after Komitas, Gyumri Pedagogical Institute after Mikael Nalbandyan. By heartily congratulating all the newly-converted officers, I wish you health, peaceful service, will and determination to unfailingly walk up the difficult path of a militant and conquer heights. Be informed, that the profession of an officer is heroic! Be proud and be strong and successful in all your undertakings! I wish that you and the whole officers’ personnel have the devotion of your senior brothers and necessary commanding knowledge, so that the cherished idea of the protection of the country and the distinct issues of its realization will be merged in your service. The preceding generation of Armenian officers that has had hard destiny, inherited you a rich tradition, and I am sure, that you will enrich and pass it to the coming generation of graduates from our military educational institution. As a conclusion, in this ceremonial settings, I want to assure the Commander-in-Chief that, today too, the Armed Forces is to act in accordance to the demands of the time and is to continue to carry out its mission with honor for the sake of the peaceful and creative coexistence of our people.