On the 10th of July, 2009 in the departmental hall of the RA MoD the meeting of the Minister of Defence with the members of “Depi Hayk” (“Towards Armenia”) foundation took place. Greeting the Diaspora youth from different countries of the world Seyran Ohanyan briefly spoke about the history of the creation of the RA armed forces, singling out the reality that our army was formed in wartime, after the declaration of Armenia’s independence. Independence - achieved due to the united will and dedication of Armenians.

After the ceasefire in May, 1994 a new quality army building process started and in a period of some years it was developed in regards to the management of the troops, army armaments and staff readiness. As a result of this we have a efficient and regular army, which is a guarantee of the security of Armenians. Speaking of the protection of the Republic of Nagorno Kharabakh, Seyran Ohanyan mentioned that defence and the existence of modern engineering structures allow to keep the force balance with Azerbaijan, without the support of a second party. The Minister of Defence also talked about developing patriotism in the youth, stating that the values acquired in a course of years need to be passed to the coming generations in an appropriate way. Pointing out the importance of the role of the Diaspora in solving the issues that our country faces, S. Ohanyan underlined that several compatriots from the Diaspora took up the holly duty of protecting the Motherland during the Artsakh war. And today, in peace time, we are glad that Diaspora youth constantly visits the Motherland. Then the Minister of Defence answered the questions that bothered the youth, which, mainly, were about the Armenia-Turkey relations, regional security and the resolution of the NKR conflict. All the questions were answered thoroughly. In the end of the meeting the members of the “Depi Hayk” foundation thanked for the warm admission hoping that such meetings will be periodical. It’s worth mentioning that “Depi Hayk” (“Towards Armenia”) foundation functions since 2004. Today 52 members are registered. In Armenia they voluntarily accomplish missions in different spheres.