“Dear representatives of the media, I congratulate you on Armenian Press Day.

It is symbolic that this year the Armenian Press Day coincides with the 220^th anniversary of the foundation of the Armenian first periodical Azdarar , which supposes the continuation of the best traditions, but, at the same time, it means a watchful feeling of time and true documentation of that feeling for today’s and tomorrow’s generations and for history. It is natural that, by contrast with the times of Azdarar , today the press is not only a means of enlightening people, but also leading them, giving ideas and fulfilling them, shaping information space, world outlook, and, of course, public opinion.

Mass media has never been indifferent chroniclers, permanently being at the centre of events, at best feeling public moods, recording, expressing and evaluating them. Today the phenomena and processes intruding into our life with non-preventive speed, sometimes by the way not tolerating any objection, propose to the mass media more complicated and new, however, at the same time, also problems existing in all times. It depends on the mastery, decency and feeling of responsibility of the mass media and the journalist how the society will react, what solutions will propose and expect from the state and just from himself. On the other hand, the development of the state and the society is conditioned by the environment and atmosphere the state creates for the activities of the press and the media. Today, the Armenian press distinguishes by active and alert attitude towards public moods, by natural striving of raising issues stemming from the interests of the society and finding solutions to them, reasonably using the wide opportunities of freedom of speech and the favourable environment of expressing diverse polar opinions, proposing a vast space of free discussions and analyses.

Once again congratulating you on the occasion of your professional day I wish you creative energy and new ideas, optimism and welfare. Let the professional and moral high norms, dignity and the adherence to the true word will be permanently prior in this today’s big number of diversity of the mass media.”