Your Eminences, esteemed guests, dear comrades,
On behalf of the ARF Armenia organization, I extend my greetings to all of you.
Today, in our homeland, we inaugurate the highest assembly of our organization—the 35th ARF World Congress.
The ARF World Congress has never been just a routine party convention.
Since 1892, and typically held every four years, these congresses have played a pivotal role in the history of Armenia and the Armenian people. The decisions made at these assemblies have often been turning points in our nation’s history.
Those who are less familiar with the ARF sometimes have different perceptions of our organization. However, I am certain that anyone who has witnessed an ARF congress firsthand will affirm that there is no other political structure in Armenian reality like ours—where leadership bodies are fully accountable to their ranks, where the sharpest criticism is a natural phenomenon, where personality cults are absent, and where democracy is not just a slogan but a way of life and a mindset.
In recent years, ARF congresses have been distinct in their nature and atmosphere.
The defeat in the war, the occupation of Artsakh, the displacement of thousands of our compatriots, the captivity of Armenian prisoners of war, the imprisonment of Artsakh’s leadership—including our Bureau member, comrade Davit Ishkhanyan, in Baku’s jails—have left deep wounds.
Dear comrades,
The 35th ARF World Congress is being held at a fateful moment for our people and the Armenian statehood, as our homeland faces serious challenges related to both internal and external security.
In the context of new geopolitical realignments and the formation of a new global order, the resilience of Armenia depends on our people, our collective will and determination, and our individual responsibility toward the Armenian statehood.
Today, we have an obligation to present our people with a new vision and plan for struggle and recovery in these changing realities—to rebuild bridges of trust, overcome despair, and become stronger so that we can confront the enemy and protect our homeland.
Today, we also face the challenge of countering the renewed wave of anti-ARF sentiment, which has now evolved into a battle against Armenian national ideology itself.
We must assess the situation correctly—both internally and externally. The struggle today is not only against the ARF but also for the ARF. Evidently, 135 years have not been enough for our friends and foes alike to fully grasp the depth of our Armenian identity, to recognize our unity, and to understand our unwavering stance in achieving our goals.
We are obligated to prove this once again during this congress.
Throughout our history, there have been truly pivotal and historic ARF World Congresses. The ARF has consistently adopted the necessary tools and approaches for each era, revolutionized realities, and defended Armenian interests.
Today, we face the same imperative.
The defense of our homeland must become our primary guiding principle—a pan-Armenian ideology that must penetrate every Armenian home, regardless of where they live.
Struggle on all fronts and everywhere—a struggle for the restoration of the Armenian people’s rights. This is the proposal that the ARF presents to its people. A struggle in which we must be both the organizers and the soldiers, both the front-runners and the vanguard—because the fate of our homeland and the ARF are inseparably intertwined.
The reconstruction, reconciliation, and renewal of Armenia, along with the restoration of the Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity, have no alternative. This is the vision we have for a new, high-quality Armenian state.
Once again, I reaffirm our call to all patriotic and national forces: unite efforts to remove the anti-national authorities, neutralize the threats facing the Armenian people and our statehood, form a new, nationally-oriented government, and build a Strong Armenia with the collective power of the Armenian people.
Dear attendees,
The ARF is more than a political party; it is a global national network, a system of struggle and resistance. We have a responsibility to fully realize this capacity.
The ARF stands as the friend and shield of all national, state-oriented, and dignified forces and individuals.
It is with this understanding that we must approach our upcoming discussions.
I will conclude my remarks with the words of Rostom, which he addressed to ARF bodies:
“Dear comrades, greater struggles await us, perhaps even new battles. The encouraging part is that we will fight with more consolidated forces. We hope to convene a great World Congress in the heart of Armenia in the near future to formulate the fundamental paths for Armenia’s reconstruction.”
Today, Rostom’s aspiration has become a reality—we are holding the World Congress in the heart of Armenia. Now, we are obliged to fulfill the rest of his message—to formulate the plan for Armenia’s reconstruction and revival.
Let us get to work, dear comrades.
Success to our endeavors!
Ishkhan Saghatelyan
Yerevan, February 26, 2025
