Speech delivered by H.E. Tigran Balayan Ambassador of Armenia to Belgium and the Head of the Mission to the European Union

11 September, 2024

Your Excellences,

Members of the European Union,

Members of Federal and Regional Parliaments, Local Councils,

Chers amis en vos titres et qualités,

Սիրելի հայրենակիցներ,

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

D’abord je voudrais exprimer notre profonde gratitude à la ville de Bruxelles, pour la coopération et mettre à notre disposition cette salle extraordinaire pour cette célébration de l’Arménie. Je remercie également tous nos partenaires Ararat Brandy Company, Armenia wine company et leurs distributeurs exclusifs en Belgique - société With US, Chambre du Commerce Belgique-Arménie, et bien sur nos musiciens, qui sont venu de l'Arménie pour nous interpréter les chanson d’Aznavour.

As we celebrate Armenian Independence Day, at least 23 of our compatriots remain illegally imprisoned in the dungeons of Azerbaijan - a member state of the Council of Europe and COP29 host country. The sin of those Armenians is the fight for freedom, their desire to live a dignified life in the land of their ancestors. This remarkable day is theirs at least as much as it is ours. For this reason, now I would like to read out the names of our compatriots who, being deprived of freedom, are missing out on the opportunity to celebrate this solemn day.

1.Allahverdyan Davit

2.Babayan Davit

3.Babayan Madat

4.Balayan Levon

5.Beglaryan Rashid

6.Beglaryan Vasili

7.Davtyan Davit

8.Euljekjian Vicken

9.Ghazaryan Erik

10.Ghukasyan Arkadi

11.Harutyunyan Arayik

12.Ishkhanyan Davit

13.Khachatryan Vagif

14.Khosrovyan Alyosha

15.Manukyan Davit

16.Martirosyan Garik

17.Mkrtchyan Lyudvig

18.Mnatsakanyan Lyova

19.Pashayan Melikset

20.Sahakyan Bako

21.Stepanyan Gurgen

22.Sujyan Gevorg,

23.Vardanyan Ruben

Beste vriendens,

Today we have gathered here, in the magnificent city hall of Brussels, the capital of Europe and Belgium, to celebrate two significant occasions for the Armenian people worldwide - the 33rd anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Armenia and the 100th anniversary of an iconic French chansonnier of Armenian descent - Charles Aznavour. Apart from being a universal hero, who united humanity around his art, Aznavour’s life and path perfectly depict the price the Armenian people had to pay to withstand the blows of history and earn their independence. Throughout his life, Charles Aznavour stood apart as the quintessential Armenian success story, rising from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of international fame. Yet, he never forgot his racines and always found ways to give back to the Armenian and French peoples as both a cultural icon, a philanthropist and a diplomat. And it is for this particular reason we have decided to celebrate the independence of our country through his chansons.

Chers amis,

I had an honor to know Maestro Charles Aznavour personally and privilege to hear some of his life stories first hand. Moreover, I started learning French language by translating his songs, and this is why it is a particular pleasure for me to speak about his life journey.

Indeed, Charles Aznavour embodied the destiny of the Armenian nation, its rebirth, unbreakable will, diligence and strength. Being borne to a family of immigrants, who survived the Armenian Genocide, he knew from his personal experience how hard it is to live on a foreign land, to become a part of it while not losing the origins, thus sharing the destiny of all the Armenians who, as a result of the genocide found refuge in different parts of the world and had to start their lives anew. And this is why he was singing:

“Les émigrants, comment crois-tu qu'ils ont aimé?
Ils ont aimé, en bénissant leur premier né
En qui se mélangeait leurs sangs
Leurs traditions et leurs accents

Ils ont bientôt, créé un univers nouveau
Sans holocauste et sans ghettos”.

Yes, Aznavour is mostly famous for his love ballads, his existential search for love and happiness resonated with millions of hearts around the globe, however, it was his tribute to his ‘fallen’ ancestors that will remain indelible. And it was here when he wrote:

Ils sont tombés en croyant ingénus

Que leurs enfants pourraient continuer leur enfance

La mort les a frappés sans demander leur âge

Puisqu'ils étaient fautifs d'être enfants d'Arménie.

Beste vrienden,

Charles Aznavour considered himself a 100% Armenian, a 100% French and a 100 % world citizen, and rightly so. One shall be so, to be declared a “National Hero of Armenia”, "Father of French Song", “Artist of the Century" and an "Ambassador of Goodwill". At the same time, in his memoirs he writes; “Since I have only one surname, a small part of my soul will always remain Armenian.” And this is why becoming a citizen of an independent Armenia has been quite symbolic, perhaps illustrating the sheltering of his emigrant lineage under the roof of the state - the Republic of Armenia. And the fact that his family today lives in Armenia is even more symbolic, showcasing that the search of the Armenian people for the homeland is over, because 33 years ago, Armenia regained its independence and has become a full-fledged sovereign member of the United Nations. From then independence has been an ultimate value for us, and the Armenian people has stood ready to pay any price, bear any burden and meet any hardship to preserve the independence. And we have been doing so throughout the last 33 years, full of ups and downs, achievements and failures. Yet, we have been constantly moving forward in building an independent state and a responsible member of the international community.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Charles Aznavour always believed in the longevity of the Armenian nation and the success of the Armenian state. Even in 1988, after the devastating earthquake in Gyumri - the second city of Armenia -when he rushed to assist the Armenian people, he was full of hope. And he created the chanson “Pour toi Armenie”, to read as follows:

“Dans tes yeux, je veux voir Arménie

Une lueur d'espoir, une flamme, une envie

De prendre ton destin Entre tes mains

À bras-le-corps

Tes printemps fleuriront encore

Tes beaux jours renaîtront encore

Après l'hiver, Après l'enfer

Poussera l'arbre de vie.”

And nowadays Aznavour’s wish is gradually becoming a reality. After the catastrophic war against the Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, that was followed by the ethnic-cleansing of the Armenian people from their homeland, the Armenian statehood is slowly but steadily moving towards the desired goals – making independent choices based solely on its interests and on our shared values with the European community.

On this path, undoubtedly, the cooperation with our friends, namely with the European Union, as well as the bilateral collaboration with the Kingdom of Belgium have been playing a crucial role. Only during last year, upon my watch several milestone events took place, defining the new content of the Armenia-EU relations. Prime Minister Pashinyan addressed the European Parliament plenary session, expressing the wish of the Armenian people “to stand as close to the European Union as the European Union will find it appropriate”, afterwards the Minister of Foreign Affairs was invited to the Foreign Affairs Council, later the Resolution of the European Parliament followed the suit, calling upon the European institutions to embrace Armenia closer.

In Spring the unprecedented EU-US-Armenia Summit Supporting Armenia’s Resilience took place, giving a new impetus to the cooperation between Armenia and the Union, and filling it with new dimensions. In July the Council of the European Union made a decision to grant Armenia assistance under the European Peace Facility as well as the member states agreed to launch a visa liberalization dialogue with the Republic of Armenia., that we launched literally two days ago.

A year ago, when I was moving from the capital of international law to the capital of European law, I could not imagine that all these would happen so smoothly. For that I want to use the chance and express my sincere gratitude to my counterparts working at the European Parliament, European Commission, European External Action Service, EU delegation in Yerevan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and my team, here in Brussels for their constant support and advice throughout this hard but cherishing path.

I am glad to mention that we have had achievements also on our bilateral track. Belgium is a country dear to my heart not only because as a diplomat I had my first posting here, but also because my daughter was born here. The opening of the Embassy in Yerevan and appointment of a very active bilateral Ambassador there has been a significant step in our relations. Now we need to concentrate on elevating economic cooperation onto a new level, to meet our political commitments.

Whether bilaterally or multilaterally there is much more to be done, there is a road of hard work ahead of us, and on our side we are ready to take on the challenge.

Dear friends,

Aznavour had a belief that the miseries of life are less painful in the country of his dreams, by singing:

“Emmenez-moi au bout de la terre

Emmenez-moi au pays des merveilles

Il me semble que la misère

Serait moins pénible au soleil... “

Myself, I believe that in life happy, sorrowless places are not found but built through restless hard work, whether personally or globally. To have a strong and developed statehood we need to have relentless commitments to the universal values of rule of law, good governance and democracy, while creating structures to make those commitments practically indivisible. And I do also believe that together with our international partners and friends today we are laying the foundations for a more democratic and a more prosperous Republic of Armenia and on this occasion I want to raise a glass:

“Pour toi Arménie, Pour toi la Belgique et Pour toi l’Europe

Because you are, you are for us Formidable ....”

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