Armenian prime minister, government delegation attend special ceremony dedicated to National Day of Border Guards

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and heads of defense, law enforcement and national security agencies have visited the Border Troops Administrative Complex at the National Security Service (NSS) to watch a show of military exercises dedicated to the National Day of Border Guards.

The government delegation accompanying the premier includes Chief of Police Valeriy Osipyan, Minister of Emergency Situations Felix Tsolakyan, Minister of Defense Davit Tonoyan, Chief of the Armed Forces' General Headquarters Artak Davtyan, Head of the National Security Council Armen Grigoryan and others.\

NSS Director Artur Vanetsyan greeted the participants in an opening address, praising their vigor and extending a special gratitude also to the government agencies collaborating with them.

''The borders of our fatherland are sacred, their protection being the obligation of the Republic of Armenia and all its citizens. And on the frontline of that very important mission are our border troops,'' he said, promising to step up the reliable defense of the national borders.

''There isn't and cannot possibly be any accomplished state without secure borders. The government and the people have entrusted us with a frontier from where our security and safety begin,'' Vanetsyan added.

Also the prime minister offered his congratulations to the border guards, appreciating their everyday work as a special mission - apart from being just a professional title. ''And the servicemen of our border troops discharge the mission with honor,'' he said in his speech.

''In Armenia today, we have the de-facto concept of a 'border defending village' or a 'border defending community'; this is why the Day of the Border Guard is a holiday for not only the NSS Border Troops but also our armed forces - and our people in general.

''Each and every of us – regardless of residence area – thinks, first of all, about the border, because the security of our borders is the security of our country and our children,'' the prime minister added.