Ambassador Tigran Mkrtchyan’s interview for Thessalia TV (live)

29 October, 2025

Journalist: Good morning. We have the pleasure and honor to host live on our show today the Ambassador of Armenia to Greece, Mr. Tigran Mkrtchyan, who is visiting Larissa for the first time. He is learning Greek, but doesn’t yet know it at a good level. Perhaps during his second visit, we’ll be able to speak directly in Greek. That’s why he’s laughing — because he already understands quite a bit. We’ll have the help of Mr. Stergios Tatsios. My first question, Mr. Mkrtchyan, is: what is the reason for your visit to Larissa?

Ambassador Mkrtchyan: Thank you first of all for the interview and for the interest. It’s the first time—yes, you are right—I understood everything that you said. So, it’s the first time that I’m here on an official visit. I believe that it’s a very important place in Greece, in the economic, defense, and cultural spectrum of Greece.
Larissa is one of the most important places because it is basically in the central part of Greece, dividing the north or uniting the north with the south, or vice versa. It is also a historically very symbolic place because, when we were coming, we passed by Farsala, around which is the birthplace of the legendary hero Achilles — my favorite hero — and also of Hippocrates.
Some of the most important people actually were born here or come from here. Also, according to the Greek legends and the geographer Strabo’s description, one of the Argonauts, whose name was Armenos, came from here.

Journalist: Now we would like him to tell us more about a story that we may not know — how the country of Armenia got its name and what connection there is with the village “Armenio,” according to what the historian Strabo mentions?

Ambassador Mkrtchyan: Yes. The place, as you mentioned, has origins in ancient times. According to Strabo, one of the Argonauts, whose name was Armenos, came from here. Of course, there are a lot of versions about the Armenian origins, and the more scientifically correct version is that Armenians are from Armenia. But the mere fact that Strabo underlines this element shows how close and how interlinked the ancient Greeks saw the Armenians — a connection that continues to this day. So, this is very important to understand.
Why am I here? I am here, first of all, within the framework of municipal diplomacy. We are not only based in the capital; we do not work only there. We visit important locations in the countries where we serve as ambassadors. Two months ago, I was in Crete, and I thought that I should also come to Larissa, where I could meet the local authorities — the mayor, the governor, the deputy mayor for culture — visit museums, and also take part in the national day parade tomorrow.
Larissa was a very important location in terms of liberation from the Nazis. Therefore, my presence here tomorrow carries additional significance.
I would also like to underline that Armenians played an important, essential role in the defense against the Nazi occupation of Greece. Recently, two very thoroughly researched books have been published about this, and we even made a presentation about them.

Journalist: Now, I would like to ask you a question regarding the relations between Greece and Armenia, on many levels: political, economic, and military. Where do you believe the relationship between the two countries currently stands?

Ambassador Mkrtchyan: The relations between Greece and Armenia are developing very well and are on a very high level. We are advancing our relations in defense cooperation. Culture and education have also become very important sectors of our cooperation.
This summer, we had the visit of the Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of Armenia to Greece by invitation of the Minister of Culture of Greece, Madam Mendoni. Our minister also had a meeting with the Minister of Education and Religious Affairs, Ms. Zacharaki. Five agreements were signed during this visit — which is, in a way, unprecedented.
So, along with defense cooperation, political dialogue is also very active. Our foreign ministers and prime ministers meet regularly, both in Athens and in other capitals. Next year, when Yerevan hosts the European Political Community Summit, Prime Minister Mitsotakis will hopefully have a chance to come to Armenia. This will be another impetus to advance our relations.
We are planning high-level visits — before the end of this year, we will most probably have a visit of the President of the National Assembly of Armenia to Greece, and then early next year another high-level visit, which will be clear by time.

Journalist: Now I would like to ask a question regarding the situation in the region, specifically in Nagorno-Karabakh, an area that has attracted global attention over the past decades. What is the new reality now, both for Armenia and for Azerbaijan?

Ambassador Mkrtchyan: Regarding relations with Azerbaijan, on August 8th, the White House mediated the signing of a declaration on the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The President of the United States also co-signed as a witness under this declaration.
It is a very important and historical declaration, which went along with the pre-signing — or initiation — of the peace agreement, presigned by the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the presence of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of Azerbaijan, and President Trump.
The Washington agreements are significant for the near future and for normalizing relations. Of course, it’s important to have the final agreement signed without any preconditions. We are working on that and maintaining active dialogue with the Azerbaijani side.
It’s a very positive development for the future of the South Caucasus, and there is now an opportunity to advance relations on a peaceful and cooperative track. The leaders bear responsibility for that, and as of now, it is only hope-inspiring. We’ll see what the future brings.
I would also like to add that the declaration includes a very important clause on the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity,” which will be established in the southern part of Armenia and will be part of a wider unblocking of communication routes between Armenia and its neighbors.
This fits perfectly into the project that the Armenian government has proposed — Crossroads of Peace.
This project aims to make Armenia and the region an area of opportunities and economic prosperity, shifting away from the old image of a region of conflict, from the formerly known vision that this was an area of conflict. So now we'll hopefully have an opportunity to advance those relations peacefully and properly.

Journalist: Do you consider it an advantage or a disadvantage that so many Armenians live abroad — approximately 3 million in Armenia and 9 million outside the country?

Ambassador Mkrtchyan: It is, of course, an unfortunate advantage. It’s not a good thing that the nation is dispersed — it happened because of persecutions, genocide, and sufferings that were inflicted upon my people, as well as upon the Greeks through the centuries. That is why our peoples are dispersed throughout the world and why we have diasporas — not because of good fortune.
However, the fact that Armenians have established themselves in various countries and have become respected, integrated members of their societies — while serving as strong bridges between those countries and Armenia — is indeed an advantage.
Armenia has always had a strong diaspora policy. We used to have a Ministry of Diaspora; now we have a High Commissioner for Diaspora who is working in diaspora affairs and tries to use the strength of the diaspora for Armenia’s benefit as much as possible.

Journalist: Thank you very much, Mr. Ambassador, for being here. It’s a great honor for our show. As you know, Greece has a large Armenian community, with many refugees who came after the genocide of 1915. How does it feel for a small country like Armenia — surrounded by large neighbors such as Turkey, Russia, Iran, or Azerbaijan — sometimes friendly but sometimes aggressive?

Ambassador Mkrtchyan: Everything in international politics is about survival. Once survival is secured, it becomes about prosperity. But first, you need to make sure that your survival is not jeopardized. For that, politicians and diplomats bear great responsibility.
Of course, there will always be people who criticize the government or foreign policy. But when you are in leadership, you carry responsibility for every single casualty that may occur — or any greater tragedy that may befall your nation. Therefore, you have to try finding solutions that are in the best interests of your people.
Especially after the 2020 Karabakh war and the 2023 ethnic cleansing in Karabakh, we must now ensure that such scenarios never repeat. That is why normalization of relations with Azerbaijan — and, very importantly, with Turkey, establishment of diplomatic relations with Turkey — is essential for the security, safety, and future of Armenia. This logic lies at the cornerstone of our government’s foreign policy.

Journalist: Mr. Ambassador, thank you very much. It was an honor to have you with us.

Ambassador Mkrtchyan: Thank you very much.

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