Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on Monday shared his concerns over the country’s demographic situation, which he said is becoming a major challenge against the backdrop of the continuing emigration and slowing natural growth.



In his speech at the Sixth Armenia-Diaspora Conference, the president called for stepping up efforts towards improving the population dynamics in the decades to come. “Our activities should be targeted at increasing the paces of natural growth and essentially transforming the existing ratio between emigration and immigration. Our declared objective is to have a population of 4 million in Armenia in 2040,” he said.



Addressing the situation along Armenia’s borders and the Line of Contact between Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) and Azerbaijan, the president noted that the tensions continued in the past three years, escalating into a major fighting in 2016. “Our people were forced into war in April 2016, but we were able to resist it.”



“In April 2016, we showed our unity to the world, and the unbreakable spirit of the Armenian; We consolidated to exert our power on the battlefield,” he said, expressing hope that international courts will one day eventually pass their judgments to condemn the Azerbaijani violence.



“In a volatile region as this, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia are the guarantor of [our] security and peace, and we are faithful to our commitment to the international community,” he added.



The president also reiterated Armenia’s resolute stance on Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), highlighting its population’s inalienable right to live in their country while the long-running conflict finally reaches a breakthrough through peaceful negotiations.



This year’s conference, being held under the slogan “Mutual Trust, Unity and Responsibility”, is expected to attract 1,500 guests from 70 countries, according to the Ministry of Diaspora.



The agenda includes three plenary sessions, thematic discussions, as well as cultural events.