On November 2, the swearing ceremony of the winners of the 2010 young diplomats’ competitive entrance examinations took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia.

According to the RA law on “Diplomatic Service”, nine persons were accepted into diplomatic service at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a 3- 6-month period of probation after successfully passing an examination held in summer of this year.

Today, by the order of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian five of the diplomats successfully passing the period of probation at the MFA were awarded with the rank of attaché, the first diplomatic rank and were provided with certificates of a diplomat.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian congratulated the young diplomats, particularly noting:

“I know that you have dreamed about this day, or rather I hope you have dreamed because besides knowledge and skills, it is important to have a striving and devotion as it is difficult to become a good diplomat without those qualities. In comparison to the pervious generation, you have had the opportunity to dream about it as you grew up in the independent Armenia.

We use the phrase “one from amongst a thousand” in order to emphasize the distinction. As of you I could give a more exact figure- one from amongst ten thousands. It is not a catchword but simple arithmetics. Only one in a thousand citizens of our country is honored to be a diplomat of the Republic of Armenia. In a sense, it is also is a responsibility before the rest of the nine hundred and ninety nine.

Previously many even could not dare to dream about becoming a diplomat: the Armenian diplomatic service was essentially not formed; in order to become a diplomat of the Soviet Union one had to be one from amongst hundreds of thousands.

Today your dream came true and I would like to congratulate you for that. With my congratulations I would like to convey not wishes but rather some advice.

To be a diplomat firstly means а devotion to the fatherland. It means to realize that the fatherland and the interests of fatherland are beyond everything.

To be a diplomat demands a permanent concentration of intellectual, physical and spiritual potentials and high-level efficiency, as well as physical endurance.

The job of a diplomat has no end or suspension. Holidays, bad health, work hours, vacancies surely are also for the diplomat but only theoretically, as practically a genuine diplomat, and I hope that you want to be a genuine diplomat, should be at work all the time.

To be a diplomat also means to study all the time, not only enriching knowledge in diplomacy and international relations but also in different spheres, but in as many as spheres as possible because a diplomat should have a wide-ranging and versatile worldview to perfectly demonstrate himself/herself as a diplomat

I would like to congratulate you and to wish good luck.

The newly appointed diplomats were recruited to the MFA’s Press, information and Public Relations, European and Legal Departments and the “State Protocol Service” agency”.