We can’t oblige our neighbors to think as we do, says Mr Sargsyan

“We cannot oblige our neighbors to think as we do,” said Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan in an interview with Euronews when asked why the Yerevan State University awarded an honorary degree to the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2007, while Iranian President denies the Holocaust.

“One should not narrow things down to a single person. To bestow upon the leader of a country an honorific reward signifies an expression of gratitude and recognition towards the people of that country. The Iranians have been our neighbors for centuries and they are very important to us,” said President Sargsyan.

Asked whether he would call the Yerevan State University’s decision Armenian “realpolitik”, Mr. Sargsyan said: “I would consider it as a particular approach by the State University of Yerevan towards a particular issue, an approach quite current in Europe and in the democratically developed countries of the world.”