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Two things are of key importance for a state –  the military and the education system, according to Vazgen Manukyan, the joint opposition candidate for interim prime minister of Armenia.

At a meeting with intellectuals and workers in the culture on Monday, Manukyan stated national education and national history must have a special place in the field of education.

His comments came in response to a question of Dean of the YSU Faculty of Oriental Studies Ruben Melkonyan about whether the model of making national education a priority is acceptable for him.

“In the Soviet period, we had a system where people were given comprehensive knowledge in order to develop their worldview. For instance, in 1988, no one could manipulate people like Nikol Pashinyan does because people had a worldview. There is also the Western education model that trains people to excel in their profession. But only some children are educated in this way. While children from elite families study in other schools ... Thus, we must have a high-quality and national education,” Manukyan said.

Separately, speaking about the border demarcation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the opposition leader said it is a highly complicated process, but such a process is normally not carried out with the use of GPS.

“It requires a complex legal process; a bilateral commission is set up, coordinates are determined, then it is specified how the borders are to pass. Delimitation is next carried out, and only after that borders are established. If we start now, we will have losses. If we go this way, we will lose thousands of hectares. Now is not the time, it must be organized in a manner prescribed by law,” he said.