"The Armenia - Diaspora collaboration has been invaluable in this decade and a half of upheaval, confusion and learning. The value of the Diaspora is in its ingenuity, non-conformity, its belief in a dream, its access to networks, its ability to be international and national all at the same time, and its tremendous resources," Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian stated in Washington when addressing the Armenian Diaspora. "I am now going to ask you to partner with Armenia - even more deeply and broadly and seriously than you have already done -in addressing Armenia's domestic and international challenges. Look, most of you have been to Armenia. It is clear that not all Armenians have been able to share in the double digit growth of which we are justifiably proud," he said.

"As soon as one leaves Yerevan, the statistics become reality: One out of every two Armenians still lives in poverty, mostly in Armenia's rural areas. Half of those living in poverty, live on less than one dollar a day. Yet, these rural men and women represent a critical portion of Armenia's economy. If we want to ensure that these rural communities are not destined to remain stagnant, permanent pockets of poverty, that Armenians are not born into a cycle of poverty, then we cannot allow development to simply take its course. Even at this current fast pace, it will take decades before we reach the average European level of prosperity. We must take practical steps to intervene, to take a short-cut towards an improved quality of life for our rural citizens. This is the first time that I am announcing from a podium that at the next Armenia Diaspora Conference, we will be launching a Rural Poverty Eradication program - a kind of Diaspora Marshall Plan for Armenia," the Armenian Minister said.