Armenian News... A Topalian... (3 editorials)

BBC News

Armenia election: Gloves come off after ‘Velvet Revolution’

By Rayhan Demytrie

BBC News, Yerevan

8 December 2018

Mass street protests in April ousted veteran leader Serzh Sargsyan

The man behind the extraordinary "Velvet Revolution" that convulsed Armenia in April faces a key test with an early parliamentary election on Sunday. 

Former journalist-turned-politician Nikol Pashinyan, 43, engineered a peaceful transfer of power and raised hopes for an economic transformation.

Nearly a third of Armenia's 3m people are officially classed as poor. The unemployment rate is about 16% and the average monthly wage is 166,540 drams (£270; $343).

One of Mr Pashinyan's key promises to the tens of thousands of Armenians who took part in street protests was to hold the country's first democratic parliamentary elections. 

He is still very popular and few doubt that his My Step Alliance will come top among the 11 parties and political blocs in the vote. 

"All political parties were deprived of time to prepare well for the elections," says Armen Ashotyan, vice-president of the former governing Republican Party. 

He claims his party members have been harassed and intimidated, and has accused Mr Pashinyan of hate speech. 

At one rally Mr Pashinyan said he would "grab them by the throat" - referring to Republican Party loyalists - and "throw them out of office". 

"There's still a so-called post-revolutionary euphoria in Armenia, which will be reflected in the voting. And that means that Armenia's multi-party democracy is at risk," says Mr Ashotyan. 

What makes this leader so popular?

Mr Pashinyan uses regular Facebook live broadcasts to come across as an accessible politician.

Yerevan shopkeeper Andranik Grigorian was so impressed he renamed his shop after Mr Pashinyan. 

"I'm not afraid of him becoming too powerful," he insists. "I'm sure he will remain as honest as he is today."

Shopkeeper Andranik Grigorian named his shop after the new leader

Shortly after the change of power in May, Armenia's man of the moment made another popular move, launching an anti-corruption campaign.

When state security agents raided the villa of a retired army general in June, they found an arsenal of weapons, a fleet of vintage cars and a stockpile of canned food. That food had originally been donated for Armenian soldiers deployed in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, in neighbouring Azerbaijan. 

The general allegedly kept the food to feed animals in his private zoo, which included bears and tigers. 

Mr Pashinyan announced last month that a sum of more than $20m that had been misappropriated since May was being returned to the state budget.

Will Russia step in?

When he came to power, Mr Pashinyan reassured Russia that the street protests were an internal issue and would pose no threat to Armenia's external policy. The country is after all a strategic ally for Moscow in the Caucasus. 

But Russia is sensitive to so-called revolutions anywhere in the former Soviet Union. It maintains a military base in Armenia and is watching developments closely.

Mr Pashinyan had initially promised there would be no political vendetta, but he then went after former political leaders and their relatives. 

Charges were brought against ex-President Robert Kocharyan for his role in post-election violence in 2008, in which 10 people were killed. 

After Mr Kocharyan was released on bail, he received a birthday phone call from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov commented that the two leaders were just good friends.

MediaMax, Armenia

Dec 7 2018

Democracy, populism and anxiety in Armenia

by Vigen Sargsyan

The citizens of Armenia will go to voting stations next Sunday, December 9th, in the most decisive – and divisive -- elections in our modern history. 

 

After having transformed into parliamentary republic in April, and most importantly following the massive street protests that resulted in government change in May, these snap parliamentary elections are going to be a crucial democratic maturity test for our country. In the past decade the government and our political team have knitted the fabric of democratic governance, which now should not fail.

 

Those who follow political developments in Armenia – a small democratic nation in the South Caucasus landlocked between Europe, Russia, Iran and Turkey – know that the ruling “My Step” political movement is expected to win by landslide on December 9th, and it’s leader Nikol Pashinyan will probably be Armenia’s next Prime Minister.

 

The ongoing two-week race to the parliament is the most divisive campaign in modern Armenian history. In the course of early elections to the capital Yerevan’s municipality in September, PM Pashinyan and his allies went as far as dividing the society into “blacks” and “whites” – those who vote for their party, and those who don’t and thereby have to be ostracized. As a result of this, regional elections in October had in average 35% voter turnout – which is not typical in post-revolutionary societies. In the parliamentary campaign this black and white thinking progressed into more systematic psychological oppression of “the others”. 

 

The Republican party, is being blamed for every possible sin, while -- oddly -- all our major policies are being meticulously continued by the revolutionaries. This includes reforms in the army, pension system, judiciary, as well as foreign policy doctrine, which have been re-validated by the new government, despite their bold criticism in the past years.

 

We in the Republican party are conscious of our past, and have ambitious internal reform agenda starting next year. Meanwhile, having accumulated significant experience in the government, we cannot – and should not – stand idle against the concerns and anxiety of our vast followership. People are concerned for various reasons, but chiefly – because there are no foreign investments flooding the country, there are frightening perspectives of job cuts, especially in the public sector, possible introduction of new forms of taxation on remittances, and most importantly -- security issues, including the ongoing Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) conflict. 

 

In these realities we are campaigning to assure balance in the National Assembly, essentially with two-fold agenda. 

 

First, we have to check and balance Prime Minister Pashinyan and his populist movement. In the past few months our people have heard enough promises and seen little or no walk on that talk. In the world of instant messaging and fierce political competition in the social media, a credible – not puppet – opposition has to work hard to make the best use of our national mobilisation. Without a serious opposition force in the parliament it will become an “echo chamber” for the populist Prime Minister and that’s a sure recipe for the demise of our democratic system. Armenia has a unique chance of breakthrough in many spheres and we have to contribute our fair share of effort.

 

And second – even though the Republicans are satisfied to see our policies being continued by the ‘revolutionaries’, we and our supporters are concerned that, because of lack of experience or vision, new authorities are already causing troubles for the country. All the miscalculations in foreign policy – with the European Union, the United States or Russia alike – are going to have immediate effect on the plight of Nagorno Karabakh, which is of existential value for our nation. 

 

In the past few years Mr Pashinyan has been steadily increasing numbers of his followers by inflammatory and populist speeches from the parliament rostrum. Since last Spring he has attracted large masses by offering simple answers to difficult questions. And this is nothing new in the world. Populist leaders here and there gain momentum, and then quickly slide down when big promises do not materialize. What they leave behind is divided society. For a nation with security challenges including two out of four borders under blockade, Iran as a sanctioned neighbour, and military threats from another oil dictatorship – it can result in a catastrophe. 

 

There are many modern examples of populist leaders climbing to power with democratic slogans which soon transform into a march against democracy. In Armenia we experience the same ‘usual suspect’ anti-establishment sentiments as in many countries around the globe. Absent well-established middle class and not fully capable middle level managers in the public sector – populist government is an experiment to fail. 

 

A true democracy in Armenia needs a strong government, staffed with skilled professionals and not amateurs, and a strong opposition. By destiny, it's the Republican party that can become the only credible check against populist power grab as, inter alia, we have much to prove, first of all to our society. 

 

On December 9th, our people have to faithfully discharge their right to vote. Citizens’ participation with no fear, readiness to take responsibility, as well as Armenia’s international partners’ and allies’ readiness to keep their eyes wide open will be crucial for our democracy to endure. 

 

Vigen Sargsian is the First Deputy Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia. He was Armenian Defense Minister and Head of the Armenian President’s Administration.

 

 These views are his own.

Asbarez.com

8 Dec 2018

‘The Gyumri I Know and Love,’ President Sarkissian’s Touching Tribute

President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian has addressed an open letter to the city of Gyumri, which was published in the December issue of the AGBU Magazine.

Below is the complete letter, which can also be found on the organization’s website.

The Gyumri I Know and Love

An Open Letter to Gyumri from Armen Sarkissian, President of Armenia

December 7, 2018

Dear Gyumri,

When you read these words, thousands of people, near and far, familiar and unfamiliar, will be paying tribute to the memory of the victims of that great tragedy that befell you, the earthquake of December 7, 1988. I will be among them, looking back intently on that horrific day when time stood still at exactly 11:41 am, changing your destiny forever.

But here we are thirty years later and one cannot look back without also looking forward. There can be no other way for you. You have too much to offer your country and the world. Too much old-world history to share with future generations. Too much pride and optimism with which to forge ahead into the future—renewed, restored and reinvigorated. I know this, not through the stories of others, but through my own experiences with you over the course of my life.

I was just a child when, in 1960, my father, a young but talented architect, introduced me to you. We explored the Akhurian River and the ruins of the ancient Armenian capital city of Ani just across your border. My father marveled over your distinctive architecture, from the black and red tufa stone arched buildings to yards, churches, and decorative details from both the good and bad Soviet times.

He wished me to know you, Gyumri, because his ancestors are connected to you. They originated in the province of Erzerum, from the town of Dsitogh. These are the same people that resettled on your lands in the 19th century, fleeing persecutions of Ottoman rulers on historical Armenian soil. He took me to your ethnographic museum Dzitoghtsyan House (Museum of Urban Life and National Architecture) which chronicles the life and times of a people from whom many of your inhabitants descend. They speak the language of our family’s forebears—rooted in classic Western Armenian. This surely accounts for the disproportionate number of writers and poets that you have produced, like Avetik Isahakyan and Hovannes Shiraz. You are also home to the great sculptor Sergey Merkurov and Georgi Gurdjieff, the philosopher and composer. Even your traditional dress and folk dances can be traced to your position along the road from Erzerum, as a link connecting past to present.

My father also explained to me that you are a city of masters, an Ustaneri Kaghak he called you. To this day, you boast the finest of master craftsmen working metal, wood and stone. These ustas (proud masters) still use the traditional techniques and methods that add an authentic quality to your wares that cannot be found anywhere else—in or outside of Armenia.

How could I know then that, 28 years later, the Gyumri of my father would be overcome by disaster. It was a shock to the core that my father was spared, having passed away only four years after that first father-son bonding excursion that opened my heart to you.

Right after the earthquake, I, along with many of my colleagues, rushed to help you. We were not sure the government could do enough because of the scale of the disaster. There are no words to describe what we saw. But beyond all the destruction and tears, the beauty of Gyumri that I once saw in the eyes of my father somehow remained in my own mind’s eye.

Eight years later in 1996, I returned to you, this time as your Prime Minister. Still, the remnants of your trauma were all around you. So I expected you to greet me with bitterness because our government, with its own setbacks due to war and the early pains of independence, had clearly fallen short of the attention you deserved. Yet, much to my surprise, you welcomed me with warmth and gratitude. Many of the survivors invited me to their porta cabins with a graciousness and hospitality I can never forget. Their offers of cake and drink, the songs they sang and poems they recited—against such stark and meager conditions­—spoke volumes about that famous Gyumretsi generosity that will be your ultimate redemption.

Today, I am the President of Armenia, but Gyumri, I continue to think about you—first and foremost as an Armenian, as a person who knows well what Gyumri is, who the Gyumretsi is. Yes, I have had the privilege of visiting many of the world’s old and new cities, all of which have their charms and attractions. But it is your unique character and purity of spirit that calls me back to you time and again.

This is why I challenge any foreigner who visits you—as well as our compatriots from Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora—to try and not fall in love with you.

I would like them to experience your tastes and smells, your distinctive customs and delicious cuisine, and the wit and wisdom of your people. I would suggest that they attend one of your churches in the morning, as I often do, followed by a visit to the market. I often stop for a cup of coffee in the café, discussing the good and the bad in the world with friends. When possible, I join them on the shores of the Akhurian River, a place that holds cherished memories of a young son and his father connecting with their ancestral past.

I also try to visit your old world craftsmen: blacksmiths, woodworkers, and potters. Then, of course, I am off to the old inns, where the language and conversation of Gyumri flourish, speaking the unique dialect and expressing your traditions and pride in the city.

Can you wonder why it is a source of pain and shame to me that less than 30,000 tourists visit you each year? That number should be tenfold! I believe it is everyone’s duty here in Armenia and in the Diaspora, to do all we can to return you to your longstanding glory.

Of course, some would ask how you could accommodate as many as 300,000 tourists without first spending the money to create more restaurants, cafés and hotels. To that, I respond by suggesting day trips as a start. This alone will encourage investors to build, renovate and definitely restore your historic district. You see, it is your old-world authenticity that puts you at an advantage over Yerevan and other cities.

After all, the Yerevan of today has lost a large part of its history and heritage due to modernization. With the old city in Yerevan all but vanished, we must look to you, Gyumri, to fulfill our yearning to understand and appreciate our heritage. Many of your buildings are old, but they are historical-cultural buildings, each one very valuable, possessing its own specific attributes. I, for one, intend to take part in any building’s reconstruction. I encourage others with the means and opportunity to join me.

These days, anyone from Yerevan can take a drive on the North-South highway, reaching you in as little as 45 minutes. So I ask myself, why on earth can we not take our children and family on a day or weekend excursion to Gyumri, when more than one million tourists from Armenia visited the Republic of Georgia last year alone? Consider too that a $500 USD vacation in Georgia multiplied by one million people generates $500 million in tourism revenues. Such ample resources could restore you, Gyumri, to greatness in record time.

I believe that our fellow Armenians will not only experience great satisfaction exploring all your cultural attractions but also enjoy the inner gratification of having contributed to your rebirth, brightening your color, restoring your energy and changing your mood.

Yet today, you still carry a heavy burden—with 30 years’ worth of wrinkles on your forehead to prove it. But paradoxical as it may seem, destruction always makes room for something new. Each time I return to you, I see something new in the faces of your young people, on your repaved streets, your new shops and cafés, restored landmark buildings, old theaters, and museums.

Your journey of recovery gets shorter with every passing year. And I intend to go the distance with you.

With Love,

Armen Sarkissian