YEREVAN (Yerkir)—Armenia behaves as if nothing is changing around it, said Armenian Revolutionary Federation parliamentary faction leader Vahan Hovannesian on Wednesday, noting that while regional powers are pushing forward their interests, Armenia is sitting idly aside.
“Within the CSTO, Russia’s interest supersede the interests of its other member countries; in NATO, Turkey is pursuing a policy that doesn’t meet the Alliance’s standards; finally, the Eastern Partnership is affecting the entire region, with the EU increasing its involvement in democratic processes in partner countries,” said Hovannesian speaking at a press conference in the “Duplex” club. He urged, that under the current climate, new blood is needed to tackle the complex diplomatic and foreign policy challenges facing Armenia.
“There are new political realities and arenas, which require new political actors and approaches,” explained the ARF leader. “We do not have new approaches. We do not have new players. There is an imperative for serious cadre changes both in Yerevan and in the embassies. We have expressed the same concern when Vartan Oskanian was in office.”
Hovannesian will lead the 10-person delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Eastern Partnership, or Euronest
On the Karabakh front, Hovannesian said that Azerbaijan is seeking to address the Karabakh issue in any forum that it can, beginning with the United Nations. He explained that the more one specific body becomes engaged in all facets of the Karabakh issue, the more detrimental it is for Azerbaijan, hence the Azeri approach to engage whatever entity it can in the process.
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Vahan is 100% right as we have a deplorable Foreign minister I say a traitor along with his boss Serzh the liar, and we have embassy staff all over the world as STATE TOURISTS enjoying themselves at the expense of the state not doing anything lobbing for Artsakh or Genocide recognition just looking after their pockets.
They all need to be changed if we want to get anywhere.
I think the diaspora should have more interaction with Armenia
On all all levels
culture ,arts,business,education
VERY EASY SAID MIHRAN…SO THE EMBASSY STAFF ARE TOURISTS AND IF I MAY ASK WHAT ARE WE? VERY CARING ARMENIANS ON ASBAREZ COMMENT SECTION.
Paul,
I DON’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE BUT WE DON’T GET PAID COMMENTING ON ASBAREZ.
BUT THE STATE TOURISTS AS MIHRANK MENTIONED GET PAID FROM ARMENIA’S BUDGET, INDEED.
Paul, they are all paid diplomats who chose that profession, their job is to bat for Armenia, they haven’t lifted a finger for Genocide recognition,Artsakh,not a single letter to any politician and you want me to cheer and clap them, you must be joking.
There is always need for new blood to rejuvenate our nation. Lets prepare our children to become aware of this need. Lets make them feel that they belong, lets educate them to see the possibilities that extend beyond personal goals and profit.
It all starts at home….
I respcet ARF as one of the oldest politcal forces of our nation they have sacrifice a lof for Armenia people in the past but Armenian Revolutionary Federationshould grow up and come of age!!! First of all i recomend to remove the part ” revolotionary”- Armenian people had enough “Revolotions”-
OUR STUPIDE AND RUDE POLITICANS HAVE TO GET GROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As far as I know Hovannesian is a relative of Serzh Sarkisyan ( He can take to the president more openly!!- There is a lot of injustice across the country!). The current authorities are only fighting to keep there privilege as Levon &co are fighting to achieve revenge and over an over revenge rather trying to create a healthy political culture by looking for face keeping compromises solutions! A new political culture is needed. I recommend a general amnesty – as far as possible- for past crimes .Free parliamentary election. Separation of personal hostilities from private ones respecting the national interests! A lot of changes needed but unfortunately, ARF/dashanks are not honest and not willing to demand a true “system of check and balance”! so called carefully selected parliamentarians are seething in RA parliament like 1o year sold school children.. .. If Dashnakls continue to act the way as they have acted in the past 10 years they will be regarded as the fifth column of oligarchy system as Levons´s movement become such a political force! .We should not forget Levon handed the case of March 1 to racist Turkish pelican- head of PACE–to use it against Armenia! And dashnaks have a big share regarding wrongdoings of past 111 years!! Armenia and Armenian people deserved a better government
The reality is that outside Armenia (especially in Europe and North America), it is the local community organizations such as ARF, Hay-Dat, ANC, Homenetmen, Armenian Apostolic Church, etc. who are pursuing Armenian interests in political arenas. It is these organizations which continuously meet parliament members, congress representatives, senators, foreign secretaries and foreign ministers. They try to advocate the advancement of Armenian related issues day in and day out.
On the other hand, the Armenian Embassy personnel are only engaged in issuing visa to visitors, passport related issues, and a little bit of cultural and commerce related facilitations. I don’t blame them, as they are following instructions from Yerevan and at the same time they are trying to feed their families.
The main problem is the lack of fresh blood in Yerevan. Soviet-trained politicians, who have to keep the oligarchs happy, keep a low profile and let things happen as they come. The greatest lifting that they have done since March 2008 has been the signing of the infamous protocols.
Maybe becaise the ambassador knows that Genocide recognition in the u.s. is a dead end. All of the money that is spent yearly on getting the idiots in Congress to pass a non binding resolution would have been much better spent in the Homeland.
“We love Armenia not because it is good, but because it is ours. There are corruption, injustices, mistakes, bad officials in our country. But if all of us think only in these terms and turn our heads away, then who should build the Armenian statehood in this land? We had lost it for seven centuries. Now we must build it up with the help and efforts of all of us,” These words are from someone permanently moved to Armenia from diaspora. If we love so much and care so much than we have to move there and not wait till it gets better.
http://www.ardarutyun.org/?p=2363
ABSOLETLY, AS MUCH AS SOON , AS MUCH AS BETTER :)))
Gentlemen, there is no need to quarrel over this question. Vahan H. is a very thoughtful politician, though, and what he says needs to be taken seriously. Like politics, diplomacy is the art of the possible, and the possibilities are limited at present. We should give the Armenian diplomats a break, while making helpful and serious suggestions where we can.
Bravo Mihran and bravo Arman and I also agree with Frank’s input. I am glad that Mihran and Arman gave a very goo answer to Paul. Neither one of us are claiming to be presidents or Foreign ministers of Armenia and neither one of us are assigned and fully paid as ambassadors or Armenia in the USA nor any other European countries or anywhere else; but they are and they are sitting on their ass and collecting all the monies in their already bulging pockets and not having a care in the world. And we are not allowed to speak the truth???? Well Paul, Hovannesian is absolutely right and I couldn’t agree with him. WE NEED YOUNG AND CARYING BLOOD AS PRESIDENT FOR ARMENIA, AS FOREIGN MINISTER OF ARMENIA AS WELL AS AMBASSADORS OF ARMENIA ALL OVER THE WORLD WHO CARE AND WORK ON EVERY SECTOR OF OUR RIGHTS AND FOR OUR CAUSE WITH THE SAME VIGOR AND THE SAME PATRIOTIC DETERMINATION THAT AVEDIS AHARONIAN AND KHRIMIAN HAYRIG WOULD HAVE HAD IF THEY WERE ALIVE!!!!! OTHERWISE MY FRIENDS, WE WILL LOSE BOTH ARMENIA AND ARTSAKH!!!!
Nairian
For the above input, I meant to say that I couldn’t agree with Hovannesian more!!!!! We have to do something about our politicians today that stink. WE CERTAINLY DO NEED NEW BLOOD!!!!
Nairian
Change is needed from the top. The bottom players will have to follow the policy makers.
We cannot sit in our cushy, comfortable homes and enjoy the American life and at the same time dictate to the Armenian govt what to do. They are there, the reality is on the ground with them, so they will make their own choices on what to do and what is in the best interests of Armenia. Enough of this nonsense.
AS:
I agree with you. If Armenians in the Diaspora are so upset and want to change things then more Diaspora Armenians should put their time and money where their mouth is.
I go further and say apart from being their job its their DUTY to bat for Armenia and Armenian issues, I haven’t seen any of those attributes to date, they seem to be only good for trying to find angles as to how to make money for their pockets apart from being STATE TOURISTS, sadly this is the reality of the situation, if we don’t want to change anything than we should all shut up AS suggested but please don’t complain later if we loose Artsakh along with western Armenia.
Eddy, Armanen, Raffi, and AS pretty much said everything that needs to be said brilliantly.
1) While the ARF has done a good number of positive things, it also has it’s share of mistakes. Furthermore, there are some Dashnaks that for better or for worse, think that their “hayrenasirutyoon” somehow magically entitles them to be the only show in town in the Armenian political arena. Were it up to them, the ARF would be the only ruling political party in Armenia/Arstakh, democratic indeed.
2) Armanen makes a good point as well, the amount of time and energy invested by Armenians in the US to push for congressional NON-binding resolutions, while important, should not take precedence over the issues in present day Armenia/Arstakh. Many Armenians worldwide much rather see more Armenian infrastructure, education, and defense being developed in rural Armenia and in Arstakh with more Diaspora migration back home rather than the perpetual Diasporan money pouring into foreign campaigns for idiotic congressman, churches on foreign soil, and more banquet halls creating more reasons for Diasporans to not contemplate going back home to Armenia.
3) Raffi speaks the ultimate truth. If Diasporans love Armenia so much, then let them start heading back home and help re-build a now INDEPENDENT Armenia and Arstakh. Wasn’t the ARF and other Diasporan group mottos “Ankax yev Azat” Hayastan for decades? Well now you have it, what are you waiting for? Waiting for Armenia to become modern and “good enough” to move back to? Stop writing donation checks for Armenian Funds each year, instead, buy a plane ticket and come to Armenia and help, have kids, and become a PART of your homeland rather than whining bystanders constantly singing patriotic songs. Stop making Diasporan excuses, many of your children cannot even speak 2 sentences of Armenian anymore, until we have our “ztovitz ztov” Hayrenik, we still have our present Armenia/Arstakh that needs more of its own people living on it.
4) AS said it best, if you’re sitting in US/EU outside Armenia making demands, you need to shut your mouth and not talk much, otherwise put your money where your mouth is and buy a plane ticket and reclaim your place in your homeland. Many people on this forum are not willing to move to Armenia or Arstakh because it does not suit the standard of living your accustomed to yet you come here and talk talk talk about what “should happen in Armenia”.
@Norin,
I am assuming you live in Armenia. If that’s the case, I will take your logic and reapply it to you. If you are not willing to pack your bags and move to the Armenian Diaspora to work for the betterment, enhancement and survival of the Armenian people who live outside their homeland, than you have–according to your logic–ZERO room to talk. If we are to think like you, then Armenians in Armenia have no place to comment on life in the Diaspora and Armenians in the Diaspora have no place to comment on life in Armenia.
Whether you like it or not, the reality is that the Armenian people are TRANSNATIONAL and have been so for at least a thousand years. We are a people, whose homeland has, more often than not, been protected and developed by its Diaspora. This was true during the Zartonk of the 19th century when young Armenians studying in the Diasporan centers of Europe, India and Russia published newspapers providing commentary on the dismal situation in the homeland to raise awareness and activate their communities to either a) raise money for the homeland, b) work to liberate the homeland c) visit the homeland and provide direct aid through work.
It is because of the efforts of those Diasporans, people like Mikayel Nalbandian and the famed author Raffi, that the people INSIDE Western Armenia began to stand up for their rights. And it was because of them that the Armenian nation experienced a revival and rebirth in literature, thinking, arts, and culture.
By that same token, the existence of a homeland is vital for the survival of the Armenian Diaspora. Indeed a zartonk would have been impossible if not for the homeland, whose troubled conditions inspired a generation of intellectuals and activists.
Your approach is very divisive. Rather than start dialogue on how comments in these or other forums can be turned into tangible actions in the homeland, you choose to take a exclusionary and defeatist approach, denying those who have a genuine care the right to speak because they do not–in your opinion–meet the qualifications of a concerned Armenian.
I am not even going to address your comments on the ARF as you have provided zero factual basis for any of your accusations or so called analysis. In fact, I don’t think you ever provide any facts to back up your positions.
Exactly Mihran:
Whether we are sitting abroad or not, our input in the commentary pages also counts for something. Would it be better AS if we all shut up, say nothing and have not care for our lands? Or would it be better to have a care for our lands and ask questions and backup respectable organizations such as the A.R.F. who wishes to see Artsakh free and to be part of Armenia? 90% of the people in here may do nothing else but dispute with one another while exchanging ideas; but a great many Armenians may possibly see these commentaires, (from Armenia and abroad) and maybe 1-10% of the doers may be able to work on our ideas while they read them before it’s too late and before we lose both our sovereignty of Armenia proper and Artsakh.
My fellow armenians are very knowledgeable. Keep posting, we are ahead of a curb, even ahead of CIA. Information is a power.
@ Armen
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Armen, we need to understand that there are people who specially assigned to Asbarez for commenting and supporting the Armenian oligarch government. Possibly they are writhing from Armenian consulate in LA. If you try to pay attention to these people writings you will see that there are two patterns. The first pattern is the idea they express. The idea they express are Armenian government is good, ARF is bad, Diaspora is bad, Diaspora should not be involved in politics, Diaspora should only be a money donor, Russia is Armenia and so on. The second pattern is the timing of their writing. For example one of “them” writes a comment and the next fallowing comment is theirs too but this time the recent one is basing on his precedent and continues making an impression that they are real people. For example take AS (in fact he forgot to add the last ‘S’ at the end of his nickname) and Armanen (I don’t know what kind of name is this but if we think in Armenian it would mean “From Arman” meaning from me???). The AS writes pro turkish and government comment and past few seconds “Armanen” bases on AS writes the same pro turkish (pro turkish because turks think likewise about Diaspora “Diaspora is bad”) and pro government (protecting the oligarchs) comment.
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It is obvious that we are dealing here with very well organized moles that are possibly located in Armenian consulate and getting paid from Armenian budget. After analyzing all this we end up that the Armenian moles who get paid from Armenian taxpayers to protect the Armenian interests, supposedly fighting turkish moles became rats and are writhing on Asparez against ARF and Diaspora 😀
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I want to say to these moles about Diaspora’s help in Artsakh at the time of the war. Diaspora helped Fedays with food, clothes and all we needed to be able to fight. They where the part of us and therefore they have every right to speak and criticize today’s oligarch government.
To Norin Radd and others Who Think Likewise,
Your comments and your approach is precisely the reason why many Armenians of Diaspora after visiting Yerevan and other cities and after meeting with people who like you have a narrow-minded vision about Diaspora, return to their residence countries. I have personally heard from several of them saying “Menk Hiyatstapvats Enk oo Menk Hayrenik Choonenk”. In other words they say: ” The homeland people are hopeless and there is no point in dealing with them. The homeland people only want our cash, they criticize us as having no right what so ever in the affairs of Armenia, and at the same time they themselves are looking for a way to leave the country and move to Diaspora”.
The people who are so keen in continuously criticizing ARF, should first of all study the ideology, history, and goals of ARF, rather than resorting to soviet-type habitual approach of cursing Dashnaks. After all ARF is an Armenian organization and its members are all Armenians. If there is a criticism, it should be directed towards the Turks. When the situation gets hard, the same ARF will be the first to use its resources and influence to help homeland and its hard-working residences.
We should all be aware that there are people in the comments section of the ARF press who are out to discredit the ARF and their policies as their interests are purely to defend government circles and their corrupt policies be that the treacherous protocols, and presently the selling of our mother language and so on, I am not even talking about the rampant corruption which has a hold on the country, I wouldn’t be one bit surprised even if some of these people get paid for their treacherous services.
We have to work on being better humans as well as better Armenians.
We will always have the government that we deserve. By improving ourselves we improve our nation.
We must develop persons who have a realistic patriotism integrated into their value system.
We must teach them that we are all citizens be it from Armenia or Ardasahman.
The well being of every Armenian must be the goal.
@Armen and Vatche,
Whether I live in Armenia or the Diaspora is none of your business and frankly irrelevant. Furthermore, this is a discussion forum on social issues concerning all Armenians, it’s not a scientific convention for “Dashnaks only” and you little man are far from the social scientist you presume yourself to be with all of your hypocritical and self-righteous accusations against other Armenians here regarding “presenting evidence”.
Only a blind and socially tone deaf single minded idiot like you would fail to see that the Diaspora is reaching critical mass due the centrifugal effects of assimilation. There are already many 3rd and 4th generation of Diasporans that have neither formed Armenian families with Armenian spouses, nor speak the language, or even feel minimally attuned to any sort of Armenian culture. This phenomenon has accelerated in areas such as the U.S./Europe post migration en masse of Armenians from Lebanon, Iran, and Syria ironically due to the greater freedoms, “melting pot” diversity, and state religious ambiguity existent in said states. Despite your imbecilic rants, one does not have to be a social scientists with cross sectional double blind study to “prove this”, just growing up in the Diaspora and being an observant Diasporan Armenian is enough.
As far as “Transnationalism” is concerned, despite you “pointing it out” for the rest of us unworthy “non-ARF/AYF” regular Hyes, we are all aware that in different points in time and history Armenians have lived in the Diaspora. However, in most cases this has been due to war, deportation, or some sort of subjugation which has made Diasporan life a necessity for survival rather than a choice. These days however, this same ideology of “living well abroad” in the face of an independent and autonomous Armenia/Arstakh is merely an excuse for Armenians that have become accustomed to certain standards of living and are not willing to make that leap of faith or social sacrifice to make the move back home to participate in the re-building and strengthening of our nation because to many Diasporans that are used to better standards of living, living in Armenia simply is not “good enough for them”.
Many such Armenians want their 401Ks, their 100k/year incomes as professionals, and their fancy cars and home equities, which to a certain extent is acceptable in terms of human nature, but it certainly is not conducive to nation building for any ethnic group, including Armenians. Armenia and Arstakh are not vacation spots, but sadly that is what many Diasporans see it and treat it as, it’s good enough to visit for a few weeks or months, but certainly not “prosperous enough” yet for them to treat it as homeland in which they actually live in, contribute to, established roots in, etc. And in order to appease their moral self conscience, Diasporans always have various funds to cut a check to and call it a day.
As far as critiquing the ARF, the AGBU, Homenetmen or any other Armenian organization goes, no single Armenian needs anyone’s permission to do so, being Armenian gives you the right to make any critique of any organization that is representative of Armenians, these organizations serve Armenians, Armenians don’t serve them. The ARF just like any other organization has had it’s faults and it’s successes, it has exceptionally wonderful individuals and it also has not so great members that I wouldn’t spit on as fellow Hyes. The knee jerk overreactions that one dimensional ARF farm raised morons like you always have in the face of a little criticism by non-ARF hyes is laughably reminiscent of brain washed drone like behavior.
Neither you, the ARF, nor any political group for that matter has been the “Patron Saint of Armenians”, far from it certainly in some instances. You bark about “divisiveness”, yet only months ago, the AGBU, ARF, Knights (Clowns) of Vartan, Sargisyan’s group, and other organization were at each others throats and could not stand united on a single issue and yet all we hear is how singular Armenian commenters on this meaningless website are the “dividers of Hayrenik”. I’d wager to say that the dozens of political groups squabbling amongst themselves for the past 100 years asking Armenians to take sides through membership are more of a diving factor for Armenians in Armenia and the Diaspora than anything or anyone else. Hopefully in another 100 years these organizations will learn to agree on some common goals so that we can see our nation progress and prosper more, in the meanwhile, try not to use individual Hyes on Asbarez forums as scapegoats for the failures infighting, and lack of a common vision of said organizations.
I’m not going to gloat about what a great Hye I am, but as a Physician that has worked, lived in, and traveled throughout Armenia as a means to make the transition as a professional to Armenia after growing up in the Diaspora; I’ll wager this is more than both of you piss-ants will ever consider in this life or the next, so next time mind your manners towards others on this forum and in the meanwhile you can put your heads back up your rear ends for another 100 years waiting for Armenia to become prosperous enough to support your standard of living and your retirement aspirations. Idiots.