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MINISTER VARTAN OSKANIAN PARTICIPATES IN BRUSSELS FORUM
ARMENPRESS
March 17, 2008
YEREVAN, MARCH 17, ARMENPRESS: The German Marshall Fund Brussels Forum,
held in Brussels in Spring every year, convened this year to discuss
strategic issues of importance to Europe, the US and its partners
around the world, the Armenian foreign affairs ministry said.
It said the three-day conference included presentations by European
Union Foreign and Security Policy Chief Javier Solana, Head of the
World Bank Robert Zoellick, French Minister of Foreign Affairs Bernard
Kouchner, US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, Canadian
Defense Minister Peter Mackay, as well as members of government from
Afghanistan, Germany, France, Turkey, Canada, and other countries.
In a round-table discussion, Minister Vartan Oskanian participated as
a panelist to discuss "Does the Path to Europe Extend to the Caucasus?"
Together with Georgian State Minister for Re-Integration, Minister
Oskanian addressed issues having to do with Armenia's current
domestic political dilemma, and its context. Below are portions of
the Minister's contents.
"My response to the question would have been the same, even had we
not had our post-election crisis of these last several weeks. In fact,
the post-election situation simply reinforces my answer.
On the one hand, you'd think this question has been asked and
answered. We're here, right? We share history, values and civilization,
we also share the goals of an integrated, interdependent, interrelated
European political and economic community.
On the other hand, since the Caucasus is still a place that clings
to old frontier posts, old ways, old solutions, I guess it's fair
to keep repeating the question, just so everyone asking and everyone
answering are forced to look in the mirror.
I've said this before - Europe used to have religious, geographic and
cultural boundaries. Today, Europe by definition is political. Europe
takes for granted that its national aspirations are fulfilled, that
its institutions are functioning and responsive.
The only time when Europe stops to ask whether their path goes there,
is when there are questions about democracy and authoritarianism,
rule of law, values and systems.
Europe takes for granted that it voluntarily suspended some aspects of
sovereign political and economic rights in order to build structures
which would enhance and consolidate political and economic advantages,
and diminish the damages of war and threat of war.
We on the other hand, in our region, still live with the threat of
war, with some damages of war, and with great vulnerabilities about
giving up any aspects of our newly acquired rights, even within our own
societies. In fact, doubts and fears are so great that the political
and social institutions of our societies are still not working right.
Georgia last fall, Armenia just last month - these are perfect examples
of the absence of the institutions that work. Are they a departure
from the path of democracy, from the path of Europe? No. They were
a shock, a glitch, a blimp, an aberration in the process. And let me
warn you. We will have more.
In the post-Soviet period, in post-Soviet places, trusting in
institutions - that would have been an aberration. The functioning
of those institutions cannot be completely flushed out of certain
old instincts and patterns. It takes time for that to happen by
those who run the institutions and - because there's more of them -
even more time by those who are affected by those institutions.
In other words, as our post-electoral processes, as Georgia's
pre-electoral processes, and as Azerbaijan's to come, I'm sure,
demonstrated, society's lack of confidence in those institutions is
so great that they believe change must come from the street.
Is this the path to Europe?
I still believe it is. The events surrounding our last elections are a
perfect example. There was progress in those elections, everyone said
so. No one expected ideal, they just expected better. We delivered
better. But because the trust level is so low and because the stakes
are so high, the needs are so dire, better wasn't good enough. They
took to the streets thinking political change means endless political
revolution.
We know that's not the case. We've had our political and economic
revolutions in our region. What we haven't had is social revolution.
And for the next decade, on our path to Europe, we will come to
Europe to ask you to work with us for that social revolution - to
bring massive and meaningful change in two critical areas - the media,
and the educational system.
Just as Europe's path to Europe took more than a century, ours
will take time too. But together, let's make sure it doesn't take a
whole century.' In Brussels minister Oskanian had a meeting with
EU's foreign policy and security chief, Javier Solana to discuss
post-election developments in Armenia and ways out of the situation.
ARMENPRESS
March 17, 2008
YEREVAN, MARCH 17, ARMENPRESS: The German Marshall Fund Brussels Forum,
held in Brussels in Spring every year, convened this year to discuss
strategic issues of importance to Europe, the US and its partners
around the world, the Armenian foreign affairs ministry said.
It said the three-day conference included presentations by European
Union Foreign and Security Policy Chief Javier Solana, Head of the
World Bank Robert Zoellick, French Minister of Foreign Affairs Bernard
Kouchner, US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, Canadian
Defense Minister Peter Mackay, as well as members of government from
Afghanistan, Germany, France, Turkey, Canada, and other countries.
In a round-table discussion, Minister Vartan Oskanian participated as
a panelist to discuss "Does the Path to Europe Extend to the Caucasus?"
Together with Georgian State Minister for Re-Integration, Minister
Oskanian addressed issues having to do with Armenia's current
domestic political dilemma, and its context. Below are portions of
the Minister's contents.
"My response to the question would have been the same, even had we
not had our post-election crisis of these last several weeks. In fact,
the post-election situation simply reinforces my answer.
On the one hand, you'd think this question has been asked and
answered. We're here, right? We share history, values and civilization,
we also share the goals of an integrated, interdependent, interrelated
European political and economic community.
On the other hand, since the Caucasus is still a place that clings
to old frontier posts, old ways, old solutions, I guess it's fair
to keep repeating the question, just so everyone asking and everyone
answering are forced to look in the mirror.
I've said this before - Europe used to have religious, geographic and
cultural boundaries. Today, Europe by definition is political. Europe
takes for granted that its national aspirations are fulfilled, that
its institutions are functioning and responsive.
The only time when Europe stops to ask whether their path goes there,
is when there are questions about democracy and authoritarianism,
rule of law, values and systems.
Europe takes for granted that it voluntarily suspended some aspects of
sovereign political and economic rights in order to build structures
which would enhance and consolidate political and economic advantages,
and diminish the damages of war and threat of war.
We on the other hand, in our region, still live with the threat of
war, with some damages of war, and with great vulnerabilities about
giving up any aspects of our newly acquired rights, even within our own
societies. In fact, doubts and fears are so great that the political
and social institutions of our societies are still not working right.
Georgia last fall, Armenia just last month - these are perfect examples
of the absence of the institutions that work. Are they a departure
from the path of democracy, from the path of Europe? No. They were
a shock, a glitch, a blimp, an aberration in the process. And let me
warn you. We will have more.
In the post-Soviet period, in post-Soviet places, trusting in
institutions - that would have been an aberration. The functioning
of those institutions cannot be completely flushed out of certain
old instincts and patterns. It takes time for that to happen by
those who run the institutions and - because there's more of them -
even more time by those who are affected by those institutions.
In other words, as our post-electoral processes, as Georgia's
pre-electoral processes, and as Azerbaijan's to come, I'm sure,
demonstrated, society's lack of confidence in those institutions is
so great that they believe change must come from the street.
Is this the path to Europe?
I still believe it is. The events surrounding our last elections are a
perfect example. There was progress in those elections, everyone said
so. No one expected ideal, they just expected better. We delivered
better. But because the trust level is so low and because the stakes
are so high, the needs are so dire, better wasn't good enough. They
took to the streets thinking political change means endless political
revolution.
We know that's not the case. We've had our political and economic
revolutions in our region. What we haven't had is social revolution.
And for the next decade, on our path to Europe, we will come to
Europe to ask you to work with us for that social revolution - to
bring massive and meaningful change in two critical areas - the media,
and the educational system.
Just as Europe's path to Europe took more than a century, ours
will take time too. But together, let's make sure it doesn't take a
whole century.' In Brussels minister Oskanian had a meeting with
EU's foreign policy and security chief, Javier Solana to discuss
post-election developments in Armenia and ways out of the situation.