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THE DIASPORA AS `PROVINCE' OF ARMENIA
NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/society21680.html
Published: 14:59:13 - 06/05/2011
In late may a forum will be held in Yerevan to discuss cooperation
between Armenia and the Diaspora.
Judging by some recent statements of the Armenian authorities, the
Diaspora is already perceived as the last political and economic
refuge. As soon as it became known that the international
organizations and the West no longer support Serzh Sargsyan as they
did before, and Russia already communicates with Armenia at the level
of police officers, in Armenia they realized that only the Diaspora
can help.
The UN Resident Coordinator to Armenia Dafina Gercheva hinted at this
too, stating that the Armenian economy can be reconstructed with the
help of Armenians living abroad. According to Diaspora data, the
circulation of the Armenian money in the world is 10 billion dollars
which exceeds the Armenian budget three times. And Serzh Sargsyan
announced recently that the Diaspora need not believe it is impossible
to earn money in Armenia. He asked them to come and get convinced.
Apparently, however, the government relies not only on big investments
but also consulting. The minister of the Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan
stated recently it is time to create a forum where proposals on
institutional development of Armenia will be presented. It is possible
that the Diaspora is needed to fight the oligarchs in Armenia, since
Armenia alone cannot overcome this problem and carry out economic
reforms. However, as of now, only the Armenian Trade Network has been
created, and it is not clear what it is going to do.
Will the Diaspora believe in Serzh Sargsyan's honesty and wish to
liberalize the economy to enable the Diaspora to run businesses in
Armenia? It will be difficult to persuade the Diaspora with mere
statements, these statements must be translated into action, first of
all anti-monopoly action.
There are no institutional relations between Armenia and the Armenian
Diaspora, therefore their relations lie on an emotional and subjective
basis. Armenia treats the Diaspora as its province, delegating the
right to make pan-Armenian decisions to Yerevan. For its part, the
Diaspora considers Armenia a province due to its economic and social
development, explaining their reluctance to participate in the life of
Armenia by its wretchedness. Yerevan feels obliged to thank the
Diaspora for charity, and the Diaspora is already tired of assisting
and it needs new relations, integration. Obviously, however, Armenia
lacks a conceptual perception of cooperation with the Diaspora.
On May 5 the project entitled `Globalization: Prospects of Development
of the Diaspora' was presented during the meeting of the government of
Armenia. The president of the National Academy of Science Radik
Martirosyan asked: `What does `development of the Diaspora' mean?'
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan interrupted and changed the wording.
From: A. Papazian
NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/society21680.html
Published: 14:59:13 - 06/05/2011
In late may a forum will be held in Yerevan to discuss cooperation
between Armenia and the Diaspora.
Judging by some recent statements of the Armenian authorities, the
Diaspora is already perceived as the last political and economic
refuge. As soon as it became known that the international
organizations and the West no longer support Serzh Sargsyan as they
did before, and Russia already communicates with Armenia at the level
of police officers, in Armenia they realized that only the Diaspora
can help.
The UN Resident Coordinator to Armenia Dafina Gercheva hinted at this
too, stating that the Armenian economy can be reconstructed with the
help of Armenians living abroad. According to Diaspora data, the
circulation of the Armenian money in the world is 10 billion dollars
which exceeds the Armenian budget three times. And Serzh Sargsyan
announced recently that the Diaspora need not believe it is impossible
to earn money in Armenia. He asked them to come and get convinced.
Apparently, however, the government relies not only on big investments
but also consulting. The minister of the Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan
stated recently it is time to create a forum where proposals on
institutional development of Armenia will be presented. It is possible
that the Diaspora is needed to fight the oligarchs in Armenia, since
Armenia alone cannot overcome this problem and carry out economic
reforms. However, as of now, only the Armenian Trade Network has been
created, and it is not clear what it is going to do.
Will the Diaspora believe in Serzh Sargsyan's honesty and wish to
liberalize the economy to enable the Diaspora to run businesses in
Armenia? It will be difficult to persuade the Diaspora with mere
statements, these statements must be translated into action, first of
all anti-monopoly action.
There are no institutional relations between Armenia and the Armenian
Diaspora, therefore their relations lie on an emotional and subjective
basis. Armenia treats the Diaspora as its province, delegating the
right to make pan-Armenian decisions to Yerevan. For its part, the
Diaspora considers Armenia a province due to its economic and social
development, explaining their reluctance to participate in the life of
Armenia by its wretchedness. Yerevan feels obliged to thank the
Diaspora for charity, and the Diaspora is already tired of assisting
and it needs new relations, integration. Obviously, however, Armenia
lacks a conceptual perception of cooperation with the Diaspora.
On May 5 the project entitled `Globalization: Prospects of Development
of the Diaspora' was presented during the meeting of the government of
Armenia. The president of the National Academy of Science Radik
Martirosyan asked: `What does `development of the Diaspora' mean?'
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan interrupted and changed the wording.
From: A. Papazian