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VestnikKavkaza.net
Oct 8 2011
Levon Mukanyan: "The separation is being artificially imposed '
Recently, Moscow State University hosted a round-table discussion on
"Twenty years
of independence of the Republic of Armenia: toward the development of
Armenian-Russian relations." The Vice President of the Union of Armenians of
Russia for Social Development and Youth Affairs, Levon Mukanyan, expressed
his point of view on these processes in an interview with VK.
- How would you characterize the current level of Armenian-Russian relations?
Of course, a historic friendship and relationship is being formed between
the two nations. We easily understand each other, we are close in many
respects regarding mentality and culture. We have the same religion,
which determines our common view on various issues.
At the moment the problem is the transport blockade of Armenia. We have no
other ways except for air travel, which is costly. At the moment there
is a transport corridor to the port of Poti via Georgia, from where there is
a possibility of crossing. But again, as economists say, it is cheaper to
deliver cargo from anywhere to the port of Poti than from the port of Poti
to Yerevan. But again I am stressing that these are just temporary
difficulties.
The Armenian economy has prospects for development with the elimination of the
transport blockade, and we know about the on-going intergovernmental
agreements with Turkey on this subject. Someone sees it as a positive
tendency, some - as negative. Everything in this world is relative. We
believe that Armenia should establish relations with its neighbors. In the
Caucasus we say that a good neighbor is better than a distant cousin.
Therefore it is necessary to establish relations with Azerbaijan and
Turkey at least at the level of civil society, because we want to pass on a
brighter future to our children. I would not like my son to inherit the
prospect of war, but the prospect of good neighborliness and cooperation.
We know our neighbors well, we used to live and work together. At the moment
we still know our generation. But perhaps a decade will pass and the next
generation will already be divorced from each other, which of course is
frightening us, public officials. Of course, Russia is interested in
stability in the Caucasus, and stability can be attained when conflicts are
resolved and sharp corners are smoothed out.
Russia has been actively involved in mediation between conflicting parties;
if we take the Karabakh issue, along with the United States and France. Some
may be satisfied with this process, some not, from the Azerbaijani side, as
well as from the Russian and Armenian ones. There are radicals, hotheads. I
think that the peace-negotiating process is better than the death of young
people and the sufferings of the people. Nobody expected that all the issues
would be resolved, neither we nor the Azerbaijanis, nor the intermediaries.
We understand that this is a complex process, which needs to be carried step
by step, stage by stage. The most important thing is to learn to talk to
each other, learn to respect each other. At least as a start not to insult
each other, as a classic writer once said, "If you look at me with a
fist, I have
no choice but to clench my fist and reply to you." But if you come and say,
'Let's sit down, discuss, take counsel,' then I will say: 'Let's sit down'."
And suddenly we will realize that there are not many problems. We have more
that unites than divides us. There is something that divides us, but
sometimes it seems as if it has been inspired artificially, from the
outside. There are technologies, whole institutes are working on developing
conflicts and using conflicts in different political situations. People
suffer from this. It was said at the round table that the peoples of Armenia
and Russia are willing to cooperate, they have a historical basis and
perspective on the future, and also the people of Armenia are willing to
communicate, to cooperate with their neighbors, with Georgia and Azerbaijan,
Turkey and Iran. Armenians have always been distinguished by their
creativity and
peacefulness. I think we need to pass this on to our children.
- What role do you assign to the Diaspora in this process? The Russian
Armenian Diaspora is one of the most structured, organized and efficient in
the world. What role can it play in Armenian-Russian relations in the
context of establishing peace in the South Caucasus?
-The Union of Armenians of Russia has always advocated the
strengthening of Russian-Armenian relations. We do not just report. The
Union of Armenians of Russia in Armenia has built Russian centers; at the
moment our president, Abrahamian, is building a Russian church in Yerevan
and a center of the Russian language. The Union of Armenians of Russia has
been holding a competition of the Russian language in the CIS and Baltic states
for three consecutive years. And the winners of this competition studied
in Russian universities for free. As a Russian Diaspora, we have always had
three main goals. Firstly, the mutual support for each other, unity. If we
are united, we are consolidating our overall strength and intellectual
capacity, human as well as financial. As citizens of Russia, we have always
said that our second main goal is the promotion of the Russian Federation.
Because only a strong Russia can act as a guarantor of economic stability,
peace and security in the region. We have always had an active role in this
regard. The Union of Armenians of Russia have participated in various
round-table discussions and public councils.
We are not only talking, but actually doing things. Our civil role can
also be the last example. Last year, there was peat burning in four
areas.
The Union of Armenians of Russia collected one hundred tons of humanitarian
cargo and 10 million rubles, which were distributed in the four areas. This
was a voluntary desire of citizens. It was not imposed from above. We are a
public organization, our participants and funds are non-state, we are not
financed by anyone, only through the personal contributions of individuals. As
citizens we have been very sad that people are caught in fires in different
places, homeless and shelterless. I can give many similar examples. When the
flooding took place in Krasnodar Territory, we, too, sent 40 trucks
there. This is an active civic position, because a strong Russia is a
guarantor of stability. Our third main direction is the promotion of an
historic homeland, with full cooperation: cultural, humanitarian and
educational.
We support all the projects that connect Russia and Armenia. Annually, for tten
years in a row, we have organized Days of the Union of Armenians of Russia in
Armenia, bringing large delegations there, from the Russian intelligentsia, the
economic bloc, as well as representatives of information and education.
When we used to live in the Soviet Union, there were programs in schools,
organized tours to St. Petersburg and Moscow. There was a position,
according to which children had always to go and see. Now, when the
connection has been interrupted, the gap between the intelligentsia
and youth only
widens with the years. Therefore, we try to actively take part in Russian
society, to show them that the residents of Yerevan are not much different from
Muscovites - they are also cosmopolitans, following the same
fashions, perceiving good and bad in the same way.
Of course, we are concerned that xenophobia is being imposed on Russia in
recent years, which turns into a radical form. After all, xenophobia
is inherent to any people as a national immune measure from all the others.
That is understandable. But when it acquires a radical form of
aggressiveness, I do not like it, it becomes extremely dangerous. We think
that this is contrary to the interests of the Russian Federation, the
interests of the Russian people. Because all of these actions sooner or
later lead to civil unrest, which could lead to a revolution or confrontation.
Many lose when Russia is a strong economic power. We must understand that the
basis of any war is economic interests, nothing else. People want to
amputate from Russia those regions where there are oil, gas, diamonds,
mineral
resources, etc. Russia really runs the risk of losing it, as happened in the
Soviet Union. It is therefore necessary to fuel this xenophobia. And a
pseudo-xenophobia is being fueled. Why are Russian patriotic organization
associated with the nationalists? Because such an image has been created. Those
centers fund and ensure the support of anti-Russian sentiments in southern
republics in Central Asia.
Ten, twenty, thirty years pass and people just do not want to talk to each
other. They say: why should I send my son to study in Moscow, if I can send
him to London? He will be killed in Moscow, killed. - No, he will not be
killed there. - He will be, I have read about it in the papers.
Whatever presidents sign, if people do not want this, it is just a piece of
paper. For twenty years people have been trying to make us enemies.
There are forces in
Russia that are urging to separate the North Caucasus. They do not realize
that, by separating the Caucasus, the problem will not be solved. If there
are people in Moscow and you do not want to see them, it does not mean that
if you separate Dagestan, Dagestani citizens will not be there. For example,
the Central Asian republics are independent, but are there no Tajiks and
Uzbeks in Moscow? It is all about pseudo-patriotism.
It is connected with the fact that we have lost an ideology. Young people
do not know the landmarks, where to go and where to make friends, what
they should strive for. We have talked about domestic issues, too. Russia
wins in something or loses, it depends not so much on external forces, but
on internal cohesion. We, as fellow believers, as people who have been
together with the Russian people for centuries, are interested in a firmly
standing Russian people. Russians and Armenians have parallel interests,
we have no disagreements. What is profitable for Russia is almost always
profitable for us. In this regard, I think we will strive for a better
future.
.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/interviews/politics/18708.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Oct 8 2011
Levon Mukanyan: "The separation is being artificially imposed '
Recently, Moscow State University hosted a round-table discussion on
"Twenty years
of independence of the Republic of Armenia: toward the development of
Armenian-Russian relations." The Vice President of the Union of Armenians of
Russia for Social Development and Youth Affairs, Levon Mukanyan, expressed
his point of view on these processes in an interview with VK.
- How would you characterize the current level of Armenian-Russian relations?
Of course, a historic friendship and relationship is being formed between
the two nations. We easily understand each other, we are close in many
respects regarding mentality and culture. We have the same religion,
which determines our common view on various issues.
At the moment the problem is the transport blockade of Armenia. We have no
other ways except for air travel, which is costly. At the moment there
is a transport corridor to the port of Poti via Georgia, from where there is
a possibility of crossing. But again, as economists say, it is cheaper to
deliver cargo from anywhere to the port of Poti than from the port of Poti
to Yerevan. But again I am stressing that these are just temporary
difficulties.
The Armenian economy has prospects for development with the elimination of the
transport blockade, and we know about the on-going intergovernmental
agreements with Turkey on this subject. Someone sees it as a positive
tendency, some - as negative. Everything in this world is relative. We
believe that Armenia should establish relations with its neighbors. In the
Caucasus we say that a good neighbor is better than a distant cousin.
Therefore it is necessary to establish relations with Azerbaijan and
Turkey at least at the level of civil society, because we want to pass on a
brighter future to our children. I would not like my son to inherit the
prospect of war, but the prospect of good neighborliness and cooperation.
We know our neighbors well, we used to live and work together. At the moment
we still know our generation. But perhaps a decade will pass and the next
generation will already be divorced from each other, which of course is
frightening us, public officials. Of course, Russia is interested in
stability in the Caucasus, and stability can be attained when conflicts are
resolved and sharp corners are smoothed out.
Russia has been actively involved in mediation between conflicting parties;
if we take the Karabakh issue, along with the United States and France. Some
may be satisfied with this process, some not, from the Azerbaijani side, as
well as from the Russian and Armenian ones. There are radicals, hotheads. I
think that the peace-negotiating process is better than the death of young
people and the sufferings of the people. Nobody expected that all the issues
would be resolved, neither we nor the Azerbaijanis, nor the intermediaries.
We understand that this is a complex process, which needs to be carried step
by step, stage by stage. The most important thing is to learn to talk to
each other, learn to respect each other. At least as a start not to insult
each other, as a classic writer once said, "If you look at me with a
fist, I have
no choice but to clench my fist and reply to you." But if you come and say,
'Let's sit down, discuss, take counsel,' then I will say: 'Let's sit down'."
And suddenly we will realize that there are not many problems. We have more
that unites than divides us. There is something that divides us, but
sometimes it seems as if it has been inspired artificially, from the
outside. There are technologies, whole institutes are working on developing
conflicts and using conflicts in different political situations. People
suffer from this. It was said at the round table that the peoples of Armenia
and Russia are willing to cooperate, they have a historical basis and
perspective on the future, and also the people of Armenia are willing to
communicate, to cooperate with their neighbors, with Georgia and Azerbaijan,
Turkey and Iran. Armenians have always been distinguished by their
creativity and
peacefulness. I think we need to pass this on to our children.
- What role do you assign to the Diaspora in this process? The Russian
Armenian Diaspora is one of the most structured, organized and efficient in
the world. What role can it play in Armenian-Russian relations in the
context of establishing peace in the South Caucasus?
-The Union of Armenians of Russia has always advocated the
strengthening of Russian-Armenian relations. We do not just report. The
Union of Armenians of Russia in Armenia has built Russian centers; at the
moment our president, Abrahamian, is building a Russian church in Yerevan
and a center of the Russian language. The Union of Armenians of Russia has
been holding a competition of the Russian language in the CIS and Baltic states
for three consecutive years. And the winners of this competition studied
in Russian universities for free. As a Russian Diaspora, we have always had
three main goals. Firstly, the mutual support for each other, unity. If we
are united, we are consolidating our overall strength and intellectual
capacity, human as well as financial. As citizens of Russia, we have always
said that our second main goal is the promotion of the Russian Federation.
Because only a strong Russia can act as a guarantor of economic stability,
peace and security in the region. We have always had an active role in this
regard. The Union of Armenians of Russia have participated in various
round-table discussions and public councils.
We are not only talking, but actually doing things. Our civil role can
also be the last example. Last year, there was peat burning in four
areas.
The Union of Armenians of Russia collected one hundred tons of humanitarian
cargo and 10 million rubles, which were distributed in the four areas. This
was a voluntary desire of citizens. It was not imposed from above. We are a
public organization, our participants and funds are non-state, we are not
financed by anyone, only through the personal contributions of individuals. As
citizens we have been very sad that people are caught in fires in different
places, homeless and shelterless. I can give many similar examples. When the
flooding took place in Krasnodar Territory, we, too, sent 40 trucks
there. This is an active civic position, because a strong Russia is a
guarantor of stability. Our third main direction is the promotion of an
historic homeland, with full cooperation: cultural, humanitarian and
educational.
We support all the projects that connect Russia and Armenia. Annually, for tten
years in a row, we have organized Days of the Union of Armenians of Russia in
Armenia, bringing large delegations there, from the Russian intelligentsia, the
economic bloc, as well as representatives of information and education.
When we used to live in the Soviet Union, there were programs in schools,
organized tours to St. Petersburg and Moscow. There was a position,
according to which children had always to go and see. Now, when the
connection has been interrupted, the gap between the intelligentsia
and youth only
widens with the years. Therefore, we try to actively take part in Russian
society, to show them that the residents of Yerevan are not much different from
Muscovites - they are also cosmopolitans, following the same
fashions, perceiving good and bad in the same way.
Of course, we are concerned that xenophobia is being imposed on Russia in
recent years, which turns into a radical form. After all, xenophobia
is inherent to any people as a national immune measure from all the others.
That is understandable. But when it acquires a radical form of
aggressiveness, I do not like it, it becomes extremely dangerous. We think
that this is contrary to the interests of the Russian Federation, the
interests of the Russian people. Because all of these actions sooner or
later lead to civil unrest, which could lead to a revolution or confrontation.
Many lose when Russia is a strong economic power. We must understand that the
basis of any war is economic interests, nothing else. People want to
amputate from Russia those regions where there are oil, gas, diamonds,
mineral
resources, etc. Russia really runs the risk of losing it, as happened in the
Soviet Union. It is therefore necessary to fuel this xenophobia. And a
pseudo-xenophobia is being fueled. Why are Russian patriotic organization
associated with the nationalists? Because such an image has been created. Those
centers fund and ensure the support of anti-Russian sentiments in southern
republics in Central Asia.
Ten, twenty, thirty years pass and people just do not want to talk to each
other. They say: why should I send my son to study in Moscow, if I can send
him to London? He will be killed in Moscow, killed. - No, he will not be
killed there. - He will be, I have read about it in the papers.
Whatever presidents sign, if people do not want this, it is just a piece of
paper. For twenty years people have been trying to make us enemies.
There are forces in
Russia that are urging to separate the North Caucasus. They do not realize
that, by separating the Caucasus, the problem will not be solved. If there
are people in Moscow and you do not want to see them, it does not mean that
if you separate Dagestan, Dagestani citizens will not be there. For example,
the Central Asian republics are independent, but are there no Tajiks and
Uzbeks in Moscow? It is all about pseudo-patriotism.
It is connected with the fact that we have lost an ideology. Young people
do not know the landmarks, where to go and where to make friends, what
they should strive for. We have talked about domestic issues, too. Russia
wins in something or loses, it depends not so much on external forces, but
on internal cohesion. We, as fellow believers, as people who have been
together with the Russian people for centuries, are interested in a firmly
standing Russian people. Russians and Armenians have parallel interests,
we have no disagreements. What is profitable for Russia is almost always
profitable for us. In this regard, I think we will strive for a better
future.
.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/interviews/politics/18708.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress