ARMENIA DOES NOT DEVELOP BUT MATURES
Siranuysh Papyan
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/interview27026.html
Published: 16:15:50 - 02/08/2012
Interview with Armen Ohanyan, writer, public relations specialist
Armen, recently there have been concerns about criminal TV shows and
films. Why did the intellectuals, the NGOs suddenly remember about
television content, even shared their concerns with Serzh Sargsyan,
and now everyone is busy thinking about it?
Perhaps, it should be asked to them. Our people are a little naïve,
they think people will get mad or kind by watching the screen. Were
this true there, the Public Channel would show kind cartoons every
day, and there would be no rallies on the Freedom Square. It is a
scientific fact that picturing violence helps reduce it, it is also a
fact that demography and not TV shows are the problem of the Armenian
people. I really do think that it is too minor an issue to deal with.
Alright, let's talk about demography. On the one hand, emigration
continues, on the other hand, the Come Back Home program is being
implemented but there is no readiness to solve the problems and
organize the immigration of Armenian Syrians. Most people think the
government should have worked out a relevant program. In your opinion,
in which case will Armenia become attractive for the Armenian Syrians?
Armenia's attractiveness is in direct correlation with its democratic
transition and economic development, not only for the Diaspora but also
for us. Today the issue of Armenians of Syria is urgent, the other day
the issue of Armenians of Kuwait, then the Armenians of Mozambique may
be urgent, Armenians worldwide count from 8-12 million, of which 2.9
million, according to the latest sham census, lives in Armenia. So
about 10 million Armenians live in non-democratic, geopolitically
unstable countries, look at the Armenian Iranians, they are the
closes to us, and they are not ensured from similar situations. If we
generalize, the sad situation of the Armenian Syrians comes to prove
that the previous efforts to strengthen the Homeland-Diaspora link have
failed. The strength of this link is revealed in difficult situations.
Armen, it turns out that a new plan, a procedure needs to be worked
out to strengthen the Homeland-Diaspora link. Or maybe the government
does not need strength when it encourages emigration.
No, a relationship between two Armenians cannot be based on a procedure
or a plan, it is something spontaneous, natural, non-formal.
I regret to say that last year I carried out a survey on social
friendliness and I found that 85% of people in Armenia has no close
friends in the Diaspora. Armenia-Diaspora is the warped link in
Armenian time and space, whereas they are indefeasible. Patriotism is
simply selfishness when you do not separate yourself from your habitat,
even if you are physically far away. When they yell and squeak on TV
"Armenia Is Me" or "Armenia Is You", they only mean the land, while
when you hear on Freedom Square the same idea (the future of Armenia
depends on one person and I am that person and you are that person),
the area with an anthem and flag is meant. Here is the warp of our
understanding. When a big part of Armenians, being real patriots to
the point of fainting for the land, don't care for the anthem and
flag. We are divided not only in space but also in time because their
watches stopped on 24 April 1915, others have thrown away their old
mechanical watches and are flying across the digitalized time zones
of the world, while there are issues here and now which nobody will
solve except for us.
Armen, how can it be spontaneous if the Diaspora Armenians see what
is happening here, what measures are undertaken against the youths,
the citizens that create the future of Armenia? The verdict of the
ANC youths is evidence that the future of Armenia depends on one
person which is not you and me.
So, if you mean Serzh Sargsyan, you are mistaken. In Armenia the
average expectancy of life is 70 years, if you mean what you said,
it will all end in 10 years. The convicted youths might attend his
funeral and even lay flowers but if this continues the procession
will get smaller and smaller, and hardly two people will be left
to carry the cover of the coffin, four people to carry the coffin,
one to carry the photo and two old nationalists with the moustache to
carry the wreaths. This will be a sad picture indeed. Remember this,
we will live and see.
Armen, you say there are a lot of things to do here and now, what
do you think will the actions, publications in defense of the guys,
their freedom, finally break the ice?
The case of the boys, no, I should say the masterpiece, is something
between fantasy and traditional fairy tales on what happened when
four wolves of the Congress ate 7 red hoods, and one of the red hoods
was a wrestler and Tigran Arakelyan, who is smaller than me, with his
hands tied, punched and broke his nose only because Zakar Zakaryan's
pit-bull was walking in the Lake of Swans without a muzzle. Have this
translated to any language, submit for awards, and it will win for
the fantasy of these police investigators, What kind of police is
this which focuses on a few non-armed youths for a remark and ends
up beaten, tortured and humiliated? I am sure we did not break the
nose of the red hood but even if it was broken unintentionally during
the row, we do not regret for it, we pay his salary, we will go on to
pay for his plastic surgery, and we did not hit him so that the right
and left halves of his brain got mixed. If they knew who they were
hitting, they would be petrified. I said this once and I will repeat
now that 20-year-old Armenia is not developing but is maturing, and
the Congress has been helpful as a civil smithy where Sargis Gevorgyan
matured and self-established, who is the peer, brave citizen and the
heart and soul of Armenia. This is the criterion of assessment of
any link, be it the Diaspora - Armenia or the citizens - Congress link.
You must see to what extent you are well established with the help of
the one on the other side of the dash and vice versa. In this sense,
Davit Shahnazaryan did not mature and get established in the Congress,
he was established in other times and in the relevant institution,
so he is not the Congress. Simply Shahnazaryan's case was fresh in
my memory. While Sargis and Armenia came of age together, four years
ago, on August 1. The earth is 4 million years old, mankind only 2.5
million, so if we assume the history of the world is a day, mankind
has existed for only two seconds. Don't hurry to burry us, we are
still too young, we are young, beautiful and wise as Sargis-Armenia.
From: A. Papazian