Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Au Revoir But not Adieu

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Au Revoir But not Adieu

    Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK
    Jan 3 2011


    AU REVOIR BUT NOT ADIEU


    Technical difficulties have hampered me from posting recently, coupled
    with the Christmas-New Year break and preparations for leaving
    Armenia. This is my last post as Ambassador here and I will shortly
    hand over the reins to Kathy Leach and Jonathan Aves.

    Looking back over four years, I can see plenty of good work and useful
    contributions that we've made as an Embassy, including defence
    cooperation, peacebuilding projects and work on human rights and
    governance. We've seen an increase in the amount of trade and
    business: UK exports to Armenia are up 60% January-October year on
    year. And there are more British high street names on the streets than
    four years ago (at least in central Yerevan). And we've seen a marked
    increase in the number of visitors here: figures suggest the number of
    British tourists was up 3.5 times in the first half of 2011. And we've
    seen a steady increase in the number of Armenians visiting the UK for
    business, education and tourism: visas issued have gone up around 10%
    a year each year.

    Of course there have been frustrations too: I'd love to have seen the
    "football diplomacy" initiative with Turkey bear fruit and lead to
    open borders: that could only benefit Armenia, Turkey and the region
    as a whole. I also hoped we would see some more progress towards
    settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh issue.

    We've seen some progress on domestic political issues and governance
    since I arrived (I presented credentials during the state of emergency
    following the 1 March demonstrations and killings). But there is still
    a lot to do to tackle pervasive corruption, to tackle the commercial
    monopolies and blurring of official, business and political domains.
    We've heard regular commitments from senior figures that the coming
    parliamentary and presidential elections will be an improvement on the
    previous ones. I certainly hope that will be the case and there will
    be the political will to ensure that not just election day itself but
    the campaign and the pre-campaign period reflect international
    standards, including access to media, and the misuse of administrative
    resources.

    The economic crisis means poverty is as serious an issue as ever,
    though I've written before now on some good work being done by NGOs,
    including Oxfam. There's also been some progress on gender issues and
    it's possible now to hope for some progress on the question of
    domestic violence in a way I didn't think possible when I first
    arrived. There's even been some limited progress in reporting of
    lesbian and gay issues, though there's still a long way to go to
    overcome some deep-rooted prejudices.

    Encouragingly, I think we're seeing more active participation by young
    people in both formal and informal politics, including campaigning on
    particular issues, such as the environment. That's something we've
    supported and encouraged and meeting bright, active young people has
    always been one of the things that gives me hope for Armenia's future,
    whatever the challenges ahead. The biggest issue though is to ensure
    that those young people see their future in Armenia, and that they
    have the opportunity to put their talents to work here, rather than
    joining the steady outflow of people away from the country.

    I have occasionally apologised for adding to that outflow by marrying
    one of those bright young Armenians, and I will be forcing her to
    leave, at least temporarily to come with me to Vienna for my next job.
    As she pointed out though, it's open to debate if I'm taking her away
    from Armenia or she is taking me to Armenia. At any rate, I look
    forward to returning to this fascinating country.

    When asked for my feelings on departure, I've tended to say that I'm a
    frustrated optimist: there is a lot of potential and I've come across
    many capable, smart people. But somehow the necessary changes have
    rarely moved as fast or as far as I would hope. But I remain
    optimistic that positive changes can and should continue.

    So I close with a positive thought from one of my favourite writers,
    Evelyn Waugh, who encountered a number of Armenians in Ethiopia (then
    Abyssinia) while working as a reporter covering the coronation of
    Emperor Haile Selassie in 1930 (in 'Remote People'). Waugh described
    walking around the town of Harar,with the owner of the Leon d'Or
    hotel, Mr Bergebedgian:

    "We went through the bazaar...We went into several private
    houses...Everywhere he seemed to be welcome; everywhere he not only
    adapted but completely transformed his manner to the environment. When
    I came to consider the question, I was surprised to realise that the
    two most accomplished men I met during this six months abroad, the
    chauffeur who took us to Debra Lebanos and Mr Bergebedgian, should
    both have been Armenians. A race of rare competence and the most
    delicate sensibility. They seem to me the only genuine 'men of the
    world'.

    "I suppose everyone at times likes to picture himself such as person.
    Sometimes, when I find that elusive ideal looming too attractively,
    when I envy among my friends this one's adaptability to diverse
    company, this one's cosmopolitan experience, this one's impenetrable
    armour against sentimentality and humbug, this one's freedom from
    conventional prejudices, this one's astute ordering of his finances
    and nicely calculated hospitality, and realise that, whatever happens
    to me and however I deplore it, I shall never in fact become a
    'hard-boiled man of the world' of the kind I read about in the novels
    I sometimes obtain at bookstalls for short railway journeys...then I
    comfort myself a little by thinking that, perhaps if I were an
    Armenian I should find things easier."

Working...
X