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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."
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."