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MIKAEL MINASYAN IN VATICAN: OPTIONS AND PREDICTIONS
by David Stepanyan
ARMINFO
Tuesday, March 12, 17:51
On 7 March the Government of Armenia adopted a decision to open an
Embassy in Vatican in line with a relevant decree of the Armenian
President, and to appoint the president's son-in-law, Mikael Minasyan,
Armenia's ambassador to Vatican. The diplomatic relations of Armenia
and Vatican were established on May 23 1992. Before Minasyan, Vigen
Chitechyan , Armenia's ambassador to Italy, was occupying this position
as an ambassador with concurrent accreditation. But from now on,
different ambassadors will represent Armenia's interests in Vatican
and Italy. The given decision at the period when Raffi Hovannisian's
"greetings revolution" is taking place in the republic, is undoubtedly
the reason for certain thoughts which will inevitably result in two
main options...
To understand the logic which Serzh Sargsyan was guided with when
appointing Minasyan to the position of Armenia's ambassador to
Vatican, let's study background of the latter. Minasyan started
working like his father-in-law's assistant when Sargsyan was
Armenia's prime minister. In 2008 when Sargsyan became the president
of Armenia, Minasyan became the first deputy head of the president's
administration. In November 2011, on the threshold of the parliamentary
election in 2012, the president's son-in-law suddenly left his position
and was appointed deputy chairman of the electoral headquarters of the
Republican Party of Armenia. Then he was appointed deputy chairman of
Serzh Sargsyan's headquarters on the threshold of the presidential
election on 18 February 2013. Before appointment to the position of
Armenia's ambassador to Vatican, in fact the president's son-in-law
did not occupy state positions. Actually, one of the key missions of
Minasyan during all these years was organizing of propaganda and PR -
the sphere that adopted a laissez-faire attitude over the past years
and was chiefly directed for local usage.
This was also about the coverage of such painful for the Armenians
issues like international recognition of the Armenian genocide and
the Karabakh conflict.
Using patronage of the pro-presidential forces and his own financial
potential, Minasyan purchased a number of big TV channels which used
to organize public opinion polls that were evidence of unprecedented
high rating of the authorities. The new information resources,
mainly in the form of e:mass media have recently started growing in
Armenia like mushrooms. Incidentally, propaganda of Armenia's and the
NKR's interests used to occupy a modest though not so little place
in their activity. However, this is not regarding the information
about the life of Armenian and foreign film starts, about murders
and suicides, rape and religious sects, homosexuals and other such
factors. Today, serious analytical idea in Armenia is expelled by the
everyday information. There is a viewpoint that such an information
policy is professionally conducted purposefully for protection of a
narrow group interests, taking into consideration the new realities
and modern information technologies. Almost every month we see in
the information area another "military expert" which did not serve
in the army, or a "psychologist" that has no experience, an "analyst"
which has never analyzed the policy and has got no relevant education,
and a PR - technologist which does not know what is PR. However, all
these people which give press-conferences and repeat expressions which
they learned by heart, have been forming public opinion in Armenia and
about Armenia in abroad. So, the Armenian propaganda has been rather
successfully fulfilling the mission placed on it on formation of the
public discussion which the authorities need. The Armenian society
was becoming more and more apolitical and was chiefly trusting in
the information area which was weakened with "tasty" information that
does not form ideas. As a result, Armenian lawyers go on not trusting
in jurisprudence, functionaries - in priority of law, members of
the parliament - that they are linked with electorate in a certain
way, etc.
For this reason, the February presidential election have demonstrated
failure of Minasyan's media-empire, which was not adequate to the
reality of the day. And the "official" 37% of Raffi Hovannisian
and 58% of Serzh Sargsyan and the "greetings revolution" that has
covered Armenia, have become not the best evidences of effectiveness
of this model. According to one of the options, the reason of
Minasyan's appointment was inability to affect public opinion over
the presidential campaign, although the data of the Central electoral
committee are the result of such an activity. So, according to the
first option, the given appointment should be understood like a
political deportation of a man which should be removed from direct
participation in the post-election processes for some period of time.
Especially, the man which is taken by the people like an all-powerful.
The second option seems to be more realistic, according to which having
appointed his son-on-law to the position of Armenia's ambassador
to Vatican, Serzh Sargsyan put the start to Minasyan's career in
the international policy. However, one may suppose that Sargsyan
with a second term in office, has started preparing the operation
"successor". In 2018 the incumbent president of Armenia in the best
traditions of the post-soviet Armenia should name his successor, and
this name will sound in the ears of the people more effectively if it
is accompanies with prefix "foreign minister". One should not rule
out that diplomatic activity in Vatican may be very much successful
for the political future of the 35 years old Minasyan.
Although it sounds funny, but different projects financed by Heydar
Aliyev's foundation and personally by Mehriban Aliyeva have already
started giving new results in Vatican. And dissemination of new
ideas in Europe in the Vatican's still balanced position on Karabakh
settlement may put Serzh Sargsyan in front serious problems. In Armenia
they wrongly think that the Karabakh conflict is still being resolved
at the line of contact between the armies of Azerbaijan and the NKR,
often forgetting about formation of the new unseen lines. And the
incumbent president of Armenia may entrust only to Minasyan the
formation of these lines. So, if the president's son-in-law manages
to neutralize the efforts of the Azerbaijani lobby on the Karabakh
issue in Vartican, this will become am important basis for his future
personal development and building of a serious political career.
by David Stepanyan
ARMINFO
Tuesday, March 12, 17:51
On 7 March the Government of Armenia adopted a decision to open an
Embassy in Vatican in line with a relevant decree of the Armenian
President, and to appoint the president's son-in-law, Mikael Minasyan,
Armenia's ambassador to Vatican. The diplomatic relations of Armenia
and Vatican were established on May 23 1992. Before Minasyan, Vigen
Chitechyan , Armenia's ambassador to Italy, was occupying this position
as an ambassador with concurrent accreditation. But from now on,
different ambassadors will represent Armenia's interests in Vatican
and Italy. The given decision at the period when Raffi Hovannisian's
"greetings revolution" is taking place in the republic, is undoubtedly
the reason for certain thoughts which will inevitably result in two
main options...
To understand the logic which Serzh Sargsyan was guided with when
appointing Minasyan to the position of Armenia's ambassador to
Vatican, let's study background of the latter. Minasyan started
working like his father-in-law's assistant when Sargsyan was
Armenia's prime minister. In 2008 when Sargsyan became the president
of Armenia, Minasyan became the first deputy head of the president's
administration. In November 2011, on the threshold of the parliamentary
election in 2012, the president's son-in-law suddenly left his position
and was appointed deputy chairman of the electoral headquarters of the
Republican Party of Armenia. Then he was appointed deputy chairman of
Serzh Sargsyan's headquarters on the threshold of the presidential
election on 18 February 2013. Before appointment to the position of
Armenia's ambassador to Vatican, in fact the president's son-in-law
did not occupy state positions. Actually, one of the key missions of
Minasyan during all these years was organizing of propaganda and PR -
the sphere that adopted a laissez-faire attitude over the past years
and was chiefly directed for local usage.
This was also about the coverage of such painful for the Armenians
issues like international recognition of the Armenian genocide and
the Karabakh conflict.
Using patronage of the pro-presidential forces and his own financial
potential, Minasyan purchased a number of big TV channels which used
to organize public opinion polls that were evidence of unprecedented
high rating of the authorities. The new information resources,
mainly in the form of e:mass media have recently started growing in
Armenia like mushrooms. Incidentally, propaganda of Armenia's and the
NKR's interests used to occupy a modest though not so little place
in their activity. However, this is not regarding the information
about the life of Armenian and foreign film starts, about murders
and suicides, rape and religious sects, homosexuals and other such
factors. Today, serious analytical idea in Armenia is expelled by the
everyday information. There is a viewpoint that such an information
policy is professionally conducted purposefully for protection of a
narrow group interests, taking into consideration the new realities
and modern information technologies. Almost every month we see in
the information area another "military expert" which did not serve
in the army, or a "psychologist" that has no experience, an "analyst"
which has never analyzed the policy and has got no relevant education,
and a PR - technologist which does not know what is PR. However, all
these people which give press-conferences and repeat expressions which
they learned by heart, have been forming public opinion in Armenia and
about Armenia in abroad. So, the Armenian propaganda has been rather
successfully fulfilling the mission placed on it on formation of the
public discussion which the authorities need. The Armenian society
was becoming more and more apolitical and was chiefly trusting in
the information area which was weakened with "tasty" information that
does not form ideas. As a result, Armenian lawyers go on not trusting
in jurisprudence, functionaries - in priority of law, members of
the parliament - that they are linked with electorate in a certain
way, etc.
For this reason, the February presidential election have demonstrated
failure of Minasyan's media-empire, which was not adequate to the
reality of the day. And the "official" 37% of Raffi Hovannisian
and 58% of Serzh Sargsyan and the "greetings revolution" that has
covered Armenia, have become not the best evidences of effectiveness
of this model. According to one of the options, the reason of
Minasyan's appointment was inability to affect public opinion over
the presidential campaign, although the data of the Central electoral
committee are the result of such an activity. So, according to the
first option, the given appointment should be understood like a
political deportation of a man which should be removed from direct
participation in the post-election processes for some period of time.
Especially, the man which is taken by the people like an all-powerful.
The second option seems to be more realistic, according to which having
appointed his son-on-law to the position of Armenia's ambassador
to Vatican, Serzh Sargsyan put the start to Minasyan's career in
the international policy. However, one may suppose that Sargsyan
with a second term in office, has started preparing the operation
"successor". In 2018 the incumbent president of Armenia in the best
traditions of the post-soviet Armenia should name his successor, and
this name will sound in the ears of the people more effectively if it
is accompanies with prefix "foreign minister". One should not rule
out that diplomatic activity in Vatican may be very much successful
for the political future of the 35 years old Minasyan.
Although it sounds funny, but different projects financed by Heydar
Aliyev's foundation and personally by Mehriban Aliyeva have already
started giving new results in Vatican. And dissemination of new
ideas in Europe in the Vatican's still balanced position on Karabakh
settlement may put Serzh Sargsyan in front serious problems. In Armenia
they wrongly think that the Karabakh conflict is still being resolved
at the line of contact between the armies of Azerbaijan and the NKR,
often forgetting about formation of the new unseen lines. And the
incumbent president of Armenia may entrust only to Minasyan the
formation of these lines. So, if the president's son-in-law manages
to neutralize the efforts of the Azerbaijani lobby on the Karabakh
issue in Vartican, this will become am important basis for his future
personal development and building of a serious political career.