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MANVEL SARKISYAN: "MASS MIGRATION FROM ARMENIA IS NO ACCIDENT"
Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Oct 23 2013
23 October 2013 - 11:28am
Interview by David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
The head of the Armenian Center of National and Strategic Studies,
Manvel Sarkisyan, told Vestnik Kavkaza about new opportunities for the
authorities in the context of the degradation of political processes
and opposition parties in Armenia.
- The results of the parliamentary and presidential elections cast a
gloom over the Armenian society. What are challenges does this mental
condition contain?
- People feel depressed because the situation is not adequate to
the capacity of the society. The Armenian society trusted various
politicians, and every failure of another promise to change Armenia
caused a new shock. The current situation is a greater strategic
problem than integration projects which are being discussed actively
and even than security issues. The reasons are in impunity and
irresponsibility of the authorities in Armenia. Not only in power,
but also in the society I cannot see a person who would like to find
out what has happened and try to overcome the situation. Thus, mass
migration is not accidental. People try to escape, as they feel huge
mental pressure and feel useless in their own state. We shouldn't
blame the conflict between the West and Russia for everything; these
views are outdated. New processes are taking place in the Armenian
society; and interested people could try to realize them. However,
the political leadership prevents any changes, new opinions and
responsibility. Today we live in the open world, continuing living
in the alien world, playing by the rules of alien people.
- Speaking about integration projects, is the problem of contradictions
between projects of European and Eurasian integration contrived
for Armenia?
- For certain reasons, I treat prospects of the projects skeptically. I
think European and Eurasian integration projects are topics, rather
than a goal for establishing new relations in the region. My view
is based on the absence of details about the scales of the projects
of Association with Europe and the Eurasian Union. They are only
about talking. However, real geopolitical relations will be based on
these talks in the future. If Europe demands signing the association
agreement, why does it require conditions which are too difficult to
fulfill for Yerevan?
- If the civil society doesn't determine anything, how can you explain
certain success in fighting against the authorities' despotism in
the past two years?
- Recent years, including 2012, were years of unprecedented civil
activity in the country. The fact had to lead to collapse of common
things and appearance of new courses. It has happened in Armenia,
and the current stagnation doesn't mean a thing. The main result
of the civil activity wasn't settlement of the problems which civil
activists planned to solve, even though the political aura which has
been establishing in Armenia for decades was dispelled. We all have
realized that everything that happened in the past was pointless.
Today people come to the streets, protest and shut off roads - it is
the best expression of civil activeness. People don't allow a group
of oligarchs to damage nature. And there are a lot of examples.
- Has society realized that people should fight for their rights by
themselves, as politicians won't do it?
- Yes, it has. Political processes maintain, their forms change, and
the society has realized it in the process of development of social
movements. Party attacks at social movements are a unique phenomenon
which confirms this. Why did our parties keep silence about social
activists on Taksim in Turkey? The Turks showed their country, the
whole world, and the Armenian demagogues what a social movement is. A
struggle for Mashtotsa Park could lead to similar consequences as
the struggle for Gezi Park, if there was no clan suppression, first
of all by the so-called opposition parties. A struggle for one tree
turns into a revolution under misunderstanding by the regime. People
don't realize it in Armenia, while the Turks show it.
- Considering the absence of a reaction, it is well understood by
the Armenian authorities...
- They understand clearly what a result can be; but they have already
failed. They played people for fools for two years, trying to save
their party life and gain profit. So, there is ideological frustration
in Armenia. People in Armenia ask why the Turks and Brazilians manage
to do it and we don't. They think in a different way; they eliminated
stereotypes which are typical for us. And the new era, the new time
will give an answer to this question.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/interviews/politics/46688.html
Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Oct 23 2013
23 October 2013 - 11:28am
Interview by David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
The head of the Armenian Center of National and Strategic Studies,
Manvel Sarkisyan, told Vestnik Kavkaza about new opportunities for the
authorities in the context of the degradation of political processes
and opposition parties in Armenia.
- The results of the parliamentary and presidential elections cast a
gloom over the Armenian society. What are challenges does this mental
condition contain?
- People feel depressed because the situation is not adequate to
the capacity of the society. The Armenian society trusted various
politicians, and every failure of another promise to change Armenia
caused a new shock. The current situation is a greater strategic
problem than integration projects which are being discussed actively
and even than security issues. The reasons are in impunity and
irresponsibility of the authorities in Armenia. Not only in power,
but also in the society I cannot see a person who would like to find
out what has happened and try to overcome the situation. Thus, mass
migration is not accidental. People try to escape, as they feel huge
mental pressure and feel useless in their own state. We shouldn't
blame the conflict between the West and Russia for everything; these
views are outdated. New processes are taking place in the Armenian
society; and interested people could try to realize them. However,
the political leadership prevents any changes, new opinions and
responsibility. Today we live in the open world, continuing living
in the alien world, playing by the rules of alien people.
- Speaking about integration projects, is the problem of contradictions
between projects of European and Eurasian integration contrived
for Armenia?
- For certain reasons, I treat prospects of the projects skeptically. I
think European and Eurasian integration projects are topics, rather
than a goal for establishing new relations in the region. My view
is based on the absence of details about the scales of the projects
of Association with Europe and the Eurasian Union. They are only
about talking. However, real geopolitical relations will be based on
these talks in the future. If Europe demands signing the association
agreement, why does it require conditions which are too difficult to
fulfill for Yerevan?
- If the civil society doesn't determine anything, how can you explain
certain success in fighting against the authorities' despotism in
the past two years?
- Recent years, including 2012, were years of unprecedented civil
activity in the country. The fact had to lead to collapse of common
things and appearance of new courses. It has happened in Armenia,
and the current stagnation doesn't mean a thing. The main result
of the civil activity wasn't settlement of the problems which civil
activists planned to solve, even though the political aura which has
been establishing in Armenia for decades was dispelled. We all have
realized that everything that happened in the past was pointless.
Today people come to the streets, protest and shut off roads - it is
the best expression of civil activeness. People don't allow a group
of oligarchs to damage nature. And there are a lot of examples.
- Has society realized that people should fight for their rights by
themselves, as politicians won't do it?
- Yes, it has. Political processes maintain, their forms change, and
the society has realized it in the process of development of social
movements. Party attacks at social movements are a unique phenomenon
which confirms this. Why did our parties keep silence about social
activists on Taksim in Turkey? The Turks showed their country, the
whole world, and the Armenian demagogues what a social movement is. A
struggle for Mashtotsa Park could lead to similar consequences as
the struggle for Gezi Park, if there was no clan suppression, first
of all by the so-called opposition parties. A struggle for one tree
turns into a revolution under misunderstanding by the regime. People
don't realize it in Armenia, while the Turks show it.
- Considering the absence of a reaction, it is well understood by
the Armenian authorities...
- They understand clearly what a result can be; but they have already
failed. They played people for fools for two years, trying to save
their party life and gain profit. So, there is ideological frustration
in Armenia. People in Armenia ask why the Turks and Brazilians manage
to do it and we don't. They think in a different way; they eliminated
stereotypes which are typical for us. And the new era, the new time
will give an answer to this question.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/interviews/politics/46688.html