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ARMENIAN INTELLECTUALS COMMENT ON PRESIDENT'S DECISION TO JOIN CUSTOMS UNION
12:54 13.09.13
Tert.am interviewed Art Director of the Katrin folk dance group
Gagik Ginosyan, literary critic and translator Artyom Harutyunyan
and People's Artist of Armenia Yervand Manaryan.
All of them made their comments on Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan's
decision on accession to the Customs Union.
Gagik Ginosyan believes that Armenia lost its sovereignty as soon
as the Armenian president signed an agreement on a military alliance
with Russia and 49-year-long presence of the Russian military base.
Serzh Sargsyan was elected Armenia's president for five year, "but
who is going to be responsible for the rest forty-four years?" ask
Ginosyan.
The lack of Armenian identity has been the gravest threat under
all the three presidents. It was the case during the First Republic
as well, with people displaying pro-Russian, pro-European and even
pro-Turkish sentiments.
"The greatest tragedy is that political leaders are not devoted to
pro-Armenian orientation. And such phenomena as the Customs Union
will continue to be Armenia's minor and major defeats as long as we
do not have our own orientation. But lack of pro-Armenian orientation
is a real defeat for us. I believe it was the reason why we lost our
nationhood in 1918," Ginosyan said.
Asked if it is being done for Nagorno-Karabakh's security, he said:
"I do not think there is any problem with Nagorno-Karabakh. We do not
know if the agreement on Armenia's accession to the Customs Union
has any room for Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh]. But I think it was a
much less serious omission than signing the agreement on 49-year-long
Russian military presence in Armenia."
With respect to the first Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosyan's
statement that unexpected decisions are a cause of the Armenian
people's "mourning," Ginosyan said that ordinary people do not care
about the development as they do not view them as solutions to their
problems.
"If it blocked the way to their political games, they may be in
mourning themselves. Indeed, it is mourning to have a president who
states that national ideology is a complicated category. This is even
more than treachery," he said.
As regards Armenian intellectuals' silence on the Customs Union,
Ginosyan said that "some intellectuals are reluctant to voice their
opinion, while others are not even asked to do so."
Talking to Tert.am, Artyom Harutyunyan believes that Armenia has no
alternative. "We are surrounded by hostile nations and must first of
all think of preservation of our nation. And Europe will not help us.
We have no other close ally beside Russia. We must be grateful for
being admitted to the Eurasian family," he said.
Harutyunyan quoted Wounds of Armenia, a historical novel by Khachatur
Abovyan, saying, "Blessed be the moment Russians put their blessed
foot on the Armenian soil."
"European nations are of no strategic benefit to us. They may supply
weapons to us or say a word, but Russians are guarding our borders.
And our wise President Serzh Sargsyan made the right decision."
People's Artist of Armenia Yervand Manaryan, without analyzing
Armenia's decision, said, "They are serious state issues. I do not
think that people's opinion is of any value."
With respect to intellectuals' silence on the matter, he said:
"Ask them. I am the only intellectual that never keeps silence. I
wait because I think there are professionals."
According to him, the choice between the Customs Union and the European
Union (EU) is an economic issue. "We do not know many aspects. Even
the president's inner circle does not know some things.
I cannot dare make serious comments on the matter," Manaryan said.
As regards statements on Armenia's lost sovereignty, he said: "I do
not know what I am losing. May be I am really losing something. They
will never say. But what can we say about what we know nothing about?"
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2013/09/13/mtavorakanner-mm/
12:54 13.09.13
Tert.am interviewed Art Director of the Katrin folk dance group
Gagik Ginosyan, literary critic and translator Artyom Harutyunyan
and People's Artist of Armenia Yervand Manaryan.
All of them made their comments on Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan's
decision on accession to the Customs Union.
Gagik Ginosyan believes that Armenia lost its sovereignty as soon
as the Armenian president signed an agreement on a military alliance
with Russia and 49-year-long presence of the Russian military base.
Serzh Sargsyan was elected Armenia's president for five year, "but
who is going to be responsible for the rest forty-four years?" ask
Ginosyan.
The lack of Armenian identity has been the gravest threat under
all the three presidents. It was the case during the First Republic
as well, with people displaying pro-Russian, pro-European and even
pro-Turkish sentiments.
"The greatest tragedy is that political leaders are not devoted to
pro-Armenian orientation. And such phenomena as the Customs Union
will continue to be Armenia's minor and major defeats as long as we
do not have our own orientation. But lack of pro-Armenian orientation
is a real defeat for us. I believe it was the reason why we lost our
nationhood in 1918," Ginosyan said.
Asked if it is being done for Nagorno-Karabakh's security, he said:
"I do not think there is any problem with Nagorno-Karabakh. We do not
know if the agreement on Armenia's accession to the Customs Union
has any room for Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh]. But I think it was a
much less serious omission than signing the agreement on 49-year-long
Russian military presence in Armenia."
With respect to the first Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosyan's
statement that unexpected decisions are a cause of the Armenian
people's "mourning," Ginosyan said that ordinary people do not care
about the development as they do not view them as solutions to their
problems.
"If it blocked the way to their political games, they may be in
mourning themselves. Indeed, it is mourning to have a president who
states that national ideology is a complicated category. This is even
more than treachery," he said.
As regards Armenian intellectuals' silence on the Customs Union,
Ginosyan said that "some intellectuals are reluctant to voice their
opinion, while others are not even asked to do so."
Talking to Tert.am, Artyom Harutyunyan believes that Armenia has no
alternative. "We are surrounded by hostile nations and must first of
all think of preservation of our nation. And Europe will not help us.
We have no other close ally beside Russia. We must be grateful for
being admitted to the Eurasian family," he said.
Harutyunyan quoted Wounds of Armenia, a historical novel by Khachatur
Abovyan, saying, "Blessed be the moment Russians put their blessed
foot on the Armenian soil."
"European nations are of no strategic benefit to us. They may supply
weapons to us or say a word, but Russians are guarding our borders.
And our wise President Serzh Sargsyan made the right decision."
People's Artist of Armenia Yervand Manaryan, without analyzing
Armenia's decision, said, "They are serious state issues. I do not
think that people's opinion is of any value."
With respect to intellectuals' silence on the matter, he said:
"Ask them. I am the only intellectual that never keeps silence. I
wait because I think there are professionals."
According to him, the choice between the Customs Union and the European
Union (EU) is an economic issue. "We do not know many aspects. Even
the president's inner circle does not know some things.
I cannot dare make serious comments on the matter," Manaryan said.
As regards statements on Armenia's lost sovereignty, he said: "I do
not know what I am losing. May be I am really losing something. They
will never say. But what can we say about what we know nothing about?"
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2013/09/13/mtavorakanner-mm/