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STATEMENTS IN RUSSIA ABOUT "PRO-WESTERN" NGOS IN ARMENIA VIEWED AS POLITICAL "MESSAGES"
SOCIETY | 03.03.15 | 10:07
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Representatives of Western-funded nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
in Armenia find alarming the statements heard from Russia that their
presence in Armenia is undesirable.
Speaking at a press conference in Moscow last week, Konstantin
Kosachev, the head of the International Affairs Committee at the
Federation Council, the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, said
that the presence of 350 NGOs "working against Eurasian integration
and in favor of Armenia's closer ties with the European Union is
unacceptable".
The senior Russian legislator also reminded Armenia of "the Ukrainian
experience", implying that the presence of many Western-funded
organizations in Ukraine were a crucial factor in the change of
government in Kyiv in 2014 that was followed by instability and war
in the territory of the country.
Head of the Yerevan-based International Security Affairs Institute NGO
Stepan Safaryan said that still in 2012 when Armenia was on track to
sign an association deal with the European Union Russia's authorities
floated an idea that Armenia's European integration did not hinder
its integration with the emerging Eurasian Union and vice versa. That,
according to the political analyst, was done to attract Armenia into
this Eurasian integration.
"Now that Armenia is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU)
this motto seems to be changing and it turns out that the NGOs are
an obstacle," said Safaryan, also reminding the statements made by
Russian Ambassador to Armenia Ivan Volynkin.
A few month ago the Russian diplomat, in particular, called for
Russia's greater presence in the information field of Armenia in
order to "neutralize" the influence of the NGOs that "seek to drive a
wedge in the Russian-Armenian relations". In his statements Volynkin
also made references to a law that was adopted in Russia a few years
ago that obliges Western-funded NGOs to work more transparently and
already legally labels them "foreign agents", implying that Armenia
also needed the kind of law.
The opinion that Western-funded organizations are "foreign agents"
and act against the interests of the state is not uncommon in Armenia
either. Some politicians and public figures, including those standing
close to the authorities, do not hide their markedly negative attitude
towards Western-funded NGOs.
According to Safaryan, while no direct "order" to Armenia is visible
yet, Kosachev's statement is a disturbing signal and amounts to at
least a clear message. It, the political analyst said, particularly
concerns the NGOs organizing public protests as in recent years
the Russian elites have been very concerned about the phenomenon of
"colored", i.e. allegedly Western-inspired/funded revolutions in the
former Soviet countries that have traditionally been under Russian
influence.
"Russia realizes that the EEU is an economic space that does not
give it the right to directly make such policy instructions," said
Safaryan, stressing that all NGOs, including those whose opinions
differ from the government-advocated views, operate in Armenia under
the country's Constitution.
At the same time, he voiced concerns that Armenia will follow the
example of Russia to pass a law putting restrictions on the activities
of NGOs.
A law on NGOs drafted in 2014 is now at the stage of public discussions
and representatives of many Armenian NGOs point at the circumstance
that under the new law the government gets quite a few instruments
to control NGOs.
"The goal of civil society is counterbalancing, restraining and
controlling the state authorities. Therefore, one should not allow
that... We've seen how it ends. Some can declare a person to be
an "agent" of another state and then his neutralization becomes
a technical matter," said Safaryan, referring to the February 27
assassination of top Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov in Moscow.
http://armenianow.com/society/61076/armenia_ngos_russia_kosachev_safaryan
From: A. Papazian
SOCIETY | 03.03.15 | 10:07
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Representatives of Western-funded nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
in Armenia find alarming the statements heard from Russia that their
presence in Armenia is undesirable.
Speaking at a press conference in Moscow last week, Konstantin
Kosachev, the head of the International Affairs Committee at the
Federation Council, the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, said
that the presence of 350 NGOs "working against Eurasian integration
and in favor of Armenia's closer ties with the European Union is
unacceptable".
The senior Russian legislator also reminded Armenia of "the Ukrainian
experience", implying that the presence of many Western-funded
organizations in Ukraine were a crucial factor in the change of
government in Kyiv in 2014 that was followed by instability and war
in the territory of the country.
Head of the Yerevan-based International Security Affairs Institute NGO
Stepan Safaryan said that still in 2012 when Armenia was on track to
sign an association deal with the European Union Russia's authorities
floated an idea that Armenia's European integration did not hinder
its integration with the emerging Eurasian Union and vice versa. That,
according to the political analyst, was done to attract Armenia into
this Eurasian integration.
"Now that Armenia is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU)
this motto seems to be changing and it turns out that the NGOs are
an obstacle," said Safaryan, also reminding the statements made by
Russian Ambassador to Armenia Ivan Volynkin.
A few month ago the Russian diplomat, in particular, called for
Russia's greater presence in the information field of Armenia in
order to "neutralize" the influence of the NGOs that "seek to drive a
wedge in the Russian-Armenian relations". In his statements Volynkin
also made references to a law that was adopted in Russia a few years
ago that obliges Western-funded NGOs to work more transparently and
already legally labels them "foreign agents", implying that Armenia
also needed the kind of law.
The opinion that Western-funded organizations are "foreign agents"
and act against the interests of the state is not uncommon in Armenia
either. Some politicians and public figures, including those standing
close to the authorities, do not hide their markedly negative attitude
towards Western-funded NGOs.
According to Safaryan, while no direct "order" to Armenia is visible
yet, Kosachev's statement is a disturbing signal and amounts to at
least a clear message. It, the political analyst said, particularly
concerns the NGOs organizing public protests as in recent years
the Russian elites have been very concerned about the phenomenon of
"colored", i.e. allegedly Western-inspired/funded revolutions in the
former Soviet countries that have traditionally been under Russian
influence.
"Russia realizes that the EEU is an economic space that does not
give it the right to directly make such policy instructions," said
Safaryan, stressing that all NGOs, including those whose opinions
differ from the government-advocated views, operate in Armenia under
the country's Constitution.
At the same time, he voiced concerns that Armenia will follow the
example of Russia to pass a law putting restrictions on the activities
of NGOs.
A law on NGOs drafted in 2014 is now at the stage of public discussions
and representatives of many Armenian NGOs point at the circumstance
that under the new law the government gets quite a few instruments
to control NGOs.
"The goal of civil society is counterbalancing, restraining and
controlling the state authorities. Therefore, one should not allow
that... We've seen how it ends. Some can declare a person to be
an "agent" of another state and then his neutralization becomes
a technical matter," said Safaryan, referring to the February 27
assassination of top Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov in Moscow.
http://armenianow.com/society/61076/armenia_ngos_russia_kosachev_safaryan
From: A. Papazian