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Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates
Like how long did it take for them to do this? Oh yeh it was 8 years! Armenias domestic policy suxs.
Like how long did it take for them to do this? Oh yeh it was 8 years! Armenias domestic policy suxs.
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Hayastan or Bust. -
Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates
Journey Home: Armenian from Turkey recalls life as an outsider
Alin Ozinian, 28, Armenian born in Istanbul, was only five years old when she first felt uncomfortable being a foreigner.
“When one’s mother says not to call her mother in the street, at that age the child feels that something must be wrong. Now I understand that my mother did not want anyone in the street to feel that we were not Turks,” Ozinian recalls.
Alin was brought up in Istanbul. Her family line comes from Western Armenia. Her mother’s line is from Ordu (port on the Black Sea coast of Turkey), and the father’s line – from Istanbul. Alin tells about her great grandmother who migrated from Ordu to Constantinople (now Istanbul).
“The whole family was killed in front of her. Only she survived among seven children with the help of Kurds. In 1914, she reached Istanbul. Here she married another survivor – my great grandfather,” Alin recalls. “My great grandmother has witnessed everything [Genocide scenes], and she did not trust (the Turks). She used to say, “This country is not safe, do not stay here.”
However, Alin’s family lived in the Kadkur district of Istanbul while Alin attended an Armenian kindergarten, later an Armenian school. She says that she was raised in a distinctly Armenian family where Armenian was spoken all the time, and the events of 1915 were always discussed.
“Many families simply keep silence about it [Armenian Genocide in 1915]. And there is truth in the silence, too. In the future, this or that child attends schools, talks to Turks, and if he/she knows about it, suffers great stress. But I always knew that, and it did not hinder me,” she says.
Alin says that Turkish history is included in the curriculum of 13 Armenian schools in Istanbul, but Armenian history is not taught.
“A specific age comes when one starts understanding that the Turkish history is not right. The difference between Armenian and Turkish schools is that there are eight class hours of the Armenian language and religion. If a teacher of the Armenian language is brave enough, he/she may also briefly touch upon the events of the past [Armenian Genocide], and must do it very carefully,” Alin says.
Alin’s family always felt drawn to Armenia while living in Istanbul.
“I have inherited homesickness and love towards Armenia from my parents. In 1990s we followed all the events about Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh War on Turkish TV,” Alin recalls.
In 1990s, Armenian citizens started visiting Turkey, too. Alin says, that they (Armenians living in Turkey) asked Armenian citizens to bring postcards with Armenian sights for them.
“If we saw a woman on those postcards by chance, we immediately started examining her shoes, her clothes, because in Turkey they used to say that there is nothing in Armenia . . .”
The interest towards Armenia grew with time, and the family came to Armenia for the first time in 1996.
“We stayed in Yerevan for three weeks, and we loved it too much. I bought 20 bottles of Coca-Cola with Armenian labels from Armenia and distributed them to my classmates. I said, “Look, it is written Armenian here.””
In 2000, Alin entered the Faculty of International Relations at the Yerevan State University. After graduating from the university, she returned to Istanbul and told her parents that she had decided to settle in Armenia. Her family shared her decision and moved too, a decision that surprised many Armenians living in Istanbul.
“They say that as soon as the living conditions improve in Armenia, they will leave for here. But when they conditions improve, they may not come. Let them come now and help somehow [to support improvement],” Alin says.
Alin is also studying at the department of Turkish Studies at the Oriental Studies Faculty. Now she works at the Turkish-Armenian Business Council Organization as a press secretary, and she is the regional project coordinator of International Alert – Caucasus Business Development Center. She writes analytical articles for Turkish Zaman and Today’s Zaman newspapers.
On Saturday, for the 10th time, she will join the thousands at the Genocide Memorial for the annual April 24 commemoration.
“Turkish TV channels broadcast anti-propaganda that day,” she says.
Alin believes that many Turks do not deny (the fact of the Armenian Genocide), but they simply do not know what has happened. They have not been provided with a chance and right to know anything.
“There must be a dialogue. I have a Turkish acquaintance, I tell him, you know, my grandmother was from Ordu, we had a house there. I say, you are able to go to visit you grandma on vacations in your village, don’t you? But, you know, my grandmother was even scared to pass by her hometown, we do not have a house there anymore, we have nothing at all. You know, I say, they were seven siblings, now we have no one [alive among them]. You have relatives, right? We don’t. And he starts thinking, he asks himself – why?”
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Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates
Over 35 families move to Armenia from Dubai within Return Home action framework
April 25, 2010 - 09:23 AMT 04:23 GMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - We resolved to return home so as to unite our efforts in a struggle for Genocide recognition. Turkey has to be held responsible for the blood on 1,5 million Armenians massacred, former resident of Dubai, now a citizen of Armenia Abraham Apenian said.
As he told PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, over 35 families moved to Armenia from Dubai within Return Home action framework; 15 families will return to Armenia in June 2010.
As he noted, on April 24, Dubai commemorates Genocide victims by a series of events.
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Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates
JAN!
Aprek hayer jan!
Home is where your heart is: Armen from France, Christine from Romania find their bliss in Karabakh
The couple opted out of traditional wedding dresses – a white dress for the bride and a suit for the groom. At this wedding ceremony the bride and the groom were wearing traditional Armenian costumes. But that wasn’t the most remarkable about their wedding. What was remarkable is that two people from distant countries that do not even border on Karabakh or Armenia have found a home and their happiness there.
The bride and the groom were wearing traditional Armenian costumes during the church ceremony in Shushi.
Armen, 32, met Christine via Facebook. Christine is an Armenian from Romania, and she very much wanted to go to Karabakh, and that’s what she did once and then decided to stay there. Now, together with Armen, she is trying to establish a small information center for tourists and potential investors in Shushi, a strategic town some ten kilometers to the south of capital Stepanakert.
“People in the Diaspora dream about living in Shushi. So now I live in a dream,” says Armen, a native of Marseilles, France. In 2000 he moved to Paris where he first learned about his roots and got engaged in the charity and cultural activities of the Armenian community. He attended the Institute of Oriental Peoples and Languages (INALCO), studying law.
He came to Shushi in 2004. First he opened a travel agency, which also combined a real estate agency. But business proved unsuccessful, partly because of the complex political situation in Karabakh where investment risks are high. And very few can manage to work according to usual market rules here – in the small Karabakh “business circle” everything has long been divided up, and it is difficult for newcomers to find their place.
But Armen does not lose heart. He has tried his luck in areas that have not yet been divided up. He’s created a website, www.shoushi.nk.am, which provides necessary information for visiting Karabakh. Today, Armen is engaged in the establishment of an organization called “Aghavni” (or “Dove”), which will be working in three directions: providing information to foreign investors, attracting charitable funds and establishing Karabakh’s cultural ties with the outside world. Armen also writes articles for Les Nouvelles d’Armenie Magazine in France.
Recently he organized in Karabakh an exhibition of paintings by French artist Dominique Landucci. Now he is busy arranging a photo exhibition featuring the images of ancient artifacts from the Azokh cave (located in the Hadrut district of Karabakh), which will be shown in one of the French museums.
But most importantly, he has created a family in Karabakh. This is the second “Diaspora” family to have found their happiness in the land of Karabakh. The “pioneers” were Armond Tahmuzian from Iran and Artemis Grigorian from Australia. Now they are raising two daughters and say that their children are growing up as Armenians. But Diaspora Armenians mainly prefer marrying Karabakh girls, whom they take abroad.
Not only the Shushi folks congratulated Armen and Christine on their wedding, but also all of their friends on social networks on the internet. Among them are many who, responding to Armen’s call, at least once visited Karabakh. Many of them lived in Armenia’s small apartment whose doors remain open to guests also after Christine’s arrival.Comment
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Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates
I know this girl, she's a very nationalistic Armenian and moved to Armenia/Artaskh a while ago. This is so awesome 
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Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates
Haha same here man, I can't believe she was still in the Romanian village of Gherla to now living in Artsakh as a married womanOriginally posted by KarotheGreat View Post I know this girl, she's a very nationalistic Armenian and moved to Armenia/Artaskh a while ago. This is so awesome
Here's the link to Tigranakert's article http://armenianow.com/karabakh/24195...abakh_marriageAzerbaboon: 9.000 Google hits and counting!Comment
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Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates
I hope they can raise a healthy family in peace and prosperity. Good luck to them!Hayastan or Bust.Comment
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Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates
A couple of months ago I was talking with her on msn about her plans to move to Armenia and Azrtsakh. And look at her now.Originally posted by Federate View PostHaha same here man, I can't believe she was still in the Romanian village of Gherla to now living in Artsakh as a married woman
Here's the link to Tigranakert's article http://armenianow.com/karabakh/24195...abakh_marriageComment
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Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates
An American-Armenian Makes the Journey to Armenia and the Priesthood
[ 2010/07/26 | 16:30 ] Feature Stories society
Inga Martinyan
Father Ktridj – “It is easy to complain but the people must demand change as well”
“I was born and raised as an American. But I felt like an Armenian because I attended Armenian school and went to services at the Armenian Apostolic Church. We spoke Armenian at home. I never thought that one day I’d be living in Armenia. I believed that since I was born in America and was a U.S. citizen, I had to spend my entire life there. Armenia changes all of that. When I came here, I saw that I indeed had a homeland and that there was a future here, not only for local Armenians but for diaspora Armenians as well.”
This is how Father Ktridj, who now serves as the personal assistant to Catholicos Garegin II, describes his journey from America to Armenia.
Father Ktridj, who accompanies Catholicos Garegin II, on all his trips abroad, was born Armen Devechian in Philadelphia. He first visited Armenia in 1990 and repatriated in 2001. He is an architect by profession and is married to Paula, an Armenian from Fresno, California. They met while he was teaching at the local college.
Born and raised in Philadelphia and now working at Etchmiadzin
Father Ktridj traces his roots back to Arabkir, in western Armenia. Paula’s family hails from Kharpert. He now is in charge of the foreign correspondence section at the Holy See. His wife, “Yeretskin” Paula manages the Holy See’s website and is Etchmaidzin’s liaison with a number of international organizations.
Father Ktridj tells me that the Armenian community back in the States was united around the local church parish. He grew up regarding a priest as usually being elderly, somewhat stern, and someone always demanding a great deal of respect. The clergy weren’t exactly what you’d call a friend.
The first time Armen visited Armenia he made the acquaintance of a young, energetic clergyman. They became good friends. Whenever Armen returned to Armenia, the two would meet over coffee or a meal. That young clergyman was the future Catholicos of All Armenians, Garegin II
Since Armen and Paula didn’t have the finances to invest in Armenia, they decided to invest their time instead and thus contribute.
When they first moved here, they figured that they’d return. They had taken a leave of absence, locked the door to the house and came.
“We lived much better there. We had a house and good jobs. But, in the end, you realize that everything doesn’t revolve around money. Ones quality of life isn’t merely measured in material belongings,” says Father Ktridj.
After spending six months in Armenia, the two found they had gotten used to life here and were comfortable with their new surroundings. The problems they faced were simple ones.
With decent work a comfortable life is possible
Father Ktridj likes to point out that in Armenia one can take evening strolls in relative safety, visit friends or receive guests, without anyone asking why you didn’t call in advance. It’s not the same in America. Friends arrange to meet a week in advance by phone. The time and place must be agreed to lest anyone is inconvenienced.
Father Ktridj is certain that if one has a job in Armenia that pays moderately well, according to the level of work, a work environment where employees are respected by their employers, than it’s quite possible to live well here since expenses are the basic ones – food, utilities, etc. These are the major concerns one has to deal with.
If there is money left over, it can be spent on entertainment, says Father Ktridj. If there is nothing left, then nothing is spent. Anyway, the environment here is a pleasure by itself.
“One can create enjoyment on their own. There are no simple pleasures in America. I have been to the homes of families here in Armenia that are quite poor, without a kopek to their name. But they gather together, eat a simple meal and sing all night long. This is their enjoyment. Then too, you can always take a walk through the town for free. Here, people talk to one another.”
“I realize that I can contribute to the building of this country. I didn’t become a clergyman to serve God, but to serve the people. I feel an obligation to my forefathers. They made many sacrifices so that I could live comfortably. How correct would it be for me to go overseas, have a cushy life, and not give back anything to this people,: says Father Ktridj.
He doesn’t regard the nine years living in Armenia as a sacrifice. He says that if it was a sacrifice, they wouldn’t have stayed. Naturally, the couple misses their relatives back in the States. “We only have each other here and our friends,” they confess.
Their friends are local and diaspora Armenians they’ve met through the church and work. Sometimes they get together and the two groups mingle.
“The government can surely do more if it was only more tolerant; if it helped rather than hindered, and if it wasn’t afraid of the people. The country will never prosper if the government continues to view the people as a threat,” says Father Ktridj.
70 years of Soviet rule more destructive spiritually than 600 years of Turkish rule
He says that Armenia faces many challenges that must be overcome. In the nine years living here, he is certain of one thing. “…During its 70 year rule, the Soviet regime would up playing greater havoc on the people’s moral and spiritual life than the Turks in over 600 years. I say this because the church in Turkey was freer in a sense, it wasn’t cut off from the community, and the local priest was always around to visit homes, conduct marriages, baptisms, bless homes twice a year. He was a recognizable individual who knew all in the community. The local priest could knock on any door and walk in, offering advice and counsel. There were no psychologists or psychiatrists. The clergy did it all. In the span of 70 years, all our churches were destroyed and the clergy killed off. The church structure was demolished.”
Father Ktridj believe that the number one problem facing Armenia today is the rebuilding of the country’s moral system based on the teaching and implementation of Christian values.
There are no atheists in Armenia, he says, just indifferent people who proudly claim to be Christians but who don’t understand what that signifies. “The people comprise the church. We must teach the people that being Christian entails a certain obligation. One cannot be a Christian in words alone; one must live the faith. What is the sense for a person to attend church on Sunday, alone to fib and lie on Monday?”
New churches needed to spread Christian teaching
Father Ktridj proposes that new churches be built to make Christian teaching more accessible. As an example, he points to a document written by Patriarch Maghakia Ormanian in 1911, in Constantinople, documenting that Yerevan had 250,000 inhabitants at the time with 245 churches; one church for every 1,000 residents. Today, there are just ten churches in Yerevan with a population of over one million; a ratio of one church to each 100,000 residents.
“Faith without practical work is a dead faith. This is the situation we are in today. It is possible that this people now have great faith but it is sleeping; not yet dead. Perhaps the level of faith is sufficient for me but I have yet to see its result,” says Father Ktridj.
To achieve some tangible result, it is not enough just to complain, one must also demand.
“If we consider ourselves to be a democratic nation, this first and foremost means that not only does the government have certain responsibilities but that the people do as well. It is very easy for the people to state that the government is bad, that it doesn’t do this or that, but isn’t it also true that the people aren’t fulfilling their responsibilities? The people aren’t out there making demands. Who ever said that these demands will not be met once made? The United States didn’t become the country it has just due to the actions of a president or certain individual. It was because the people made certain demands. Here, the people do not.”
Father Ktridj has observed that here in Armenia, the birth of a child is a source of joy rather than a burden for the family. “This is mine. I feel at home here.”
More clergy should speak out on issues of the day
What displeases Father Ktridj is that many serious issues facing Armenia go neglected – family violence, bribery, etc. He thinks that the church could take a much more aggressive stance on these issues and that the common folk could demand more.
When we asked why the clergy, in general, do not raise such issues, Father Ktridj answered, “You should ask them. Perhaps, they don’t regard such matters as vital, but I do.”
Father Ktridj also finds that the method of instruction in the high schools is unacceptable, given that it’s a continuation of a 50 year-old system that cannot possible prepare a new generation to meet the challenges of the 21st century. “My main fear is that we are not teaching our children how to think for themselves. We are not properly educating a new generation and I fear this more than Turk or Azerbaijani. In Armenia, you will be hard-pressed to find one teacher that ever asks their children what they actually think.”
Armenia has made Father Ktridj more impatient. Back in America, his patience cut-off point was much higher. He says it takes much longer to get something done in Armenia than overseas.
In his spare time, Father Ktridj likes to watch films, read and write. He never watches Armenian TV nor does he read the local papers. He says that the press in Armenia is more interested in presenting opinion than actual news.
The couple dream of owning a house and adopting a child, even two. This transplanted American-Armenian husband and wife only see Armenia as the stage on which to build their future life together.
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4 Responses to “An American-Armenian Makes the Journey to Armenia and the Priesthood”
1. Կէվորկ Says:
July 26th, 2010 at 15:40
Իրենց հետագա կյանքը ամերիկահայ ամուսինները պատկերացնում են միմիայն Հայաստանում:
THANKS GUYS …..
2. john mackertich Says:
July 26th, 2010 at 17:08
What a thought provoking and insightful article. It is refreshing to see a more human and personal account of a clergyman, priests are after all only human with hopes and dreams, wants and desires just like the rest of us. Congratulations Father Ktridj for showing a personal face to a rather austere institution.
3. pokr mher Says:
July 26th, 2010 at 17:32
I applaud Father Ktridj’s decision to live and work in Armenia. I question however the vital necessity to serve as the personal assistant to the Catholicos.
Perhaps this young priiest, apparently well-educated and liberal-minded, would better “serve the people” as a local parish priest here in Armenia.
God knows there is a lack of visionary clergy here, a lack of priests who see their mission as more than Sunday “badarak”, baptisms and weddings.
Father Ktridj, from his days in the U.S., surely is aware that local parish life is an important contributor to the social, family and moral cohesion of a particular community.
I know of few churches here in Armenia where such parish life exists. Those priests that make an effort to create such an environment are to be praised.
As to Father Ktridj’s belief that the church in Armenia should take a much more vocal stance on the important social and political issues of the day and the substandard “rote” method of instruction in the schools – these are self-evident and need no substantiation.
Perhaps, as the Catholicos’ personal assistant, Father Ktridj could whisper some words of wisdom into the ear of Garegin II.
Father Ktridj seems to have temporairily lost his wits, however, when he says the Soviets did more damage to the moral core of the nation in 70 years than the Turks did in 600.
He also probably would like to take back his statement regarding Armenians in the ROA not demanding their God given rights to freedom and the pursuit of hapiness.
Does Father Ktridj remember March 1, 2008 and the state’s brutal repression of Armenians demanding these same rights.
Maybe the good priest was barricaded behind the doors of Etchmiadzin, comforting the Catholicos taht the people weren’t marching on the Mother See as well.
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Re: Stories of Armenian repatriates
Hovsep Arzoumanian: A Diaspora Armenian Finds Spiritual Peace in Armenia
[ 2010/08/02 | 14:15 ] Feature Stories diaspora
Inga Martinyan
“Armenia is like a beautiful rose with many thorns”
“At first it was hard. I couldn’t find my bearings. I would often comment that these people say they are Armenian but use many Turkish words. It’s a vocabulary that you won’t find in any Armenian dictionary. I also had to get used to the difference in pronunciation,” recounts Hovsep Arzoumanian, a diaspora Armenian who has been living in Armenia since 2008.
He moved here from Lebanon. “I always wanted to come to Armenia, to make a contribution and to find some spiritual succor.”
He had thoughts of working at the orphanage in Gyumri or at the “Orran” (Haven) benevolent NGO organization assisting the elderly and at-risk children. He has worked at several professions – – psychologist, theologian, job trainer and art therapist.
Hovsep was living and working at “Orran” as an educational division coordinator. “I found going to Armenia alone and living in such trouble conditions to be somewhat tiring and dangerous. I chose “Orran”. First you are better protected and I am freer to conduct my work. The institution is under more effective control.”
Hovsep works on a voluntary basis and receives no formal salary. Instead, “Orran” takes care of his expenses.
They demanded 900,000 AMD to extend my visa; I took them to court
The first time he travelled to Armenia he drove in his car. He decided to extend his travel documents and certain official demanded 900,000 AMD from him. He went to the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and was afforded free legal advice. He took the tax authorities to court.
“They saw that I wouldn’t keep quiet. They said that there was a misprint of a “0” and that the amount should have read 90,000 AMD. In fact, I was under no obligation to pay anything. That official was later sacked from his post. They like to rip off foreigners. They say ‘this guy has money, a car and works for a benevolent organization. It’s time to con him’,” states the diaspora Armenian who they failed to fleece.
Hovsep was born in Lebanon and attended Armenian and French schools. His family was ferried to Lebanon from Cilicia on a French ship after the 1915 Genocide.
Hovsep is youngest child in a family of seven. His parents hail from Yozgat, a town in central Anatolia about 200 kilometers east of Ankara.
Preserve your Armenian identity as a part of humanity
“In a way, my return to Armenia was to assuage the grief of my father and mother,” he says.
Hovsep explains that in the diaspora they preserved their Armenian identity not as fanatical nationalist but within the context of an overriding humanity. This is because ones spirit is transcendent, a universal phenomena. First, preserve your humanity, and then your Armenian identity as a component of this, he states.
He has been divorced for ten years. His children attend school in Paris. They frequently visit Armenia. Hovsep’s brothers and sisters regularly vacation in Armenia.
Every weekend, Hovsep travels to Armenia’s far-flung regions. He enjoys hiking in the mountains and visiting villages along the way. He doesn’t like Yerevan and says that he’s seen better buildings back in Beirut. His dream is to settle down in Byurakan.
He has no real male buddies here in Armenia. Mostly, his contacts are with women in his age group. “While forming relations with females who have reached a certain age, I have noticed that the attitude of the father, mother and neighbor is much more important. Here, people still haven’t freed themselves of a lot of baggage. They haven’t come across truly independent individuals.”
Armenia must create its own standards and fulfill them
He doesn’t like to compare Armenia with Lebanon, arguing they are two different countries with different psychological make-ups. He would also advise Armenian official not to compare Armenia with either France or the United States and that they should “stick within their own standards”.
But he sees a vast difference in the mentalities of people in Armenia and overseas. He has slowly adjusted to the way people think here in Armenia. Hovsep confesses that often doesn’t answer people and that he listens “with just one ear.”
He points out that people are more tolerant of one another in Lebanon, while in Armenia, people are inclined to seek out the “dirt” in others.
Hovsep says that if the people in Armenia led very unfortunate lives just ten years ago, but were also quite obedient, now they base their lives on superficial values. He believes that Armenia is more pagan than Christian and that it is his desire to see the country return to a revitalized spirit in God, to develop spiritual values.
He understands the motivation of those who wish to leave Armenia, but he is ready to spend the rest of his life here, even though as a father he must tend to the raising of his kids. If they need him, he says he will go to Paris.
“We see the reality around us and ask ‘what kind of homeland is this?’ All the while, we have read the works poets and have been uplifted by the maginificent tale of Noah’s Ark. But today, when we come before that monumental history and culture and see our truly tiny present, it’s sort of a paradoxical situation. We live in the middle of these two extremes,” says Hovsep.
Armenia is a land of flowing wheat fields
The homeland, for Hovsep, is a land of wheat fields. He says we know how to grow wheat but we import it from Canada and Australia. “Armenia is a country of wheat. But the fields go uncultivated. When I ask why, I understand it’s a question of a lack of equipment. I look forward to the day when I see more bicycles on the street than Cadillac cars. We should have more tractors instead of fancy automobiles. What kind of government could keep the common people in such conditions? How many Cadillac’s to the people on top have?”
Hovsep like to compare Armenia with a very beautiful, but thorny rose. Here, he feels like part of the land. True, at first, the thorns of the homeland pricked his fingers, but now he has adjusted and is trying to cultivate that rose.
Coming to Armenia, this disapora Armenian has found spiritual peace, even though the problems facing the country shake him to the core. “There is an immaturity in people engaged in politics here. Those managing the economy are quite egoistic and greedy. They want to control everything and not give anything to the people. . Today, the economy of Armenia is in the hands of a few oligarchs. Most people do not reap any benefits from it.”
Legal system in Armenia hurts rather than helps
Hovsep says that the law in Armenia is more often than not a trap rather than a means to serve the public good. The law here doesn’t know how to forgive and is inclined to set one to the gallows from the get-go. He says that the tax authorities are a great burden on the people. He believes corruption starts in the schools and that the level of education in the colleges is sub-standard. Furthermore, Hovsep believes that not much value is placed on the individual here while overseas society believes in the potential and talents in each person. “The soul of the homeland is not at rest. There is a layer of aggression within the people, a crude streak that permeates throughout. Only a few ever utter a ‘thank-you’ or a ‘pardon me’ in their daily comings and goings.”
Hovsep also believes that there are few real creative artists here in Armenia and that the rest are mere copycats. He says that intellectuals here don’t know how to say “no” and that the society in general is servile. However, he takes some joy in the fact that the young generation is much different, in a positive way, and is convinced that future generations will have to carry out a peaceful revolution. He points out that both the government and people must mature to the level where they will be prepared to change things through nonviolent revolt. He believes that the present government would collapse if the people didn’t go to work for just two days.
“Now, there is no democracy. In a democracy all types of resistance are acceptable. They must be authorized to take place. Nothing can be achieved by silencing the voice of the people. The smart leader is the one who establishes a dialogue with the people. If he is the representative of the people, he must listen to what they have to say.”
Armenia’s officials need crash course in “public service”
Top on his list of priorities would be the requirement that all government officials attend college classes, since “politics is a science, not some club where posts are given as gifts to family and friends.”
Hovsep argues that the education level of many of the country’s officials is sorely lacking. “When I see the faces of some of these guys, the only picture that comes to mind is that of kebab eaters. These guys should have gotten an education, travelled abroad and amassed some experience and insights regarding proper governance; to . Perspectives here are quite boxed in and limited in scope. You have to open up to the outside world and develop.” Instead, Hovsep says that what are developed in Armenia are banditry and corruption and a tendency of authorities “not to see beyond their own noses.”
Diaspora and Armenia must join hands for change to occur
Hovsep sincerely believes that all this will change one day. He argues that the solution will come from the joint efforts of local Armenians and those from overseas to “put things right” and to forge a new homeland.
He believes that the diaspora has a huge untapped potential, not just in financial terms but spiritually as well. However, when Armenians from overseas come here they are turned off by the corruption and under-the-table laws they see. They get disheartened and leave, figuring that Armenia still has a long way to go before people can work in normal conditions.
Hovsep points to the eagle on the insignia of the Armenian flag. His hope is that we regard its two outstretched wings as the two components of the Armenia nation – Armenia and the Diaspora. Working together, united in spirit and a commonality of purpose, all sorts of wonders can be achieved.
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