Thursday, 25 March 2010
"Azg", “Golos Armenii”
- Mr. Prime Minister, your name used to be known only in financial and economic sphere in the Diaspora. Two years ago you took up the highly responsible post of prime minister. We would like to have a few comments on your entry into the political field.
- In general, it is not so easy to tell you whence our roots come from. But my own roots, especially as far as my family is concerned, have imparted to me very valuable national - political traditions. I realized it especially during my 7 years of study in Leningrad. Far away from home, First of all, I was allowed to take a view from aside. I was longing for my home, my family, and happened to think about the way we were represented and perceived as a nation by others. Many details of my 7-year-long life in Leningrad forced me to meditate over our national problems. Now I firmly believe that it was just in Leningrad I came to realize the most essential and practical aspects of our homeland. As I was back to Armenia in 1987, I joined the Movement and life offered to me this valuable experience.
- Never before for the past 50 years had the world economy experiences a crisis like this. It was sure to affect Armenia. But the Armenian State was lucky enough to have an economist at the head of government. How you did you manage to harmonize the search of ways out of the crisis with the internal political environment?
- My political activity started in 1987, so I am well acquainted with all the political figures inside the country. I am familiar with the existing political movements and the political leverages applied, as well as with the political parties for they were born not so long ago. This circumstance facilitates the understanding of their motivations, ideologies, aspirations which makes it possible to engage in a dialog with them. On the other hand, in my capacity of head of the CBA, I had to deal with economic problems for the past 10 years. This allowed me to avoid political demagogy and study the financial and economic situation. The above two factors helped me get ready for the job.
- Mr. Prime Minister, many outside the country controversially maintain that capital and major public establishments in Armenia are operating under the protection of a handful of mighty families or a few private companies preventing foreign investors from investing in Armenia. What is your answer to such people or to those willing to make investments in Armenia?
- First of all, we must admit that Armenia faces a number of problems, and we should be outspoken about them, if we are to attract investments. If we fail to expose them by ourselves, they will never find a solution. This is the RA President’s principal approach and he is implementing it in practice by targeting negative phenomena and problems which exist in good number starting from corruption and ending with bribery. For the sake of objectivity, it should be noted that these evils are not only inherent in Armenia. They affect many underdeveloped countries in transition. Many nations are suffering from these objective handicaps as we are trying to make a very difficult transition from the Soviet system to the market one: difficult because the Soviet Union lacked in the operational experience developed under modern market economies. There was a good deal of private capital saved up in households, functionaries trained by the Soviet government. In a word, people were not prepared to such a drastic shift in public relations. This system of total governance collapsed in a flash and we had to decide upon the course to take in the wake. The model which we chose was that of liberal economy: a model implying free elections, economic liberalization, development of organized market economy, creation of corresponding political substructures. However, soon it turned out that we had not inherited the needed know-how, expertise and substructures from the Soviet socialist system. The situation was aggravated by the war, blockade and economic collapse leading to the exodus of tens of thousands of talented people on search of employment in the United States, Europe and Russia. As a result, Armenia lost much of its intellectual resource, especially in the sphere of economy. Fortunately, we have a strong statehood now allowing us to set and decide pressing tasks.
- Are you satisfied? How was success achieved in the banking and other spheres?
- If we want to speak about the achievements, we must first of all ask ourselves what criteria should be used in this respect. Comparing our own criteria with those of the United States or Europe, we can notice that we are far from the set targets and, in this respect, we feel certain dissatisfaction. But looking at specific areas of activity, we can state significant progress is available in the banking sector. The global crisis demonstrated the strength of our banking sector and unlike many other more developed countries, our State did not spend a single penny to enhance the resistance of the banking sector as the latter was stable enough to withstand the crisis. This was just a test in practice and a proof of resistibility at the same time.
Energy proved to be the second most successful area in Armenia. Our citizens may remember that facing serious power supply problems, we had to build up a strong system of fuel supply from neighboring countries and attracted investments from abroad and neighboring countries.
Diplomatic achievements were embodied in the main principles of our foreign policy, and we were accurate and frank in how it might be perceived in Armenia and the Diaspora. These questions have not undergone fundamental changes. Our political platform was even strengthening during Serzh Sargsyan’ presidency and we were able to insist on our positions, especially with regard to Armenian issues.
- And in the military and defense fields?
- Of course, the military field was the one to ensure the defense of the country over the past 20 years even when it was based on the strategy of guerilla warfare. Today we have State structures which inspire unconditional trust.
- How does the Armenian diplomacy manage to keep balance between Russia and the United States?
- We abide by a clear-cut course in the foreign political field: we are open both to Russia and the international community which provides for trust and mutual accord. We tell the same thing to all of them, and life has shown that this is the most correct behavior for a small country like Armenia. We maintain good-neighborly relations with Russia and partnership ties with both the United States and the European Union. It is the extremely important to me that they value this position of ours.
- We know you in deep respect of our national values, in particular concerning cultural legacy, for instance Christianity, St Etchmiadzin etc. What can you tell us in this respect?
- When reading the New Testament for the first time, I had the feeling of being familiar with the pieces of advice contained therein. Later on I found out that my grandmother scooped her morals from this source. Biblical truth penetrates into our souls influencing people’s conduct in many respects, becoming an integral part of our inner world as customs and traditions are observed quite strictly in our family. It is also an integral part and the essence of our national ideology. While trying to find a solution to a specific problem, we can see that departure from this system of values is a sheer mistake. There other criteria as well: for instance the continued struggle for independence and freedom which is a great credit to our nation.
It is not accidental that in its capacity of a collective force, the Church was the first to come under attack when the Armenian nation was targeted. The most important feature of the Armenian Apostolic Church is that it has never deviated from the fundamental dogmas since its establishment 1700 years ago. This phenomenon is best described by Ormanyan in his well-known book where he cites numerous criticisms of our Church’s excess of liberalism and personal freedom allowing strangers to intrude into Armenian environments with the purpose of advocating alien beliefs, dictating other knowledge, including heretical. However, history has shown that liberalism is at the heart of our Church as the most important characteristic of our Church is that it never gave up the true path, and God has kept our Church safe and sound along with its doctrine. We triumphed and handed our faith down to our children.
- You speak about moral values, whilst good upbringing and education are moral values either. I have written an article on was lost with the collapse of the Soviet Union that I do not still dare to have published. Meanwhile as I talk to outstanding Armenian intellectuals and politicians, I realize that education is the main concern to them. As Prime Minister, you too are attaching a great value to education. Do you think that in the near future – at least in the future decade - it would be possible to improve the status of education in the country and recover part of what was lost?
- As a State we shall not have a future, if we fail to improve education. Our State must provide for the nation’s intellectual activity. The modern world is a world of keen competition calling for advanced science and culture. It is the task number one. We should mobilize our national resource in order to keep up with the developments of XXI century. This is a global challenge, far from affecting only Armenia. Strong with the needed potential, we can meet the challenge.
- Diaspora Armenians represent a moral value, too - a huge capital - and all the political leaders understand the importance of the Diaspora. My next question is extremely important as it can only be addressed by the State. Language and orthography is the bridge liaising Homeland and Diaspora, enabling us to read and understand Armenian literature, newspapers etc. Will any attention be paid to this issue among the multitude of diplomatic, political and economic concerns so that Armenians abroad could understand native land literature?
- Indeed, the State is prioritizing this issue. On RA President’s initiative, we have set up a new Ministry - the Ministry of Diaspora. It has the purpose of furthering the existing ties between Armenia and the Diaspora. And the new ministry has already had the time to carry out quite interesting programs: first, the supply of textbooks to all Armenian schools abroad, secondly, the training of teachers in Armenian language Under the Go Home project young people from the Diaspora are supposed come to Armenia, meet with the locals of the same age, live in Armenian households, get acquainted with the native land... There is also a set of other programs which should promote rapprochement between foreign and local Armenians. It is an important step toward national unity. It will help the Armenian Apostolic Church implement its mission, will promote preservation of national identity, provide for State-administered programs against easy assimilation and increased feeling of ethnic pride among the Armenian youth, generate investments into the enterprises of pan-Armenian relevance. Programs like this should be supported by all ministries and the State as a whole.
- I watch both the US-based and domestic TVs and can see that immoral pictures have much wider circulation in Armenia than abroad. They impair our spiritual code and the system of our ethnic values. With its wealth and long history of freedom, while teaching freedom to all the nations of the world, America cannot afford such immorality. Do you not think that the State must act as a counterbalance to such freedom?
- First of all, I should note that the problem exists in fact. We used to have quite a romantic idea of democracy and it seemed to us that freedom is absolute. Leaving the totalitarian regime we fell in another extremity: freedom was translated into laxity. The Public Council is currently debating on the standards applicable to the freedom of the press. Any breach of such standards should be deemed as infringement of certain norms of civilization. I should note with satisfaction that our society has a mature view over this issue considering that the State must intervene to ensure that on the one hand, we comply with certain modern norms and, on the other hand, the press and the TVs are overflowed with ugly and immoral scenes. I am convinced that this quite useful dialog will lead to a consensus on the matter and the regulatory authority will take a mutually acceptable decision.
- In conclusion, some personal questions. Mr. Prime Minister, are you a genuine Erzrumtsi?
- We think ourselves to be pure Erzrumtsi. Our kinsmen on both the father’s and mother’s sides fled Erzrum and came to Armenia. My parents got to know each other thanks to our ancestors who happened to meet in Yerevan after deportation. My father’s relatives reached Armenia with immense difficulty suffering exile and many other ordeals in Russia. Either those on my mother’s side went through lots of hardships like any other Genocide-hit family. Nevertheless, God helped them survive and reach Armenia. We were brought up in the ancestral spirit and feel ourselves to be pure Erzrumtsi. Erzrum is our native land - the country of our dream. This is a knowledge inherited from Grandmother and Grandfather.
- Please tell us a few words about your family.
- I have a wonderful wife called Gohar Mirzoyan. She is the daughter of Pogos Mirzoyan. We got married 25 years ago. The 25th anniversary of our wedded life was celebrated last February. Gohar has given me three children – a daughter and 2 sons. My daughter is 25. She is married, and I have a grandson already. One of my sons is called Abgar. The name of my other son is Marcos.
Hacob Vardivaryan, head of Tekeyan Society branch office, New York - New Jersey
