HOMELAND, IS IT A PRISON OR A HOTEL?

The Vth "Armenia -Diaspora" Forum has taken place in Armenia. At this time, the country's president, Serzh Sargsyan, was making a visit to the Vatican, where he met Pope Francis I. Two conclusions can be drawn from the statements made during these events, namely that Armenia has never really existed as a state and sometimes people do not learn anything from history. But let's deal with this in order…

The "Armenia" hotel is on sale for a high price

Before the start of the forum, Armenia's media were extremely sceptical about its importance: "The history of the "Armenia - Diaspora" forums may be a valuable mine of information for toasts, wedding speeches and other solemn ceremonies. What point is there in such forums? Is it for tourist purposes? The relations between Armenia and its diaspora in the period of an independent Armenia have essentially still not been examined properly. They still remain within a framework of romanticism, formalities, toasts and speeches for the master of ceremonies," thenewspaper "Zhamanak" notes.

In actual fact, at the present time the mutual relations between the leadership of Armenia and the diaspora may be regarded as complicated, to put it mildly. Never before have so many problems existed between the spyurk (diaspora) and the authoritiesthroughout the history of this country. 

Back at the beginning of the 1990s, the first president of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, enjoyed great support among the Armenian diaspora. Being a pro-Western politician, the diaspora regarded him as "their own" man. But this support ceased after Ter-Petrosyan banned the "Dashnaktsutyun" party in Armenia owing to its blatantly bandit-like activity. The "Dashnaktsutyun", the most powerful political organisation among the diaspora could not forgive Ter-Petrosyan for his "betrayal", and this became one of the reasons for Ter-Petrosyan being forced to step down from his post. Robert Kocharyan, who succeeded him after the "palace coup", tried to please the diaspora in every way he could: the Dashnak's activity came back into force; the members of such terrorist organisations as "ASALA" [Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia] found refuge with all honours rendered to them; paramilitary and semi-secret organisations were set up which were linked to world terrorism.

Relations between the diaspora and Yerevan ultimately deteriorated after 2008 when Serzh Sargsyan came to power. It was during his term of office that the process of Armenia's entry into the orbit of Russian interests, which started back in the time of Kocharyan, reached its climax.

Russia's saturated presence in Armenia repels the diaspora which traditionally speaks out in favour of the countries of the West. The consolidation into one and the same hands of business that has not yet been acquired by Russian companies, the total corruption and bureaucratic barriers do not allow representatives of the Armenian diaspora to become involved in Armenia's economic life.  Over the last few decades there have hardly been any substantial capital investments in the Armenian economy by businessmen of Armenian descent, but there have been very many cases of promises not being fulfilled by bureaucrats on various levels.

Influential representatives of the diaspora have repeatedly raised this issue. [Well-known French-Armenian singer]Charles Aznavour, for example, said that Armenia's misfortune was that its economy had been monopolised by a small group of people, and representatives of the American branch of "Dashnaktsutyun" once refused to attend a lunch held in honour of Serzh Sargsyan, after stating that the latter was pandering to the oligarchies.

In spite of this, ever since the first All-Armenian forum 15 years ago, each time the authorities in Armenia have been inviting representatives of the diaspora to invest in their homeland's economy, promising them extremely favourable concessions. But, for the above-mentioned reasons, over the years the investments have been declining. This customary situation has not changed this time either. One of the country's most powerful oligarchs, Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, has spoken about the attractive investment climate in the country, encouraging businessmen to invest their assets in the economy. But after this customary "invitation", the minister for the diaspora, Granush Akopyan, made a strange statement. In her view, if investors from the diaspora wish to operate in Armenia, then it would be better to seek some advice from her ministry to start with, for many Armenians, who have come to the country, start to conduct business jointly with some kind of people, but then leave. This statement by Akopyan can only be interpreted as a desire to exercise complete control and to be involved in the distribution of the profits from foreign business.

The Catholicos of All Armenians, Garegin II, distinguished himself for an even cleverer statement, when he commented: "There are manifestations of injustice in Armenia, but that should not have any impact on citizens' patriotism!!!" But the concluding speech of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan was the real gem of the event. Speaking to those attending the forum, Sargsyan stated: "I feel sure that their homeland should not become a prison for Armenians. But it should not be a hotel either. A hotel is for visitors, but every Armenian should be inspired by the fact that he is the owner." It would appear that such a brilliant idea requires no comment. In our view it is customary to regard one's homeland as the land where one's ancestors lived, but since nothing links the Armenian people with Armenia in this sense, in the eyes of Armenians, the country is either a place where a prison sentence is served, or a place where you go to relax.

The age-old venture is continuing

But no matter what differences and discord have arisen between the diaspora and Armenia, there is one factor which brings them closer together. This factor is by no means creative or constructive or something which helps Armenia to get out of the regular crisis which has been plaguing it for a long time now. This factor is that of the [previously exposed] negative and falsification of events that occurred 100 years ago, which have been presented in distorted form for many years now. Naturally, this is a reference to the century of the so-called "genocide of the Armenian people" in the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. For no matter how much has been spoken about the consolidation of the Armenians and mutual assistance among them, it can definitely be asserted that the thing that will bring the representatives of this people closer together is the fetishist grief and the false interpretation of historical events, On the threshold of this centenary, events of a similar ilk???are defining the world Armenian community's vector and strategy in order to thrust the ideas of genocide upon the world.

Sargsyan also stressed during his concluding speech to the participants in the forum:"2015 is not the deadline for the demands of the Armenian people, but a new stage in national awakening. In other words, it is na?ve to think that the Armenians will give up their claims against Turkey after 2015. The topic of "genocide" began to gain in intensity after 1965, which is 50 years after the events were designated with this term.

The state commission co-ordinating the events to mark the centenary of the "Armenian genocide" is to become an "All-Armenian Council" next year, which will in its turn become a platform for co-ordinating the actions between Armenia and the diaspora. 

The Armenian leader noted that the religious structures, the traditional parties, the All-Armenian and public organisations, the Armenian media and representatives of the diaspora throughout the world are also conducting purposeful work.

The religious structures are not top of the list without reason. The events at the forum are clearing up the Armenian community's strategy, and it is becoming obvious that the church and faith are once again becoming the corner-stone. Probably the most sensational statement was made by Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia [See of Cilicia]: "The Catholicosate is to assemble next year to demand of Turkey's Constitutional Court that it return the residence and estate located in a district of the townof Kozan in Adana province. We are taking this bold step, not out of sentimentality or for propagandistic motives. Over the past two years meetings havebeen held with foreign experts on international law and judicial issues, in which we took part."

Regarding the absence of propagandistic motives, Aram I quite craftily said that it was clear that the Catholicosate's appeal would most probably be rejected, but then the action would be used precisely for propaganda purposes. Further, the action will possibly be prosecuted in the European Court of Human Right, and during this absurd case, which few people will find of interest, the Armenians will attempt to present it as an event of world significance. Besides this, the issue arises of why it was that these foreign experts advised the Catholicos to make the appeal precisely to Turkey's Constitutional Court?  Why did these experts fail to warn His Holiness of the elementary absence of logic and unfoundedness in this step? Surely a church in Turkey cannot be a more important shrine for the Armenians than the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,located on the territory of the Jewish state, is for Christians throughout the world. Why for instance are the Greeks not demanding of Turkey that the territory of Hagia Sophia[formerly the Greek Orthodox Basilica of Saint Sofia]in Istanbul be given back and numerous other churches in Turkey? Why is the Armenian Church not demanding the return of the territories of its churches in neighbouring Iran or, for instance, Ukraine?

These questions remain open ones. But, as mentioned above, the church will bethe main tool in the hands of the falsifiers. It is no accident that on the day the Vth "Diaspora-Armenia" Forum opened, Sargsyan ended his visit to the Vatican. During his meeting with Pope Francis I the main topic of conversation was the centenary of the "genocide", and naturally the head of the world's Catholic Church was invited to Yerevan for 24 April 2015.

In general, official Yerevan attributes special importance to its interrelations with the Vatican. There is a good reason why Serzh Sargsyan'sson-in-law, the media magnate and oligarch Mikael Minasyan, who was not able to become his father-in-law's successor, is Armenia's ambassador to the Vatican.

But why was Sargsyan in such a hurry to visit the Seat of the Church while the forum was being held? The fact is that Pope Francis I plans to visit Turkey this autumn and meet the country's officials, to see for himself the life of the Syrian refugees, take part in the ceremony of opening the Greek Patriarchate in Istanbul, as well as discussing the situation in the Middle East. Naturally, Sargsyan could not miss the opportunity to remind him about the long-suffering Armenians, who are the "bulwark of Christianity" among the Muslim peoples.

In recounting the "aspirations of an ancient people", on the threshold of 2015 it would not be a bad thing to get some kind of guarantee of support from the Vatican. Naturally, Sargsyan has kept quiet about how the rights of Catholics are being encroached upon in Armenia, where a policy of "one nation -one religion", that is Gregorian Christianity is being conducted under the aegis of the holy Echmiadzin. Christianity is almost declaring that followers of other faiths are outlawed. In this regard, Sargsyan made another statement which may be regarded as super cynical: "The truth is that there can be no peace and security in the future unless the crimes of the past are condemned. Religion is being used with precisely this aim in mind to promote hatred of other religions and antipathy towards them. We cannot allow religion to be put at the service of violence and war…" These words were pronounced by the president of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, the field commander under whose leadership the Armenians, calling themselves "crusaders" and marking their tanks and uniforms with crosses, have committed crimes against the civilian population in Nagornyy Karabakh simply because they were Muslims.

Thus, religious institutions remain one of the main tools in the hands of the Armenian community, just as they were 100 years ago. The institutions, which, in the words of Archbishop of the Armenian Church Levon Turyan, who was murdered by the Dashnaks in 1933, were the "centre of the Armenian revolutionary parties, where the most diabolical programmes were worked out". The years are passing, a century has gone by, but nothing has changed just as before.