How to dispel the stale atmosphere

Arbak Khachatryan on the dangers of Germany’s strengthening, Greece’s unstable situation, events on Baghramyan Avenue, Armenia’s oligarchs, and the possibility of replenishing the budget.

Two years ago, in an interview with Aravot, Moscow-based human rights advocate Arbak Khachatryan said: “Our generation proved morally corrupt; the young must save Armenia.”

Today, Arbak Khachatryan speaks with pleasure about young people’s rebellion in Armenia over the attempt to raise electricity prices and the events on Baghramyan Avenue. “The outcome is admittedly unclear—it has not even ended yet—but if the right approaches are maintained and everything is pursued in a strategic direction, that is very good,” our interlocutor says, adding: “There has been much talk in recent days that the youth movement was organized and directed from 26 Baghramyan Avenue. That is not a problem either, and even if it truly is so, I am still glad that a strategic step was finally taken in Armenia, both by the young people and by the state. That means there are still concerned people at 26 Baghramyan who are trying to put the country on the right track.”

Our interlocutor does not yet consider this sufficient, however, because he believes that getting Armenia back on its feet must begin with keeping Armenian families strong. He thinks that everyone who helped, in one way or another, bring about the situation in which Armenian men sought work and daily bread abroad over these years, leaving their families in Armenia, must be held accountable. “Until the state raises that question, until steps are taken at the state level to restore Armenian families and those responsible are punished, we cannot expect much.”

Our interlocutor considers the rather heated reaction of Russian media in the first days of the Baghramyan Avenue events, looking for a color revolution and a Western trace, normal in the sense that, after events in Georgia and Ukraine and Russia’s propaganda war in those countries, Russian media could hardly react otherwise to Baghramyan: “Everywhere, you can see an ‘outside hand,’ but nobody tries to delve into the fact that people who plundered those countries under Russia’s protection, and who incidentally keep their money in European and American banks, will one day be used very calmly against Russia itself.”

Our interlocutor finds it difficult to say whether Armenia’s authorities extracted the maximum benefit from the Baghramyan Avenue events: “What forces exist in that corrupt system, whether the country’s leader can take decisive steps to save it—I cannot say. But it was encouraging that young people can still struggle. The situation is rather complicated because Armenian officials and oligarchs are connected to the outside world by various threads, and at a convenient moment this will certainly be used against the state of Armenia.” At any rate, he observes that Russia’s authorities are now taking steps to fight the corrupt system and nationalize strategic sectors in order to save the country: “Perhaps it will begin here too. God willing.”

To dispel Armenia’s existing “stale atmosphere,” about which President Serzh Sargsyan also spoke at one time, the president himself must act: “Over the years, most people were forced to become slaves psychologically. In Soviet times, you would never say that an academician or professor depended on a market owner. That would bring no honor. But today, many scientists, by their degree of corruption, are more dangerous to the country and students than an ordinary criminal. It is difficult to explain to a hungry person that the bread money given by a rich man is stolen, plundered, and so on.

But we must think and find a system for changing the mentality. A country’s political leader always creates an aura of which approach is right. When a person feels that being honest, working justly and with dignity is more important, and that they do not depend on an oligarch’s money, the issue will be resolved. Who would not wish to be like that? If this step is not taken, you cannot ask a hungry person: why do you commit a crime, why do you leave the country?” After sanctions against Iran were lifted, Armenia began speaking intensively about that country’s strategic importance and invigorating Armenian-Iranian relations.

Our interlocutor considers this discussion extremely late. In his view, it should have happened several years ago, under the embargo, and results should already be coming now. Yet those proposals, which he himself also voiced on various occasions, received no response from Armenia’s authorities. “No steps were taken, citing the lack of money in the budget, while plunder was taking place in the state. Now I do not know whether Armenia can withstand competition in working with Iran using the money of a few market owners; the budget is also very limited.

It should have been done several years ago, playing the same game with the superpowers and activating those same young people. Because personal money was at issue, not a single step was taken. They feared the United States would not give the 200 million for bread, but the United States does not ask where Armenian oligarchs got the billions with which they build castles. It waits to use that against Armenia at the right time. All of these are things against statehood that will be used sooner or later.

Understand correctly: the issue is not that oligarchs or those creating billions are bad. They have no other mentality. For their profit, this is understandable; they were given those opportunities. Oligarchs must not be blamed or called looters; this is those people’s approach and way of thinking. Geopolitical interests simply cannot be measured by the yardstick of business profit. In this situation, strategic play is impossible. The time and opportunities for powerful strategic games have been lost.”

Nevertheless, our interlocutor proposes a way to replenish Armenia’s budget by several billion at once, through so-called “people’s diplomacy”: “On one side of the scales is placed the pre-employment property of all officials and state officeholders from the past 15 years, including property registered in the names of family members and relatives, and foreign bank accounts; on the other side, what they own now. What was accumulated from salaries is deducted, and the difference goes into the budget. Tens of billions would immediately enter the budget.”

Discussing the situation facing European states today in the context of geopolitical developments, our interlocutor believes that, until an alternative exists, states must remain under the yoke of banking plunder legalized 200–300 years ago: “People, states, and large companies are tied through their entire financial base to this system of legalized plunder, and today it is already clear that it can no longer function. Yet I spoke years ago about the need to create alternatives. The great geopolitical game being played to capture markets has created a rather complicated situation.

The first metastases already exist, and a country like Greece, regarded through its history, culture, and customs as the foundation of Europe, now faces the question of leaving Europe. But the most absurd thing is who raises that question: Germany. If we turn to the last century’s history, setting aside the whole story of Germany’s formation—the Franks, the times of Karl, and so on—Germany grew powerful during the First World War, while Europe was falling apart. At that same time, Armenia took the greatest blow in its entire history: 1.5 million victims.

That was the work not only of Turkey, but of Germany as well. Then came the Second World War: Europe again fell apart, Germany again grew powerful, and Armenia was among the countries with the greatest proportional casualties. It is noteworthy that, in those days before Germany attacked Russia, Russia exported metal to Germany. That is, the tanks and aircraft attacking Russia were made from Russian metal.”

Returning to the present, Arbak Khachatryan observes that Germany is again strengthening, Europe is falling apart, and Russia supplies enormous volumes of gas and energy resources to Germany: “What will happen in this case, I do not know, because military technology is powerful today, and human resources are connected to the global banking system by various threads. I am certain Greece would leave the EU without hesitation if it had some lever with which to function. But the global banking system has produced such metastases that an independent path is impossible at this moment.

And what is happening with Russia—the Eurasian Union, BRICS… Russians, connected to Europe to their very core and bearers of European culture and civilization, join with China and India when they do not even know Chinese or Indian letters. China, earning trillions through the banking system, joins Russia for a few hundred billion. It is absurd and impossible to take seriously from a strategic standpoint. Just as absurd as Russia joining with Turkey over Crimea. The gas pipeline does not work with the Slavic countries—is it supposed to work with Turkey?

All these are temporary, short-term victories, not strategic solutions, and they may be very damaging later. Europe’s disintegration is a great danger, and Germany’s strengthening is a danger too. Yes, times are different; tanks and aircraft are not attacking, but the blow could be very severe. It is difficult to say what situation Armenia will find itself in, because strategic steps are still not visible and there are no diplomatic institutions capable of achieving victories.”

NELLY GRIGORYAN

Aravot daily newspaper, July 24, 2015