My next trip to Armenia is in December, but if it were tomorrow, I wouldn’t be very excited to get on the plane. In fact, right now I want to be as far away from Armenia as possible. And in this moment, I understand why hundreds of thousands of people have left during the last 20 years.
Currently, Vartan Oskanian, Armenia’s former minister of foreign affairs, faces charges of money laundering, embezzlement, and who knows what else. Many people thought Oskanian a likely challenger to Republican incumbent President Serge Sarkisian in February’s presidential election, unless, of course, Oskanian is tied up in court, or worse. Seemingly to correctly prove the hypothesis that the charges are politically driven, the ruling Republicans and their de facto proxy party voted 64-6 to remove Oskanian’s immunity and leave him open to charges, which followed a week later. Every political party boycotted the vote except, you guessed it, the ruling majority and its friends. Interestingly, a party historically loaded with parliamentarians sporting shoddy attendance records somehow managed to convince 96 percent of its membership to show up and remove Oskanian’s immunity. Meanwhile, Georgia just completed a legitimate election and power transfer, further widening the democratic gap between the two neighboring former Soviet states. And yet, this isn’t even the beginning of my frustration…
Oskanian is also the founder of the Civilitas Foundation, a think tank promoting an active civil society. The money laundering charge stems from a charitable donation made to the foundation by U.S. businessman Jon Huntsman, Sr. The foundation’s roughly 60 employees are predominantly young, multilingual Armenians working to improve their country by focusing on issues such as women’s rights, the rule of law, and the environment. Their main vehicle is the news and public affairs website, civilnet.am, which started from scratch with a team of inexperienced future journalists, and has since developed into a real source for independent, analytical news and dialogue. Unfortunately, that mission sometimes interferes with the establishment’s suppressive interests. During my 14 months producing for Civilnet, I learned twice as much as I taught about advocacy journalism and became exceedingly optimistic about Armenia’s future. Civilitas is an oasis for free-thinking creativity, safe from the desert of anti-progressive thought that sometimes pollutes Yerevan.
This all matters because the Armenians with whom I worked at Civilitas are extremely talented and mobile. They’ve turned down full-scholarship opportunities in the U.S. and the U.K., believing they could improve their home country if they only stayed in Armenia. Even those who have left Civilitas and Armenia, including U.S. citizens such as this article’s author, have pledged to return and make Armenia their long-term home. But now, Civilitas is under fire, facing potential interference from the government, which claims it wants to “protect” Civilitas. Nobody knows what that means and nobody is optimistic about it either. While everyone is still fighting for Civilitas’ survival, some of my former co-workers and friends are second-guessing their desire to remain in Armenia.
At September’s Armenians and Progressive Politics (APP) Conference in New York, one attendee astutely described Armenia as an unstable balloon that inflates with each repressive event, such as the one happening now with Civilitas. But as the balloon expands and seems ready to explode, people simply move out of the country, thus diffusing the pressure. We’ve seen it after elections and other events that sully the public. It’s why today Armenia’s population is definitively less than 3 million people. So I suspect we’ll see more frustration and migration with this episode and the upcoming February election. And, unfortunately, the educated and mobile will be the ones to leave, further exacerbating the brain drain epidemic.
I will get on that plane in December, and my long-term plan to live in Armenia has not changed. I am excited to enjoy the city I love and see the friends I left behind a few months ago. I only hope some of them will still be there to greet me at the airport.
Greg Bilazarian is a first year MBA student at the Yale School of Management. He was the producer for civilnet.am in Armenia from May 2011 to July 2012. Bilazarian worked for four years as a television news reporter in the U.S. before moving to Armenia. He grew up outside of Philadelphia.
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Enough with the red herrings and protecting a corrupt former foreign minister with a miserable, cynical choice of words.
{“They’ve turned down full-scholarship opportunities in the U.S. and the U.K., believing they could improve their home country if they only stayed in Armenia”}
Mr. Bilazarian:
The whole tone of the article seems to be that Diaspora Armenians who work for Civilitas are doing Armenia a favour, and therefore should be above suspicion, and therefore should no be inconvenienced by any law enforcement bodies.
Well, I do not know if the charges against Mr. Oskanian are politically motivated or not, or whether the charges will stick: let us wait and see.
But, I’d come down off of the high horse Civilitas people are riding: Mr.Oskanian joined PAP only about 2 months ago.
And I am sure you know that PAP is the personal party of Dodi Gago, you know, one of those Oligarchs Diaspora Armenians are up in arms about ?
How many ways can you spell opportunist ?
And talking about sacrifice: how many of those 60 employees of Civilitas have served on the front lines of RoA or NKR ?
How many have given their lives for the Motherland ?
Last June, 4 Armenian young men were KIA and 3 were murdered by Axeris: did Civilitas visit the next of kin of those young Armenians ?
Did any of you 60 Civilitas employees volunteer to help the families who lost a young son ?
Are you personally doing anything about the fact that the voices of 7 young Armenians have been silenced forever by Azeri killers ?
Between 2007-2011 245 Armenian soldiers were killed by Azeris: again, has Civilitas done anything about that ?
Or you are only concerned when your fellow Armenians cause you discomfort ?
I can bluntly tell you friend: if all 60 people of Civilitas left Armenia tomorrow, RoA’s security and safety vis-à-vis Axerbaijan would not be affected in the least.
If 60 of her young men were killed tomorrow while protecting RoA, then her safety and security would be permanently reduced by 60 heroes.
Well said Avery jan!
It would be beneficial for all Armenians if Civilitas received its funding from Armenian sources be that from Diaspora Armenians or in Armenians in the Homeland, instead of ‘grants’ from foreign governments and non Armenian foreign nationals. These people do not give money without strings attached, and since day 1 Civilitas has been pushing a very noticeable Western orientation project in Armenia. As someone who served for 10 years in the highest echelons of the Armenian government, Oskanyan knows or ought to know that Armenia’s national security is partially built upon strong ties with Moscow. Pushing for increased Western political ties when the West has done so very little and in fact works with Armenia’s enemies in baku and ankara is opportunistic at best and treacherous at worst.
Dear Greg,
i salute your determination to go back to armenia and carry on yojur very usefull work there.I know Salpi and she definmitely woudl also encourage you to keep Civilnet.am going.I come to Yerevan, RA each each and am determined to come every year and contribute in my own modest way too.
I think I shlould write and publish a new book( have done two,theere) but those are old. I shall prepare a complie rather all my recent writings and add a few long ones and come to publish them over there.I attend the Seminars/Conferences that Civilitas organizes.I trust there will be more.Salpi always FWDs to me the vents dates etc.
As to what some have tried on dear Vartan Oskanian, I hope will backfire and on this as well as another important Canadian armenian site I have defended him as I should.Civilnet.am can help educate and create a better atmosphere that the one prevailing in RA. We need new blood and new talent on the political scene in Armenia. Journalism and Civil Socity go hand in hand as well as present IT and related.Keep it up and best to you.
Greg jan if you don’t want to go, don’t go and this applies to anyone else who views the current issues surrounding Armenia as insurmountable. I am in no way questioning your desire to help Armenia or make change, rather I would love to see people like you repatriating to Armenia. The issue here is and it’s an issue that has plagued Armenia since independence….everytime there is a bit of let down, thousands of people call it quits….no matter what the battle is, people need to come together and fight…yes it’s easier said than done, I fully understand the situation in Armenia and I can understand the urge to just give up when we have major let downs like the Vartan Oskanian scandal, or the 2008 Presidential scandal, but nothing will ever get solved if they just quit, or leave…once again I understand how frustrating it can get, but the Armenians in Armenia need to hunker down more than ever and find a way to overcome all the obstacles set by the criminal empire in Armenia…always remember, where there’s a will, there’s a way…if the Georgians can do it, there is no reason why we can’t do it
There is no criminal regime in Yerevan, however there is one in baku. You would do well to take your own advice a step further and drop the negative attitude toward the government in Armenia. For better or worse that’s what we have and they are who we must work with to bring about progress. On a positive note, I do agree with you that when it comes to Armenian issues especially in the Homeland, Armenians give up too easily and I suspect part of the reason is that for 600 years Armenians (for the most ) lived as subject peoples and often as second class citizens. Now that we have an independent Armenia we must work to strengthen it not tear it down with pettiness and treachery, and this includes Armenians of all stripes!
“the government, which claims it wants to “protect” Civilitas. Nobody knows what that means and nobody is optimistic about it either. ”
The Government wants Mr. Oskanian to justify the way he has spent $181,000 of Civilitas fund, which was intended to be deposited in Civilitas account first place.
Mr. Oskanian claims and people believe him that Civilitas eventually received its entire fund. However, this fact does not override the usage of fund by Mr. Oskanian for his personal purposes. After he was accused for money laundering, next day he goes and deposits the fund used for his personal purposes to the Civilitas’ account.
Greg, a humble advice, if I may. Beware the Yale School of Management. Yale University is often cited as one of selected academic institutions that prepare future leaders serving the sick purposes that the so-called internationalist power elites are obsessed about: one world government and new world order. Yale-based ‘Skull and Bones’ secret society had many such globalists as members: presidents, senators, etc. Armenia doesn’t need “custody” of these globalist forces because their sinister agendas go against our national goals and aspirations.
As for Oskanian, we KNOW how and based on what qualities he was cherry picked by the same globalist orchestrators and manipulators to be airborne to Armenia and who guided him all the way up to the position of foreign minister. We also KNOW that not only is he an opportunist (thanks, Avery), but an unparalleled conformist, too. Unfortunately, his conformism is expressed not towards the national values, but towards the political orders of the ones who have made a jewelry-seller a foreign minister to advance their anti-Armenian agendas.
I had respect and admiration when he was FM under Kocharian. Today, when looking at this embezzlement issue of funds being handed over to him by a foreign donor, to be spent on Civilitas projects, I have more questions than answers. First of all, from the beginning I was always under the impression that Civilitas was a launching pad for a ‘candidate in waiting’. I never understood if Civilitas material was intended mostly for Diasporan consumption or local consumption ? Do people in the West believe that Mr. Oskanian will take RoA away from the Russian sphere of influence ? Or does the US think that he can deliver Armenia to them on a platter ? Is that conceivable ? With all the existing security agreements and so on ? Does he speak Russian ? The US is apparently very ‘concerned’ by his case, but is the US a friend of Armenia ? I presume that local Armenians consider him an outsider as they do with the entire Diaspora, but does he have a firm position on Kharabagh ? Previously he used to preach about the ‘basic principles which will always be there…’ as he used to say, and which are not favorable for Armenia ? Now he says the Safarov case hasn’t been used enough to promote independence for Kharabakh ? What about his relationship with Gagik Tsarukian, an oligarch party boss and an arm wrestler ? I don’t get it. I don’t know where Mr. Oskanian is going.
Oskanian himself doesn’t know where he’s going. He’s going where his behind-the-scenes patrons tell him to go. In his core, he’s a conformist not a charismatic leader. It is not surprising that during his years as foreign minister, he was often called Kocharian’s FM, not Armenia’s FM. Presidential elections are approaching and there should be a impression of opposition to the Sargsyan regime. LTP was brought forth to play this role back in 2008, resulting in the killing of ten people and mass violence in Yerevan. Obviously, this time around, he can’t be used again. So they decided to fill the gap with Oskanian. Show must go on…
With all due respect to posts above as to Mr. V.Oskanian´s integrity or political leniencies, I beg to express my surprise, rather than oppostion as to Hypothetic and or real occurrances w/relation to the paltry(yes paltry) amount in question.
1.For your info Georgia was smarter than RA(even with V.Oskanian, supposedly leaning more towards U.S.Let us talk turkey BTW,not chew words.
Well When W-.Bush upon Mr. Shakashvili came to Tbilis, with a stroke o his pen -it was in the press-loaned or just plain handed out ONE Billion dollars.
An amount that RA recieved from U.S. more or les over a period of 10/12 yrs and that by aNC and the Armenian Assembly´s repeated PLEAs….
We go down on our knees in D.C. to get 60/80 million only..
See, if you think that V.Oskanian has done too much to make himself accepgtable by U.s. you most probably err…fact is he kept the balance in leaning to either side.Russia or U.S. and steered vessel(ours) safely to harbour. And that, when RA was in much worse shape than it is now.
Talking about Oligarchs such as Gagik Tsarukian…please be a bit more easier,at least on this one.He is the only one that in accordance with Western modality also knows that he has to do charity work and give.This mind you is common practice in U.s. for the very rich.Rockefellers, the kennedys and a host of others. This is how the West goes along….
While at it , let me tell you we should be discussing ,debating issues of much more importance that V.Oskanian´s -as yet not confirmed- whatever…
Think how how compatriots are now suffering in the land of the kindly Arabs.They love the land,I was reading in Hairenik weekly today mORE, MIND YOU MORE Avery than our tiny Armenia that is on the map,thanks to huge sacrifices by us in 1918 and then again for artsakh in 1921/4-
We thus something so precious that the Basques,The Scots and Catalans are craving for,so far without any success.Yes we achieved STATEHOOD.
We are a Nation/State not just people. And yet…the Arab armenians have not grasped ,probably the Persian armenians and even the Bolsahaye that,Armenia and any kind of Armenian within that territoy is to be cherished by us, minus bad doers of course…
My address is to those who still think we owe ,or better said are in debt to eternity to our neighbour Arabs and or Iranians.True we must respect and appreciate what they have done to save our left overs(from genocide) Mnatsortats…but I also wish to point out we did our best in those adopted countries to help them achieve progress in all aspects of life and paid our taxes(on monmies earned there) and generally have been good law abiding citizens.Btu that does not mean that we over love them and forget that WE HAVE A RE INDEPENDENT ARMENIA /ARTSAKH THAT NEEDS US now!!!!!
i SUGGEST WE TRY HARD TO CONVINCE OUR BRETHREN IN sYRIA,IRAQ AND iRAN TO BY ADN BY(AS WELL AS gEORGIA ) TO COME AND SETTLE DOWN IN ra/aRTSKAH.tHOSE ,AT LEAST WHO CAN AFFRORD TO COME WITH MEANS OF STARTING BUSINESSES AND SECURE HOMES.i UNDERSTAND IN ALL THREE COUNTRIES THE ARMENIANS ON THE WHOLE HAVE ATTAINED GOOD POSITION ECONOMY/MONEY WISE..i AM NOT TRUMPETING ADVOCATING all OF THEM TO COME BUT AT THE VERY LEAST SOME 20/30 PERCENT OF THEM..
oNCE PRES. OF cOMMITTEE WITH rELATIONS WITH dIASPORA, hAMAZASPIAN BACK THEN 35 YRS AGO TOLD ME WE CAN ACCOMODATE UPT TO 6 MILLION aRMENIANS IN PRESENT sOVIET aRMENIA….
Therefoe if people like Greg and or V.oskanian ,Salpi go work there,we must have a better understandign with them.
KORRUPCIA is in every country…no doubt about that but we need to forge ahead in spite of that.it is unfortunately a Syustem that was adopted during LTP reign shall we say ,instead of adopting the Swedish,Finnish Danish mild Socialistic one -at least for a transitional period then start the so called FREE market Economy that has turned wild actually.But bygones are byugones we must carry on best we can .I have SUGGESTED FOLLOWING
1.tO PROMPT BOTH dIASPORA AND hOMELAND TO CO OPERATE MORE CLOSELY.THAT REQUIRES PRESENCE OF 5 dELEGGTES FROM OUR 5 MAIN cONTINENT COMMUNITIES, IN mINISTRY OF dIASPORA.
2. iN dIASPORA WE CERTAINLY NEED A REAL OVERHAUL.wE NEED TO RE STRUCTURE OUR SYUSTEM WITH A nEW STATUTE ,replaing or in parallel with the old Sahmanatrutyun(latter for those we still wish to hang on bolis drawn up same by Amiras and clerics…
3. We need a National Investment Trust fund A Huge one….I have written about several times of.Will not repeat it again.
I’m surprised at how many times the Armenian Weekly has published articles about this of-little-mark individual. Oskanian is a appointee of the so-called “elitist” supragovernmental forces, which—being unelected, unrepresentative, and unaccountable—meddle in the affairs of sovereign states and selected individuals, organize revolutions, topple regimes, install marionette presidents, manipulate the societies, and dictate policies to be followed. As a political figure, Oskanian is “cero absoluto”, a conductor of others’ will. His so-called “policy of complementarity” was an exact blueprint of his very self: spiritless, retroactive, conformable, and gutless. There’s no doubt in my mind that this time, too, he was commissioned to stage a show of possible return to Armenia’s politics so that, if a social unrest ensues, his partons will be able to fish in troubled waters to advance their agendas, for example, attempt to lower Armenia’s dependency on Moscow thus compelling Yerevan to accept painful compromises in the Artsakh settlement scenario and in the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, scenario’s that serve Baku and Ankara’s agendas. The US and the Western governments are just tools. Evil is above them and is represented by such groups as the Council of Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, and the Bilderberg Group. These behind-the-scene globalist groups are Armenia’s enemies.