Yerevan’s Own ‘Revolution-Forum’: Organizers Say the ‘Field is Taken’

Taking place at the American University of Armenia today was an event called Heghaforum (“Revolution-Forum”) in which participants, over tea and sandwiches, discussed the possibilities and directions of affecting change in the country.

Participating in the forum were a few dozen individuals, NGOs and members of political parties, including Women’s Resource Center of Armenia Executive Director Lara Aharonian, writer-publicist Marine Petrosyan, Heritage Party MP Zaruhi Petrosyan and Art Laboratory representative Artur Petrosyan.

Speaking to Epress.am, Zaruhi Postanjyan said such a forum is a large-scale operation and it should continue.

“After this forum, political parties and NGOs will have the opportunity to take ideas from here to find solutions to today’s problems and affect change because this change, regardless, has to happen through joining together, at the level of political and civic organizations,” she said.

Heghaform participant Isabella Sargsyan said one of the aims of the event is for those representing different civic groups and organizations to become acquainted with one another.

“The second thing is that we want to develop certain proposals, as to how this active engagement can continue,” she said, adding that during the forum, working groups were created which came up with certain proposals at the end of the day.

“I am going to work in the group ‘change of government and elections’ specially; we’ll see what happens,” she said.

One of the organizers, Huys (“Hope”) NGO President Karen Hakobyan, speaking to Epress.am said the goal of the forum is also to generate public demand.

“When there are political parties that have clear demands — this is excellent, but before that there should be public demand; it’s not obligatory that all citizens be members or supporters of this or that party. When citizens don’t generate public demands, but rather wait for a political party to generate them instead, we get a corrupt government. Now, for this not to happen, we need to create public demand,” he said.

Hakobyan said organizers would’ve liked to hold the forum in Liberty Square and they would’ve done so if a venue was not made available to them.

“Because the square, the public space, has to be not only a place for rallies, that is, a few people talk while others listen, but also such a place where everyone will have the opportunity to participate,” he said.

The human rights activist noted that after yesterday’s forum, the functions of the initiating group end. “After today, it’s possible that other groups form, one goes and becomes a deputy; the other does something else, yet another does nothing, but this function of ours ends. Though, regretfully, I don’t see potential, [the likelihood] that there will be future activity, since the field today is either unfortunately or fortunately is already taken.”