Epress.am News from Armenia
At the third consecutive evening of a series of outdoor Q&A sessions and the sixth consecutive evening of nonstop rallies in Yerevan’s Liberty Square, Armenian National Congress (HAK) leader Levon Ter-Petrossian addressed “Armenia’s main issue today, on which the future of our nation’s existence depends”: the problem of Armenia’s demographic and emigration.
“Emigrating are mainly the intellectuals, the brains [of the nation]. Emigrating are the nation’s socially active residents: the best villagers and builders. Going are those who are prepared to take risks, who are not afraid of the difficulties of alienation. They go with naked hands, being confident in their strengths. One who does not take risks moves from his place with great difficulty. I say this so that it is clear what kind [of people, what skills] we are losing.
“The first generation solves the problem of procuring food, of living and adjusting to the [new] place. The sole problem of the second generation is how quickly they can merge and assimilate with the [local] population. The third generation, it seems, has no problems, no difficulties, but they are no longer Armenian.
[…]“Many ask why the drive of today’s rallies are not as it was in 2008. Why are you surprised? Exactly half of the rally participants from that time are no longer in Armenia. Armenia’s authorities encourage emigration.
[…]“Our nation is truly standing before a national catastrophe. If it continues this way, if the emigration continues, we will be Luxembourg, in the center of the ocean [meaning, Armenia will be as small as Luxembourg, but like an island in the middle of an ocean]. We will be a state of a million-and-a-half. I don’t want to call it genocide, but it’s hard to find another word,” he said.
On the reasons of the increasing numbers of those emigrating, the opposition leader said: “An objective reason is the blockade. We don’t have a sea and apart from the sea, we don’t have a railway. It was an advantage equal to oil, to [natural] gas. We are deprived of this. There are reasons which are not tied to these. These are dependent on the level of people’s knavery and filth. Such robbery that today’s authorities are doing, neither the Mongols nor the Turks [ever] did.
“The next reason is the absolute lack of legality. Everyone knows if you fall into the hands of the courts or the police, that’s it, you’re finished. No just person can defend his right in a court in Armenia. Well how can the people not escape such a country? And if we, along with you, are unable to be free from these scoundrels, this filth, these thieves— [here the crowd began to chant “Levon! Levon! Levon!”] Well, fine, you said the rest; there’s nothing else to say,” he wrapped up.