‘Deep and Difficult Changes’: US Ambassador on Civil Society in Armenia

The first priority of any state is to provide for the security of its citizens. A democratic state must have an effective government, to create and enforce laws, to settle disputes, to keep the peace, said US Ambassador to Armenia Marie L. Yovanovitch at a talk on civil society in Armenia at Yerevan State University today.

“But what we have seen across time and continents is that when citizens do not believe that the government is representing their interests, there cannot be genuine security. True security is not just the absence of violence, it is the presence of opportunity. Opportunity to have a good job, but also the opportunity to participate in the political process,” Yovanovitch said during her address.

Continuing, the US ambassador stressed the need for civil society.

“Government needs civil society as a skeptic, a partner, a challenger, a training ground, and a source of innovation.  Government and civil society must work in tandem, like oars on a boat. If only one oar is rowing, the boat loses direction and goes nowhere,” she said.

No one likes being criticized, she said, but “Governments that try to ration information and stifle criticism only erode their own legitimacy and undermine their own ability to reform economies, fight corruption, attract investment, create jobs, hold free elections, and manage their relations with their neighbors.

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“But as unpleasant as it is to be criticized, especially in public, I understand that not only do my critics have a right to speak their minds, their criticism is in fact necessary, regardless of my views or my feelings.

“As [Armenian] President [Serzh] Sargsyan observed not long ago, in Armenia, the way forward is to create ‘a well-developed democracy, a more active political dialogue … and persistent adaptation of European standards into all areas of our political, social and economic lives.’

“Clearly, the solution is not to restrict freedom of speech or access to ideas, or to restrict the right of citizens to assemble in support of those ideas, but rather to take those ideas – even the criticisms of our opponents – seriously and debate them in public on their merits.  The more information citizens have, the better decisions they make.

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“The ideas we hear may be right or may be wrong, but only the people of Armenia – through unfettered debate and through free and fair elections – are qualified to make that judgment.

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“The well-developed democracy and more active political dialogue that President Sargsyan spoke of will require deep and difficult changes.  It will require reforms to Armenia’s laws, institutions, and political culture to expand individual liberty, freedom, and responsibility.

“It will require applying international best practices to the regulation and protection of NGOs, encouraging philanthropy and volunteer labor, and allowing NGOs to earn appropriate kinds of income in support of their missions and their ability to engage and partner with government.

“It will require applying laws consistently to everyone, from the rich and powerful to the poor and unknown, and ensuring that peaceful, lawful assemblies will not be harassed or broken up.

“It will require rules on media that harness the amazing technological advances of our age to broaden rather than narrow the range of ideas and voices available to the public, and that shield media against political pressure from any side, so that different ideas and opinions receive fair access to the airwaves.

“It will require that criminals who assault journalists be caught and punished.

“It will require that the government, Armenian public television, the Central Election Commission, the police, and all political parties assure that future elections meet not only international standards but also the expectations and demands of the Armenian people.

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“If NGOs, opposition political parties, and independent media have the right to criticize – and they must have that right –they also have the obligation to search for solutions in good faith with the government, just as government must open its decision making processes and encourage public debate.

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“So I want to close with the words of [US] President [Barack] Obama in his address to the students at Cairo University in June 2009:  ‘…I want to particularly say this to young people of every faith, in every country – you more than anyone, have the ability to reimagine the world, to remake this world.  All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time.  The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort – a sustained effort – to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings’,” said the US Ambassador to Armenia.