They attached importance to moral and spiritual values at the Rhodes conference
“Will Armenia get some of those good things you have mentioned?” Karin Tonoyan, the author and host of a TV project Hayaspet, asked Armen Sargsyan, a former Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, during a short private conversation with the Armenian delegation after his speech. “Yes, certainly, no doubt. One should just be smarter,” Mr. Sargsyan said. Armen Sargsyan participated in the Rhodes forum Dialogue of Civilizations at the invitation of Vladimir Yakunin, a representative of the organization’s organizing committee in Russia and the owner of the Russian Railways company. Let us remind that it is the tenth anniversary of the forum this year. More than 600 delegates from 65 countries participating in the forum – politicians, scientists and clerics – discussed issues regarding the socio-economic, educational, cultural, moral and spiritual values of the planet. The goal was to rescue humanity from expected wars and disasters through a dialogue of civilizations. This forum is perceived as the biggest international non-governmental organization with the dominant participation of the Russian Federation.
Many concerns and worries were expressed – all the speeches had the same ending; regardless of religion and race, humanity should restore the faith, trust in spiritual and moral values, in order that it is able to avoid the present and future disasters. The speech of the former Prime Minister of Armenia enlivened the audience, it was like a call on humanity to overcome despair, live and create again. Armen Sargsyan tried to convince the audience with individual examples that humanity could live on the planet Earth for many decades, if what God has granted to us is used correctly and rationally. And Mr. Sargsyan has no doubt that there is God. Armen Sargsyan cannot explain all those miracles surrounding us in any other way. He particularly talked about using solar and wind energy in the 21st century, technological progress and development. After his speech, Armen Sargsyan ended his participation in the forum’s work. He said that he was hurrying to another meeting. Vladimir Yakunin, the owner of the Russian Railways company, who was in the hall, also expressed his admiration for his laconic and purposeful speech.
Read also
Recapping the work during a conversation with Aravot, Vladimir Kulikov, the executive director of the international forum Dialogue of Civilizations, said in response to a question what real results the forum had yielded after ten years of its existence, “We have managed to be included in the list of leading international forums. We know that the issues discussed at this forum, the proposals made are paid great attention to. In this sense, I would like to be straight – if this forum hadn’t been there, no one would have frankly talked about the expected financial crisis as early as three years before it. If this forum hadn’t been there, no one would have said that the Canadian model of multiculturalism is not applicable in Europe. If this forum hadn’t been there, I think the huge intellectual movement, which develops first
of all in the US – it is weaker in Europe – wouldn’t have existed today. If we hadn’t existed, I think China would have never longed for taking more peaceful external political actions.” A similar forum with the same logic and example, which is sponsored by the Vice-President of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, has been organized in China for three years already. Our interlocutor thinks that Dialogue of Civilizations has contributed to other similar discussions and platforms, which become popular and applicable at the national level.
In response to our question whether one could assert that this organization tried to balance the US, the waging cold war by consolidating the intellectual part of the international community, Mr. Kulikov noted, “Why cold war? It is almost hot. According to the analyses of experts cooperating with us, more than 300 thousand people have died in confrontations, in which the US has participated, in the past 20 years. It is the most real war.” Our interlocutor didn’t agree that an attempt to establish an anti-American alliance was made by this noting that more than 50 Americans from various walks of life participated in the forum. “We have never been anti-American. I don’t think that Americans may be perceived as the reason for all misfortunes in the world even in terms of foreign policy issues. It is not correct. Americans are not the main reason. Their culture is actually very complex, multilayer and non-aggressive. However, attempts to play a dominant role in the world, to perform the functions of an international gendarme lead to the position, in which the US has found itself now. And the economic crisis is mainly related to the indirect obligation to ensure security in the whole world undertaken by the US. Probably, young elite has been formed that doesn’t see the world in a non-American way. And what they will do with that elite afterwards is unclear.”
NELLY GRIGORYAN
Rhodes-Yerevan
