Our politicians and public figures seem to be overestimating the significance of speech. They have the illusion that they are able to utter a magical formula, which, once and for all, will put an end to their debates with opponents, will crush, will morally destroy these opponents. Let’s leave aside the extent of righteous for this kind of goals. Let’s refer only to the value of the speech, and just in one, individual, sector: the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.
Usually, when our politicians return from an event held in abroad and attended by your neighbors, they take a bold look in front of local media and exclaim, “And I told them…” And, then quote the pearls of their own mind, which, in their opinion, should solve the problem of Karabakh in your favor. Usually this self-achievement is also followed by self-commenting. “And, my words found a wide resonance by the Europeans (the Americans, Russians, Chinese).”
Whereas, the most beautiful, the most fuzzy, and the most killing speech does not solve any problem by itself. I have even some doubts that these kinds of issues are not resolved in conferences, seminars, and assemblies. In particular, the Council of Europe is not established to reconcile us with the Azeris. But, its Parliamentary Assembly, generally, is very far from it. It is useless to explain the unfair nature of number 21 Decision of Caucasian Bureau to European MPs coming to Strasbourg twice a year for three days, or to tell about the content of Franz Werfel’s novel. The OSCE, of course, is more specialized in the Karabakh issue, and that is why the assessments of the organization, as a rule, are closer to reality, as opposed to the PACE, which generates from the European abstract ideas. Anyway, even the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly reports, resolutions, and speeches are important from the perspective of sentiments, and not the problem solving mechanisms. I do not belittle, of course, the significance of such (and various other kinds of) meetings and discussions. Just it’s not worthy to give fatal importance to them.
In the end, I would like to say that whatever I write in this column is my personal opinion, one of the 2 million (or, according to official figures, 3 million). This opinion is not guiding the rest of the materials of the newspaper in any way.
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ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
09.07.2005
