Our compatriots living abroad, including former Armenians, naturally have the right to voice their opinions about various problems of Armenia, our government and the opposition. Sometimes these judgments are interesting and useful. Among those people, who, by the way, are at least three times more than the population of Armenia, there are enthusiastic pro-Nikols, and equally enthusiastic anti-Nikols, and the ratio of these two masses, according to my impression, is approximately 50/50, in contrast to Armenia, where the first group, among active citizens, prevails. Of course, there are also many sober-minded Armenians abroad, who understand that the problem is not in individuals at all. In all cases, people can express their opinion about the processes taking place in the homeland, and the argument that is sometimes heard: “come to Armenia, talk again” does not seem particularly convincing to me.
I have a certain reservation when former Armenians start blaming or scolding us, the rest of us here. Before 2018, they wrote (mostly in transliteration): “You are all slaves because you tolerate Serzh.” Then it turned out that in reality the majority of Armenians do not tolerate and reject the third president. Many considered the change of government to be the only precondition for returning to the homeland. The government changed four years ago, and the vast majority of those who promised to return continue to live in their Russian lands and Glendales. It is another argument in favor of the thesis that Armenian problems are not personal.
The war changed the direction of the accusations of our compatriots living abroad. Now they are scolding us that we did not protect the motherland well. Recently, one of them wrote to me that we, who live in Armenia, are not ready to sacrifice our lives for the sake of the Armenian land. I don’t know, maybe there is such a problem. But, if a person is not ready to sacrifice his comfort, then it is puzzling why he demands greater sacrifices from others.
Why people left and continue to leave is their personal business. Long live the right of people to move freely. That they are not completely cut off from their homeland and have concerns is natural and even encouraging. But it is also obvious that there should be certain ethical restrictions regarding the forms and content of expressing concerns.
Aram Abrahamyan
