Areni Markossian, a member of the Washington “Ani” branch of the ARF (Armenian Revolutionary Federation) Armenian Youth Federation, was actually banned from entering Armenia. For the Armenian authorities (if we use their vocabulary), “spirit is not enough” to directly say that the reason is that the girl participated in “anti-Pashinyan” demonstrations or is a member of an organization that organized such protests. But, since the cases of not letting Diaspora Armenians to their homeland have reached a dozen within a year, there can be no doubt that we are talking about the same “blacklist” – those Armenians who dared not to admire the “wise” internal and foreign policy of the first person of Armenia.
There have been demonstrations against the Armenian authorities in the Diaspora in the past as well. In particular, the same Dashnaktsutyun (ARF) intensely protested against the 2009 Zurich Protocols. However, I do not remember that official Yerevan applied “sanctions” regarding such incidents.
“How can disrespectful expressions be allowed to the Armenian Prime Minister?” – Usually, those who wrote sexual insults to the previous leaders of RA or welcomed those writings express that extremely meticulous attitude in ethical matters. Naturally, I am categorically against insulting expressions towards Pashinyan. But the decision taken at the moment of a fit of anger to punish the entire organization is, you agree, a wrong decision from the point of view of state policy.
Any government in Armenia, regardless of ideological differences, is obliged to maintain regular, practical relations with the ARF and other influential Diaspora structures. That’s how I understand our state interest, a state that has many more excellent opportunities to face challenges using the potential of all Armenians. I said the same to my friends of the first government of independent Armenia. How perceptible it was- is another question.
But then the controversy was really ideological. And now the whole problem is the wounded self-love and the desire for petty revenge. When these paranoid manifestations are put as the basis of politics, it does not produce positive results.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
