Published on EurasiaNet.org ()
December 6, 2010 – 4:53pm
Armenian Diaspora groups are feeling a need to broaden and deepen
their commitment to helping Armenia’s political and economic
development. Participants at a Diaspora conference, held in Los
Angeles on December 4, focused not only on such hot-button issues as
Genocide recognition, they discussed ways to help Armenia battle
corruption, promote tax reform and encourage the development of civil
rights.
Many attending the one-day academic event, which was convened to
discuss issues relating to the Armenian Revolutionary Federation [5]’s
120-year history, expressed concern about Armenia’s present economic
and diplomatic situation. The Armenian economy is struggling to
recover [6] from the 2008 global financial crisis, while Yerevan’s
efforts to normalize relations with its two hostile neighbors —
Turkey and Azerbaijan — remain stalemated. The event was co-sponsored
by the University of Southern California’s Institute of Armenian
Studies and the academic journal, The Armenian Review.
Participants generally lauded the Armenian government’s conduct in the
foreign policy sphere, in particular Yerevan’s decision to suspend
efforts to normalize relations [7] with Turkey. Some experts at the
conference maintained that the question of the 1915 mass slaughter of
Armenians in Ottoman-era Turkey, a tragedy that Diaspora groups insist
meets the criteria for genocide, remains a stumbling block for the
normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations.
Armenian National Committee of America Executive Director Aram
Hamparian hoped for more sober assessment in Washington, Ankara and
Yerevan to develop a framework for better relations. `The foundation
for any meaningful Turkish-Armenian relations is a truthful and just
resolution of the Armenian Genocide,’ Hamparian said. `The
[Armenian-Turkish normalization] protocols failed by and large because
they tried to avoid that reality.’
Domestic issues, in particular widespread corruption and inequitable
income distribution, generated a lot of discussion at the
conference. Hrair Dekmejian, director of USC Institute of Armenian
Studies, suggested that Armenia’s national security could be enhanced
by reducing graft and closing the income gap. Other attendees took aim
at the Armenian tax code.
Recent changes in Armenia’s individual tax code eliminated a deduction
from the gross income before tax, and introduced something of a flat
tax, imposing similar rates across a variety of income brackets. Ara
Khanjian, a professor of economics at Ventura College who has worked
at the Economic Ministry of Armenia, described the new framework as
`extreme’ and `unfair,’ especially for low-income Armenians. He went
on to suggest that, as the Armenian economy struggles to regain a
sense of equilibrium, the Armenian government needed to take a more
active stance in the regulation of commerce.
Dekmejian, the USC institute director, said the ability of various
Diaspora organizations to assist Armenia’s recovery would benefit from
greater coordination and more outreach. `There are huge numbers of
Armenians [abroad] who have nothing to do with anything Armenian,’ he
said.
Conference co-organizer, Asbed Kotchikian, the editor of The Armenian
Review, cautioned members of the Diaspora against being quick to judge
the actions of the Armenian government. He added that members of the
Diaspora tend to have a romanticized notion of their homeland and
harbor unrealistic expectations concerning the capabilities of the
government in Yerevan. `What gives you the right, living here in Los
Angeles, to decide whether or not Armenia should open the border with
Turkey?’ Kotchikian, who has lived and taught in Armenia, said,
referring to the Diaspora community in the United States. `If you
haven’t had experience living in a state, being a citizen where your
rights are being violated and so on, you cannot have strong feelings
about it.’
According to Kotchikian, the violence in Yerevan that followed the
2008 presidential elections [8] has awakened desires among many in the
Diaspora community to promote civil rights and environmental
protection in Armenia. =80=9CIt’s very fascinating to see in the last
two years the number of people talking about these things or trying to
do something,’ he said.
Editor’s note: Liana Aghajanian is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles.
Liana Aghajanian
Armenia
Armenia
Armenian Diaspora
2010 © Eurasianet
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From: A. Papazian