Ashot Manucharyan: Riot is a horrible thing, we should not let it happen

-Mr. Manucharyan, The relatives of the soldier that was killed in the army on May 18 tried to bring his body to Yerevan for demonstration, and also the riot of Armavir region farmers is still active. There are riots in different parts of the country. Why have people become so sensitive?

-In fact the problem is deeper. I have numerously said that we have done a wrong civilization choice, but now I would recommend to speak more openly and call things as they are because now we are living a very responsible and strained phase. We have chosen a model for saving wealth, which is called a Western model. By making money a god for us, we have started to stab each other, annihilated our economy, science, education, and everyone is thinking about grabbing something from others. If someone has taken the power, he is using that power to accumulate wealth. This is the logical result, which is extreme conflicts, polarization both in social and other sectors (as we see both the political and economic sectors are segregated and alienated). This is what the bad model has brought to; it is not about people being bad, it is about people doing what the model stimulates them to do.

-Why does Russia treat her ally like that? Is there any political reason behind the decision to raise the price of gas?

-Now that issue is not simply an issue of gas. Now it solves very important and fundamental issues in the world, and our region including. This is not a simple issue. In fact, the second phase of occupying countries like us has started. If the first phase segregated the society, dismantled the unity, this second phase is aimed at languishing everybody. The wave is starting. This new wave is coinciding with geopolitical wars.  I have called the civilization that is occupying us Western, but it is conditional because the first ones to be occupied are America and Europe. These countries are simply a tool in the hand of the world financial system, and their people are being used too; they are the first ones to be used, and we are the second class to be used, which is the reason why it costs more expensive for us.

-Do you think this issue may be connected with the proposed Eurasia Union? Is this an example of Russia using powerful tools for it goals?

-In the whole processes happening worldwide Russia is trying to protect its own identity. This is one side of Russia; it is the choice of the Russian people. If the Russian elite, being very languished and having low morality, has chosen the same civilization model as us, than it is their choice. But the problem is that people’s discontent is affecting the elite too, thus the elite are trying to oppose to it, which is done primarily as a geopolitical strategic initiative. Russia cannot let its opponents take over interests in its area of strategic interests.

Specifically, there is a struggle going on for Armenia, and Russia will do her best not to let anyone take over these interests. If we are asking questions such as the gas and its price, then Russia is telling us that if w are keeping with them, then the prices we will receive will be the same as their internal prices, and if not, they have different prices for countries in other civilization teams.

-Does this mean to be a warning?

-On the one hand, this may be perceived as warning, but on the other hand this is a rule of the game and we know about it. When we say we want to be integrated with Europe, our vision is a big house with two nice girls next to it and a good life. But there is the other side of the coin, which is its influence not being NATO or any other organization, but LGBT, which stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transvestite Europe. It seems to us this is something virtual and far, but now they are acting in the republic and have their promoters here, which may be parties or non-for-profit organizations that have lobbied for the adoption of 5 laws.

It sounds like this: “well, I feel like I am a girl and I cannot be drafted and taken to the army.” Tomorrow someone may want to open a boutique to distribute free journals about homosexualism and encourage school children participate in gay parades. Now we are in the process of adopting this, thus we will spoil ourselves and our children.

This is a traditional activity proposed by the institute of financial interests, which is coming to replace the army. Enemies don’t need much to win in a war with us; imagine what will happen if this practice is adopted. I think now we should say “no” to that culture because the wider we are opening the door, the closer that culture is coming to us. Instead of that we should adopt laws that would ban the people who are organizers of gay parades to come to Armenia. I don’t mean the people that are simply tolerant, but the ones that are promoters of those values.

-Shouldn’t we say no to this policy of Russia?

-I said that we had reached a level where the choice can be fatal. We are not signing another blank paper. So we should categorically say no to the associated agreement of Europe. We have the following problem in relations with Russia. We wish to have relations with Russia to ensure that they treat us with respect and we want to treat them in the same manner based on our interests. But we expect them to be more open.

Let me say now that this kind of relationship is impossible. Another fundamental matter is the security. I see how this security is guaranteed with Russia, let’s say in the relations with Turkey. The same can be said about Azerbaijan because even if we win another war with Azerbaijan but it still cannot guarantee our security. So the relations with Russia have a fundamental vitality in guaranteeing our security from Azerbaijan and Turkey. No such relations were offered to Armenia by any other country. It wouldn’t even be realistic.

-But the incomes that Russia should receive from the increased gas price don’t seem like a big amount for Russia.

-But here we should speak about the second side of the matter. Russia is publicly making us understand that we are giving the gas to consumers in a higher price than we offer to businesses and industrial enterprises.

Why should Russia lower the price and make our corrupt businesses even richer. Secondly, Russia is saying take your economy out of the shade and in that case the gas price won’t seem to high for you because it is cheaper than what’s offered to Europe. Of course, here is a context as well because Russia raised this matter when it noticed our abstruse geopolitical situation. At any rate, this is a very important matter for Armenia.

-Nonetheless, today people don’t care as much about political or geopolitical matters as they care about their social conditions.

-By saying this I don’t wish to pass the economic matters. In the economic aspect my suggestion is the following. As the momentum is fatal because our security and existence is on the gambling table this is how I see the solutions.

As Serzh Sargsyan was the most informed person in the country, and as he was the minister of national security he very well knew how much money was devoured by every person, he should make these people to pay for the foreign debt of our country, which is about 5 billion USD. This would help us to get rid of the dependence from international structures.

These people should also be accountable for investing another 5 billion USD in the Armenian economy. This is what a reform should look like. Perhaps Serzh Sargsyan is not able to make such a suggestion because most probably he is one of the authors of this philosophy and secondly this field may show immense resistance. That’s is the reason why he needs help. People should stand up for them rights. All the concerned organizations and parties should unite the people and request the president to solve this matter. We can choose a day, let’s say June 15, 22, etc. Let each of the involved parties showcase their demands and the demands of the people.

-Mr. Manucharyan, people cannot make the government to make actual reforms. So what should be done?

-We have noticed a 100 times that no opposition party can make this happen. We should hold a town hall meeting with the president in Yerevan and all marzes and all the video materials can be applied and installed. Either Serzh Sargsyan should take care of returning the stolen money or the people should demand.

-It is noteworthy that these riots arise in different spots and at different occasions. But how can the people unite if the opposition is so splintered?

-This town hall meeting should solve many of the issues because it has a serious hazard for our country. There is a tale or a stereotype that Armenians never stand up for a social demand. This is not true because we can all unite because of social demands because now everybody is very concerned about their future. The next biggest threat would be the riot in the country. At that time, this riot will become uncontrollable. It would turn into chaos because that is what we saw in Libya and other places. If there is a big riot there will be no winners or losers.

The positive thing would be that there is will a new life but its aftermath would be a great number of victims and losses. During that riot we will most likely lose Karabakh and the majority of the population. Now we have a situation when a spread rumor may cause a riot. If on that day they moved the body of the killed soldier to the Republic Square most probably we would have had this uprising. Now Armenia is in a situation that the authorities cannot change anything.

So it’s the high time that the leader of the country hits his fist on the table and resolved the problems in the country. All these options should be discussed at the town hall meeting. Now let me bring one example to clarify what I am getting at.

A day before the French revolution the French king in his diary wrote down “nothing,” which means that nothing was going on in his opinion. His lover, who was the richest person in the country after the riot ran to the executor’s house and was begging to be beheaded but not be given to the people. The executor said that he couldn’t do it and gave her to the people. She was torn into parts. I am trying to say that a riot is a terrible thing and a town hall meeting is the best solution at this stage.

By Aram Sargsyan