Where Does Armanian Rich People Make Their Money?

One of my American colleagues who lives in Boston and always keeps in touch with the local Armenians, last year visited Armenia as a volunteer firmly intending to help in fixing some social bug in Armenia. Subsequently working for more than than a month in Armenia we finally met only before his difference to the U.s.a..

He was deplorable and perplexed. "I know many Armenians living in Boston, New York and New Jersey," he said, "they are very successful in their respective fields and live prophylactic and prosperous lives. Many of them emigrated from Armenia during the last 15–20 years; and I treat the Armenians with admiration.

Now, when I have visited various towns and villages in Armenia, met people, listened to them about their and the state's bug, I'g simply stunned. How is it possible that a country with such a talented and hard-working people, and such a various diaspora that sends billions of dollars to Armenia every twelvemonth, can remain so underdeveloped and poor?"

Indeed, Armenia was well-known in the Soviet Union for its highly skilled population, its industrial, scientific and educational potential, and its healthcare. At present Armenia has become i of the poorest countries in the earth. The average monthly bacon in Armenia is $370 (USD), the average monthly pension is $ninety, and 20% of children nether five years one-time have health problems caused past undernourishment.

Every investor planning a significant project in the country is obliged to donate a substantial portion of its investment to the current president'southward family unit in lodge to exist able to operate without obstruction.

The economy is suffering nether the yoke of the local oligarchs and Russian monopolies. The authorities have signed many disgraceful agreements with Russia, which force Armenians to buy gas and oil exclusively from Russia at the highest price possible, when oil and gas prices have fallen elsewhere in the world.

In that location is no serious local or foreign investment in Armenia not merely because of the unfavourable economic weather condition (some patriotic Armenians from the diaspora are ready to make substantial investments fifty-fifty in these conditions), merely also considering of the unwritten laws of systemic abuse. Every investor planning a significant project in the country is obliged to donate a substantial portion of its investment to the electric current president's family in lodge to be able to operate without obstruction. For instance, the current president's brother, Sashik Sargsyan, is known in Armenia as Mr. "50%."

The systemic injustices and illegalities in Armenia, too every bit the alienation of ordinary citizens from their own state's government, have led to widespread apathy and despair. People, who could develop Armenia, are leaving the country for Russia, Europe, USA, Ukraine, Canada and Australia. The current emigration rate of iv–5% of the whole population annually is the highest in the world and is simply disastrous. During the 25 years of Armenia's independence, more than 2 million people left the land, almost the same number of people who remain there today. Moreover, half of those emigrants left Armenia in the last 8 years, during Serzh Sargsyan's presidency.

The authorities, through sophisticated and unlawful practices, has left the country's citizens bare-handed in confront of a mighty criminal gang that has seized ability in Armenia. The people cannot affect this situation in any mode and their participation in the elections serves as a smokescreen for the ruling clan to demonstrate formal conformity with the democratic standards imposed in Armenia by the West later the collapse of the Soviet Matrimony. It is difficult to discover another country in the world, where the ruling party has so many members with mafia-manner nicknames

Today the authorities promote puppet "pro-western" parties, which are fully under its control.

On February 2013 the West turned a blind eye to the reproduction of Serzh Sargsyan's ability through massive electoral fraud, every bit Sargsyan had promised to sign the Association Agreement with the EU. Only the previous four years of successful negotiation process with the EU was not a archetype episode of the Eastern Partnership simply rather a vivid example of eastern cunning aimed at getting back up from the West during upcoming presidential elections.

The post-election protest campaign, organized past Raffi K. Hovannisian, who was actually elected as a president by absolute majority, was denied any political support from the West and gradually faded abroad. Simply 4 months later the demise of this powerful anti-governmental move, Serzh Sargsyan not simply refused to sign the Association Understanding with the European union, but during his meeting with Putin in the Kremlin made a solemn pledge to integrate Armenia into the Russia-led Eurasian Economical Union (EEU).

Information technology is noteworthy that Raffi Hovannisian'due south "Heritage" political party was the simply one, whose faction in the Parliament voted against Armenia's integration to the EEU. Every bit a consequence the authorities worked incessantly to exacerbate the rivalries within the party and its parliamentary faction and somewhen to eviscerate it. Now the parliamentary faction of the "Heritage" party essentially has simply one member instead of its previous 5. Today the authorities promote puppet "pro-western" parties, which are fully under its command.

On December 6, 2015, Serzh Sargsyan called a plebiscite on constitutional "reforms" and laid the background to reinforce and perpetuate his power in a weakened Armenia. Currently in his 2nd and terminal term as President, these changes are designed to enable him to retain ability as Prime Minister or Speaker of the Parliament. No wonder that the results of the referendum were rigged. Thank you to the opposition and civil society efforts, the law enforcement authorities take had to file dozens of criminal cases on numerous electoral frauds during the referendum.

None of these criminal proceedings have been initiated as a issue of the intervention by the Police force or National Security Service. And this all happened despite the fact that the opposition parties are not funded from any sources, except the annual state financial subsidy of a mere 7–x thousand dollars, which is provided by law (other sources of opposition financing, such as financial bankroll from business concern sector, are strictly forbidden, and comport penalties for the sponsors that can lead to their bankruptcy: we have such examples).

Merely even the court cases of the criminals who rigged the results of the referendum bring no results as they are released one-by-one after only paying small fines; in fact the maximum penalty for such an offense as state capture in Armenia is a fine of $ 1000. And even if some will be imprisoned, certainly very soon they will exist released under amnesty, granted by their main customer, the president, every bit has happened during the final years of independent Armenia.

Thus, in Armenia catching criminals and handing them over to exist tried and punished is the direct responsibleness of the opposition and civil society, while the accented right of the authorities is to release those criminals, who will continue to falsify elections, capture the country, plunder the country budget, and simply sending to prison those who actively resist these electoral crimes. At that place are 13 political prisoners in Armenia today. This fact has been unanimously accepted non only by the opposition and man rights organizations, but besides in Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, which has urged Armenia's regime to release them many times.

The reaction of the W to the rigged referendum concluding Dec compared to the 2013 presidential election was tougher. The West, through the United states Administrator and the Head of Eu Delegation to Armenia have demanded the punishment all the criminals, who committed electoral fraud, and prepare an electoral code with the involvement of civil society and the opposition, and thus take steps to restore public trust towards the balloter arrangement.

But these statements accept fabricated piddling divergence. Recently the Government of Armenia received a "yellow card": on March eighteen, a few days after the publication of government' anti-democratic draft of the Electoral Code, "Moody'southward" downgraded Armenia's long-term issuer and senior unsecured debt ratings from Ba3 to B1.

But the debate on the Balloter Code in Armenia shows that, even with pressure from the West the authorities volition not exist pushed to have any real reform of the Balloter Code for one unproblematic reason - election laws, which guarantee free and legitimate elections, volition exist the end of their power.

Many people in Armenia accept been excited about the pop revolution in Maidan...

And whatever government elected past the people volition uncover a long series of the economic and criminal offences, such as the mass shooting at the Parliament in 1999, the murder of 10 peaceful demonstrators in 2008, the falsification of at least 5 presidential elections, the extradition of a huge department of Armenia'southward economic system to Russia for a low, sometimes symbolic, price, and the continual looting of the state treasury.

But if until recently Armenia'due south autonomous society has had no promise of a regime change in the land, now, in the low-cal of economic and geopolitical weakening of the Serzh Sargsyan's main sponsor Kremlin, such hopes are start to revive. The opposition, supported by the civil order, volition try to change the government for the offset time in the history of Armenia and to constitute a democratic authorities.

In this regard, the situation has a number of similarities with that of Ukraine, and the current president of Armenia resembles President Yanukovych, the former ruler of Ukraine. Serzh Sargsyan enjoys the back up of simply 7–eight% of the population and is widely mistrusted past the general public.

The Yanukovych precedent is instructive, peculiarly since many people in Armenia accept been excited about the pop revolution in Maidan, every bit they were in 2011 well-nigh the Arab Spring. In Armenia the more or less positive attitude towards Russia that has existed for twenty years is taking some abrupt turns.

The but cistron that all the same keeps Armenia in Kremlin's orbit is the Turkish-Azerbaijani threat, expressed, on ane hand, through the ongoing illegal blockade of Armenia past Turkey likewise every bit the refusal past Ankara to ratify the Armenian-Turkish protocols, signed nether the auspices of the United states, EU and Russia.

On the other manus, in that location are the statements by the leadership of Azerbaijan about the possibility of acquisition the cocky-adamant Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (the concluding one, by the style, according to the Liberty Firm index "Liberty in the world", has much more democratic political system and more liberal economy than Azerbaijan). But even these factors will be unlikely to hold back the people when the last drop will overflow their cup of patience.

"It is enough to found legitimate authorities in Armenia based on the people'due south choice, and I am sure, that Armenia volition blossom in a short fourth dimension," said my American friend before leaving.

Armenians hope that this day is non then far.

NOTE: The article was written before the offset of the four-twenty-four hour period state of war in Karabakh at the get-go of Apr.

Source: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/can-europe-make-it/why-armenians-are-successful-everywhere-except-armenia/

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