Discussion on vulgarity or political debate
"The attitudes toward Armenian woman political figures will have a very negative impact on foreign policy," said former NKR Foreign Minister, founding director of the "Aybengir" publishing house Naira Melkumyan today during a discussion entitled "Vulgarity or Political Debate".
She and other participants shared the view that there is no such thing as political debates in Armenia.
According to ethnograph Hranush Kharatyan, the lack of political debate and the low level of political culture is due to the attitude of officials, which sets the rules of politics.
ARF MP Artsvik Minasyan believes that the press and television are mostly to blame because they lack responsibility and give way to profane "discussions". He even proposed to bring journalists who express vulgarity to justice.
"In that case, only opposition figures will be brought ot justice," siad Chairman of the Helsinki Committee Avetik Ishkhanyan as he voiced his concern.
Ishkhanyan recalled the years of the Soviet Union when Armenian researchers weren't even able to debate with each other and the discussion turned into a personal disputes.
The participants of the discussion underlined that the lack of tolerance is also at the core of the debate. Hranush Kharatyan went further and said that Armenians don't perceive the depth of tolerance and very often view it as obedience.
"The government has its subjects from whom it demands obedience, but tolerance is a very broad concept."
Moderating the discussion was director of the "Civilitas" Foundation Salbi Ghazarian who was concerned about the fact that the lack of debate turns into the reason for intolerance.
"Women hate that intolerance and that is why they don't get into politics," said Naira Melkumyan.
"The political field would be more flexible and even refined if women were in politics," added ARF woman MP Lilit Galstyan.
