Richard Giragosian: “I was naïve”
Political scientist Richard Giragosian says he was probably naïve to leave the USA for Armenia four years ago.
"I came to Armenia, got married and had a child without any fear from pedophiles. It turns out that I was naïve in my decision," Giragosian announced today.
His disappointment was resulted by a court decision sentencing pedophile teacher Levon Avagyan charged with illicit sexual acts to two years' imprisonment
To understand in what country Armenians live, Giragosian advised comparing two court verdicts. "A pedophile has been sent to two years in prison while Nikol Pashinyan to eight years."
The political scientist says he sees fewer smiling faces in Yerevan nowadays.
"This is conditioned by grave social conditions which are worsening day by day. Twenty-eight percent of the population drags out a miserable existence. Every four citizen in Armenia is a beggar. The figure is terrifying and shameful for Armenia and Diaspora. People have become rude to each other."
To overcome the situation, Mr. Giragosian suggests following the example of Greece.
"With the deepening crisis, Greece increased the possibility of reforms. Greek authorities realized the necessity of reforms. The same should be done in Armenia."
The political scientist thinks that nobody wants a power change in Armenia.
"Society is not ready for it. Life has shown that coup attempts are no longer justified. Democracy cannot be forced or bound. Society has undergone serious changes in Armenia since the events of March 1, 2008. Many people are afraid to pronounce oligarchs' nicknames and smilingly shake the hand of a corrupted policeman. We must actively fight for our rights. We must not fear oligarchs, government and police. The experience of Kyrgyzstan might be useful in this context. Like Kyrgyzstan, Armenia must eradicate corruption
Speaking about the recent parliamentary election in Karabakh, Mr. Giragosian said the Nagorno Karabakh Republic proved to be more democratic than Azerbaijan and Armenia are.
In comments provided to a Turkish news agency on May 25, Richard Giragosian said Turkey should hail the democratic elections in Karabakh as new legitimate authorities would be involved in the negotiations.
