511) DIASPORA, WHOSE TOOL IS IT?

The approval of the dual citizenship within the framework of the constitutional amendments acknowledged with the referendum held in November 2005 is assessed by the Armenian circles as a development determining the formation of the internal and foreign policy of the country.


Grigor Hakobyan who works in Washington as a political expert on the regions of Central Asia and Caucasus and as an author at the same time published an assessment on the short term effects of the constitutional amendments including granting the diaspora members dual citizenship.

According to Hakobyan, with the diaspora members that will attain dual citizenship obtaining rights such as the right of voting in elections in Armenia, right of acquiring estate or land, the right of benefiting from the legal regulations and the right of establishing party, the diaspora the position of which is strengthened considerably with respect to Armenia is made to turn into an important economic and political factor.

Hakobyan points out in his assessment that the diaspora gaining a determining role in Armenian policies as an additional strength of vote is expected to create an important change in the formation and implementation of the foreign policy.

Hakobyan notes that with the influence of different value judgments and the countries they are living, the diaspora will cause important changes in the policy of Armenia especially through elections, through the presidential elections that will be held in 2008 in particular.

In this case, it is very likely that the diaspora with the influence of its great number and economic power will be effective during the election campaigns in Armenia. Defending that the diaspora groups in Russia, CIS countries and the Middle East region will support a pro-Russia president and the Armenians in the USA, Canada and Europe will support a pro-Western president, Hakobyan is voicing his concerns that thus “the geo political conditions that Armenia has to pursue will be overlooked”.

In fact, Hakobyan’s assessments match with the worries of Igor Muradyan, the Intelligence Service Councilor of Armenia that “especially the Armenian diapora operating in the USA has come under the guidance of the USA completely.

Muradyan stated that American-Armenian Assembly conducts intelligence activities for the USA in Armenia and the Nagorno Karabakh and that an Armenian citizen is collecting intelligence for CIA in Armenia and the Nagorno Karabakh.

Stating that Armenians in diaspora have been assimilated in the countries where they live forgetting their identities and most of them are serving the intelligence of the country where they live, Muradyan noted that Armenians which experienced assimilation rather than integration have not achived to become a nation of the world.

And now the extent of the worries that have to be felt has increased more. For, the worries that are voiced for the diaspora members that will obtain dual citizenship – thus the countries where they live – do not portend for good.

Grigor Hakobyan’s worries are not limited to this. The political expert of Armenian origin has strange concerns related with Armenia’s foreign policy on Turkey:

Hakobyan claims that the current Government of Armenia pursues a policy that is “not very aggressive” towards Turkey (!), it supports the Turkey’s EU membership (!) and by means of this it tries to ensure the recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide.

While Hakobyan’s citing the concepts of “Turkey’s EU membership” and “genocide” creates a strange conflict within the context of “support”-“barrier”; we can not help asking ourselves what will be the more “aggressive” policy that Armenia which has mobilized all its means for the anti-Turk initiatives would pursue against Turkey be like.

The answer to this exists in the assessments of Hakobyan:

“The diaspora will cause changes especially with regard to foreign policy. Primarily the hostile and aggressive attitude that is based on opposing Turkey will gain strength. The diaspora will oppose Armenia’s support for Turkey’s EU membership(!), the legal initiatives will be raised against Turkey in international platforms. The diaspora will be a compelling and strong element for including the demands of financial compensation and demands for land from Turkey into the official state policy.”

Hakobyan must have forgotten that the diaspora that have made calls for “not letting Turks that do not recognize “genocide” into the EU!” in the entire Europe and the the government of Armenia’s attempts to this end in European countries are parallel in nature. Also it is necessary to remind Hakobyan the statements of Armenian politicians who say that “the fact that we have no demands for land and compensation today does not mean that w won’t make tomorrow”. The points that “Turkey’s territorial integrity is not recognized” are included openly in three official documents of Armenia: “The Declaration of Independence”, “Independence Decision” and “Constitution”

What if a deep disagreement occurred between diaspora and the administration in Armenia, and the Armenians of diaspora are under the guidance of the country in which they are present as Muradyan expressed? Then, who are those who oppose Turkey’s EU membership and who have made financial compensation and demands for soil?

Who are those who fuel Armenian aggressiveness and discord? Is it the diaspora? Is it the countries where they live? In other words;

Whose tools are Armenians this time?

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