Armenia, Artsakh and Diaspora should clean up their act and move on

Issue #1760, December 18-24

BY APPO JABARIAN
Executive Publisher / Managing Editor
USA Armenian Life Magazine (English-language print edition)
USA Armenian Life E-Newsletter (Electronic Distribution — e-blast)
Hye Kiank Armenian Weekly (Armenian-language print edition)
USA Armenian LifeFACEBOOK
www.armenianlif.com

The theme of the cover page of last week’s issue featured a photo of Armenia’s former presidents Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan accompanied by widely discredited Catholicos Karekin II. The title stated: “SUBVERSION OF ARMENIA’S STATEHOOD BY FORMER PRESIDENTS ROBERT KOCHARYAN, SERZH SARGSYAN AND CATHOLICOS KAREKIN II.”

The theme generated mostly positive responses from wide circles of readers in the American Armenian community. However, there was also a tiny minority of readers who expressed disagreement.

USA Armenian Life editorial team’s opposition to the former kleptocratic regimes starting from First President Levon Ter-Petrosyan (1991-1998) to Second President Robert Kocharyan (1998-2008), to Third President Serzh Sargsyan (2008-2018) is consistent with the publication’s long-standing editorial policy.

Echoing many readers’ position on corruption and nepotism, the USA Armenian Life editorial team continues to uphold the importance of establishing a National Truth Commission to fully investigate all four regimes from 1991 till today including the current Pashinyan administration.

The key factors behind USA Armenian Life’s editorial stance are the destructive roles played by

• Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II since his usurpation of the Pontifical Seat at the Holy See of Etchmiadzin. Since taking over the leadership, Karekin II and his religious and lay allies have been involved in numerous nefarious activities that are too many to list here;
• Robert Kocharyan’s performance has been marked by
  a) Several cases of extortion by his Mafiosi ‘associates’ who targeted and defrauded several investors and entrepreneurs during his presidency (1998-2008);
  b) Kocharyan’s Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan’s infamous statement in 2006-2008 on “Armenia’s willingness to return ‘occupied’ territories after a then proposed public referendum in Artsakh;
  c) It was under Kocharyan’s watchful eyes that the October 27, 1999 massacre at the Armenian National Assembly when PM Vazgen Sargsyan and others occurred. Armenian government leaders were gunned down in broad daylight.
  d) ‘Granting’ Armenia’s national business assets (such as Amulsar) to foreign entities for a fraction of the actual value;
  c) Misappropriation of public lands (example: Lake Sevan land parcels) by Kocharyan and his cohorts (The list to be further completed.)
• Serzh Sargsyan’s performance has been marked by
  a) Several cases of extortion by his Mafiosi ‘associates’ who targeted and defrauded several investors and entrepreneurs during his presidency (2008-2018). Sargsyan’s older brother came to be known as “Mr. 50%” because there were no new business enterprises established without reportedly ‘gifting’ the Sargsyan clan 50% ownership. This is a serious charge that must be fully investigated. All assets that are illegally acquired must be confiscated and returned to the State.
  b) Sargsyan administration’s willingness to kill the Armenian national Cause by his willingness to sign the infamous anti-Armenian Turkish Protocols;
  c) It was under his watchful eyes as Chief of Staff for the President Robert Kocharyan that the October 27, 1999 massacre at the Armenian National Assembly was executed when Prime Minister Vasgen Sargsyan and others were gunned down in broad daylight;
  d) The continuation of the unwritten policy of ‘granting’ Armenia’s national business assets to foreign entities for a fraction of the value;
  c) Misappropriation of public lands (example: Lake Sevan land parcels) by Kocharyan, Sargsyan and their cohorts. (The list to be further completed.)
• Levon Ter-Petrosyan and his clan never inspired the Armenian masses as being trustworthy individuals. It was Ter-Petrosyan that Armenia’s economy was dismantled and state-owned assets were literally stolen under the cover of sale for pennies on the dollar.
  All four succeeding regimes miserably failed in forging genuine partnership with Diaspora through real cooperation on business development as well as real repatriation programs.
  

As for Armenia’s future, Armenians should learn from France’s legendary leader General De Gaulle who was the main architect of the Fifth Republic and served as the founding president from 1958 to 1969.

The Armenian Nation, should move forward 1) to fully investigate all four regimes starting from 1991 till this date, correct the massive injustices, learn our lessons from the First Republic (1918-1920), The Second “Soviet Occupation” Republic (1920-1991), The Third Republic that is mostly marred by kleptocracy (1991-2020) and lay the foundations to The Fourth Republic (2021-to posterity).

Neither the old kleptocratic regimes nor the Sorosites or any entity or person acting as a foreign agent in Armenia should have any place in The Fourth Republic (2021-to posterity).

Armenia, Artsakh and Diaspora should clean up their act and move on as we set aside our petty differences and cooperate to uplift the twin Armenian republics and Armenian nation from survival to performance level.

Out nation deserves much better.